Aquatico is usually good for cheap thrills. After a bumpy start, the past four Aquaticos I’ve reviewed have been handsome, fun, and above all, inexpensive, especially after you factor in one of the brand’s frequent sale discounts. Today, I have the Aquatico Poseidon, a 300m diver that mixes a Seiko-inspired case with some vintage flair for a list price of $359. And as luck would have it, they are running a 30% Fathers Day sale.
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: that case looks suspiciously like a Seiko Marinemaster 300. It’s not a monoblock case, and the details are not quite 100%, but the resemblance is unmistakable. Of course, Aquatico is not the first brand to mimic a popular design, and the MM300 design is one of my favorites, with that brushed sliver forming the edge between the two dramatically angled, polished surfaces above and below it. It wears rather well for a 43mm wide, 50mm long, 15mm thick case.
The Aquatico’s case looks pretty good from a distance, but once you zoom in, you notice a level of finishing far below Seiko’s or even many of the better microbrands. The edges are very soft, and look at how they turn up at the corners of the lugs. Not only were those edges not straight, but they were all uneven in different ways so no two looked the same. At this price, you expect some corners to be cut, but you don’t expect to literally see those corners.
Flip the watch over, and you’ll find a display case back showing off the NH35 automatic within. I’m always down for this Seiko automatic because it’s the Chevy LS V8 of the watch world. It’s not exotic, but it’s a solid performer and an excellent value proposition. The finishing on the underside is not great, but at least it’s hidden.
Moving on to better things, the Poseidon is a handsome watch. Under that double-domed and AR-coated sapphire crystal is a black sandwich dial and brushed obelisk hands, all lit up with RC Tritec SuperLuminova.
I dig the black and tan look, and Aquatico offers it in blue and tan as well. The brushed and engraved ceramic bezel insert follows the same scheme, and all of it lights up nicely when the sun goes down.
Bezel action is tight and precise. It takes a firm grip to move it through its 120-click rotation, but there is no wobble or back play, so you can be confident that it will remain exactly where you place it.
Aquatico supplies the Poseidon with a 22mm tropic style rubber strap, and I must say, I was surprised at how much I liked it. While I appreciate the look and practicality of a rubber strap, I dislike wearing most of them, be they natural or synthetic. My recent conversion to FKM rubber has spoiled me to the point that I won’t bother with anything else. Aquatico doesn’t describe this strap as more than “high-quality rubber,” but high-quality it is. It’s soft, comfortable, and lint-free. If it isn’t FKM, then it is close enough for me.
They also supplied a tan leather strap with the review sample. It’s not shown on the site, but it looks pretty sharp on the black Poseidon.
If you buy an Aquatico Poseidon now with code “DAD,” you will get it for $251, which is pretty tempting but I find it hard to recommend. From my experience with the last few review samples, Aquatico does just fine with simpler case shapes, but the factory finishing falls apart as the angles and curves grow more complex. If you like the look and are willing to compromise on the details, then, by all means, pick up a Poseidon and wear it in good health, but those wonky corners are a deal killer for me, even at this low price.
