In July of 2017, I had the privilege to review the Caliper Slide View, aa automatic calculator watch that stood apart from the crowd with its translucent dial and huge internal slide rule bezel. Now, the brand is back on Kickstarter with the Slide View MKII, a slimmer, lighter, and best of all, less expensive variant. Caliper let me try both the white/steel OST and black/black OBL versions for this review. A black/steel model BST is also offered.
The most significant difference between the original and the MKII is the movement. Goodbye, Miyota automatic. Hello, Ronda quartz. I know many of you winced at that news, but come on people, not every watch in your box needs a rotor. In addition to grab-and-go convenience and – let’s be honest here – more accurate timekeeping, the Swiss Ronda is also significantly smaller, reducing the thickness to just 10.5mm. It also keeps it light, although maybe too much so. It feels a little hollow. I prefer the more tool-like weight of the automatic. Water resistance on this model is 50m, and it wears a flat mineral crystal.
Like the first model, the MKII has a 43mm stainless steel case with an internal bezel, but the proportions are very different. Where the automatic was dominated by the inner bezel and had a very small diameter dial, the quartz has a more conventional bezel-to-dial ratio. The 2 o’clock crown sets the time, and the 4 o’clock one operates the slide rule. Both are knurled and cleverly engraved; watch hands on the top one and ” + ÷” on the bottom. The bezel and upper surfaces are brushed while the sides are polished. It is a pleasant combination of finishes and textures that gets an extra pop from the anodized red-orange base of the lower crown.
The dial is opaque on this model and, from my aesthetic standpoint, very much improved. Where the previous iteration was rather flat and sterile, the new version features applied markers, the excellent Caliper logo up top, and two lines of inobtrusive text below. Fine slide rule markings printed on the outer edge meet their partners on the internal bezel. Long baton hands, an orange second hand, and coordinating orange triangles on the slide rule markers finish it off (if you opt for the BST, they will be a striking electric blue instead).
Lume is entirely dependent on color choice. If you go for the black dial, you will get it on all hands and markers. One the white dial, you have black markers and hands with no lume at all except for one lonely dot on the second hand.
Now, I am sure a great many potential buyers will have never used a slide rule before. I certainly hadn’t before I bought a watch with that function. A slide rule is an analog calculator with two logarithmic scales that the user aligns for multiplication or division. For example, to multiply 35 x 4, align 3.5 on the outer ring with 1 on the inner ring. The scales are now aligned at 35:1 so if you look at where they meet at 4 on the inner ring, you will have your answer on the outer ring, in this case, after adjusting the decimal, 140. If you want to practice a bit before you whip out your Slide View in front of your friends, you can start with the brief tutorial and cardboard slide rule Caliper has included in the packaging.
So how does one apply this newfound knowledge? Just flip over your watch, choose from one of the multitudinous conversion formulas engraved into the case back, and have at it. I am hard-pressed to think of another watch that packs so much information into such a small space. Even if you don’t use the information, it looks fantastic.
Caliper fitted the Slide View MKII with a 22mm, quick-release, black leather strap. Stitching corresponds to the dial’s accent colors. On the samples, both were orange. It is lightly padded and tapers to a 20mm buckle that matches the case’s finish.
Early Birds can still pre-order a Slide View MKII BST for as low as $290 CA (about $214 US), or 40% off the full price. The OST and OBL are now only available for 30% off. If you want to jump on board, head over to the Caliper Kickstarter page by July 9, 2020. ⬩
