Today, I’ve got the Giant Stride; a new dual-crown, 200m dive watch from the young and prolific Australian micro brand, Second Hour. The watch reviewed here today is a prototype with more than a few changes planned, which I will flag in the course of the review, but it is generally quite close to what buyers will get.
Having sampled all three Second Hours, I’d say the new one feels like the love child of their previous releases, the Gin Clear and the Mandala. Like the Gin Clear, it has a beefy case and a sporty bearing. Like the Mandala, it has a detailed dial and a case that almost magically wears one size smaller than its dimensions suggest. As for that second crown? I presume that’s a recessive gene. I think its Great Uncle Trevor had one.
A Sellita SW200 powers the Giant Stride. You all know it by now: a 26-jewel, 28.8k bph, Swiss 2824 clone that is popular with many micro and independent brands. I have owned several, and every one has been accurate and reliable.
This is not a small watch. It measures 42mm wide, 46.7mm long, and 13.2mm thick from the case back to the domed, 6x AR-coated sapphire crystal. Just as I did when reviewing the Mandala, I put it on my wrist, guessed its size, and then discovered that I had underestimated by 2mm. I don’t know how they do it, but they keep making watch cases that fit me better than I think they will. Part of the illusion is attributable to its fairly compact length, part to the 20mm lug gap, and another part to the absence of an external bezel. Sheer, unbowed sides with short, vertical brushing accentuate its thickness, but then polished bevels on the outside and the inside of the lugs help to break it up again. Second Hour plans to tweak the contouring on the underside to slim it even more. The result of these stylistic touches is a watch that wears much smaller than the Gin Clear, even though it is 0.5mm wider than that earlier model.
Someone clearly had fun designing these crowns. Both screw down, of course. Both are signed with a different embossed image (a triangle for the upper, the Second Hour logo for the lower) and lumed to boot. But cool as those elements may be, I was really smitten by the pointy wedges cut into their edges. Nicely done.
On the case back, we find an embossed and engraved image of a diver performing a giant stride water entry, which is, as far as I can tell, literally stepping off a boat. As I said above, it’s an odd name, but Second Hour has embraced the unorthodox. If they were to name their next dive watch the Starfish or something equally bland, I’d be a little disappointed. But it is not the name or the subject that bothers me so much as the case back art itself, particularly the rendering of the diver’s arm and hand. Case back art is hardly a deal killer, but it is just not a terribly satisfying drawing.
Things get back in the groove when you flip back to the face. The Giant Stride incorporates several elements from the Mandala, and that is a good thing. It has a dual-textured dial, applied quadrangle markers, and the most subtle incarnation of the uncommon enlarged markers at 12, 4, and 8 o’clock. Production dials will eliminate the branding under the logo as well as the model name, both of which will go far to declutter the dial. Second Hour also tells me they are switching dial manufacturers and that the final product will be better executed too. This is great, although I had no complaints about the prototype.
Many divers have sword hands, but few look as of they have just stabbed someone. The blood-red tips on the Giant Stride’s diamond-cut hands are a unique way of adding a pop of color to the dial.
The date window is done just how I like: it’s at the 6 o’clock position, has proper framing, and it truncates but does not eliminate the marker.
As you can see, I sampled the blue dial. Second Hour will also offer green, black, and a striking white dial with a red bezel. That bezel operates smoothly and also securely, thanks to the screw-down top crown. I was pleased to see that it is engraved, which looks great and also offers a nice, deep area to fill with a full eight layers of BGW9 lume. The result glows long and strong.
Second Hour did very well with the H-link bracelet too. A 20mm width was exactly the right call for this watch. The clasp is a slim, signed, push-button release with polished bevels to match the case. Production versions will have four micro-adjustment holes. It is attractive, not at all bulky, and with single-ended screws, very easy to size. What could make it better? How about a scratch-resistant hardening coating that takes it to 1200HV? Yeah, it’s got it, as does the case.
Once again, I am impressed with how much second Hour has developed in such a short time. Don’t get me wrong, the Gin Clear was nice enough but not even half as sophisticated as the Mandala, and the Giant Stride is another step in that natural evolution. I was not crazy about the case back, and the stabby hands work better on some colors than others, but overall, this is a sound design. Second Hour seems to have found a really pleasing signature style and their case and bracelet execution are spot-on.
Second Hour will launch pre-orders in September. There will be no Kickstarter. All purchases will be made directly through their site. Pre-order pricing will be $615 US, increasing to $725 for full retail. If you want to hop on before the price bump, head over to SecondHour.com.au and sign up for notices.
