Sometimes, a Bum needs to stretch a little outside of his comfort zone, as I did when I recently sampled the Dreamlike Moon, Owner Series from Pustovalov Watches of Clearwater, Florida. Founder Evgeniy Pustovalov let me have a test run with the black dial variant for this review. Is it my cup of tea? No, but it might be yours. Read on.
So why is this not a watch for me? Quite simply, the size. I have a 6.75″ wrist and the Pustovalov is 45mm wide. I have learned not to judge a watch’s size by the listed dimensions alone as there are plenty of design elements that will make a watch look and feel larger or smaller than it really is and the Dreamlike Moon employs a few. Round cases tend to wear smaller, curved sides are slimming, and when those curves are mirror-polished as they are here, that tends to trick the eye as well. Finally, those center-mounted lugs take up less space than conventional ones would.
Still, the watch is 45mm wide and 55mm long. It overhangs my wrist and even though it is only 10mm thick (including the domed sapphire crystal) it would not squeeze under any of my buttoned shirt cuffs, which is kind of a deal-breaker for anything other than a tool watch. Granted, I am not a big guy. If you are and happen to be looking for a dressy watch that can take up some wrist real estate, then the Pustovalov might be just the thing.
The Dreamlike Moon, as you might have guessed, has a moon phase function courtesy of the Ronda 706.1 (Swiss parts) quartz movement inside. I do like a nice moon phase. I have no use for it, of course – no one does – but it is among the prettiest of complications. The movement also affords day and date subdials. The signed, hex-nut crown proved easy to grip. That function may not be as critical on a quartz as it is on a mechanical, but when you need it, you need it. (I have owned one or two quartz watches with crowns that I’d swear were designed for the sole purpose of screwing with you on the equinoxes.)
Day and date are set with recessed buttons on either side of the case. Tempting as it may be to poke them with a ballpoint pen, I would implore you instead to find a toothpick or something less likely to scratch.
There are three variants in the Owner Series: black, blue, and brown in a gold PVD case. All have sunray dials. I sampled the sober black, but I think the intense blue is the best looking of the bunch, particularly given its bold blue strap. I do not know why the brand chose to emblazon the dial with “OWNER series” or use that off-putting combination of all caps and all lowercase. I’d have preferred to see the model name on there, in a less jarring typeface, with the series designation on the caseback.
The applied markers and short feuille hands are polished and, much to my delight, lume-filled. Far too many dress watches employ polished hands-on dark dials, making them difficult to read under many lighting conditions and downright impossible in low light. The white lume in the Pustovalov provides ample contrast for daylight and a useful glow at night.
Speaking of utility, the watch is good for 50m water resistance. I wouldn’t take it scuba diving, but it’s more than enough for just about any daily use, and a step up from the usual 30m or less you might get from a typical dress watch.
The Pustovalov ships on a 20mm Italian leather strap that is padded, crocodile-embossed, and fitted with an 18mm butterfly deployant clasp. I found it to be a bit of a let-down as the leather feels stiff and looks over-processed. While I am sure it will break in over time, the lug arrangement guarantees you will not be swapping the strap for anything else. At least not anything that isn’t custom made. I wish they had gone all-out on the strap with top-grain leather or even something more exotic. Yes, it would have cost more but considering that the watch is practically married to the strap it would have been well worth it. That said, I did like the way the hex ends mirrored the shape of the crown.
You can order the Dreamlike Moon, Owner Series direct from Pustovalov. Full list price for the DreamLike Moon is $600, and I must say, that is hard to justify.
So this watch wasn’t for me, but Evgeniy has a new dive model in the works. He’s posted a few renderings and it looks promising, especially if he sticks with some of the bold color combinations he’s been tinkering with. I’m really looking forward to seeing it in real life. To learn more about it, browse the League of Microbrands Facebook page and be sure to check out PustovalovWatch.com. ⬩
