Company: Stuckx
WEBSITE: http://webshop.stuckx.com/web-store/300077–funky-bull.html
About:
The Stuckx story is a simple one. Having been selling watches made by other great micro brands for many years, it was time to create a brand we could call our own. It was like an urge: once we had some ideas, we just had to follow through with it. We make watches to fulfil a dream and for the positive energy that gives. Watches that create a positive spark in our mind. We have a very intense relationship with our designer. We started with key elements that helped us define a direction: 70’s inspired, colors, both basic and more extremely outside the box, “challenging” designs. We asked him to not hold back, to draw what he thought was great. Together we selected the first concepts and work began.
At the end of the day we do not make watches for the masses. We target to sell to both watch collectors as watch newbies. We can live with a probable fact that not all will “dig” what we make. It goes with the territory. We cannot satisfy all. Or better said: we won’t. But if we cause some people to smile, to ignite “a spark”, we are succesful the way we want to be.
Model: The Funky Bull
Specs:
42 mm 316L stainless steel case in bullhead style
– Height approx 13mm
– Strap size 22mm
– Polished black ceramic bezel inlay, unidirectial turning bezel
– VK series Seiko/TMI movement. High quality mecha-quartz movement with mechanical pusher feel and smooth running chrono hand
316L steel case in brushed finish
Water resistance of 200 m
Sapphire crystal (flat)
Leather high quality strap with signed buckle
Available in 3 colors.
330 euros/approximately $360 usd
Ahhh the 70’s, vintage glory, that’s what the Stuckx Funky Bull is all about. Capturing that vintage flavor while committing to the diving goodness. The brushed stainless steel case shape is definitely unique and it’s hard not to notice that first. The case is thicker at the top and curves down thinner as it approaches the 6 o’clock position. This shape lets you get a nice angle/view of the dial when it’s on your wrist. I was actually very skeptical about the case shape until I strapped it to my wrist. I’ll talk more about that later though.
The bullhead shaped case is with the crown and pushers on top above the 12 o’clock position is very unique indeed. The screw down style crown operates pretty easily. The crown is unsigned which I believe is a detail that is a must have. 99.9% of the time a crown should be signed with something thoughtful. It could be as simple as the company logo, but something simple makes a big addition. It’s actually easier to operate the chronograph function with the stop watch style button layout. Another interesting tidbit about the case is there are only 2 external lugs which are located on the bottom of the case. The top of the case is where the strap under-mounts via lugless style. This definitley lends itself to the unique style and shape of the watch. It’s quite refreshing to see something different when it comes to a dive style watch.
The screw down case back is pretty plain. The only action going on back there is some small engraved info about the watch that is around the edges. I am a little disappointed with the lack of engraving on the actual case back itself. Solid case backs is an excellent place to showcase a nice ocean themed engraving or a company logo. Something here is always better than nothing.
The unque case shape and the killer unidirectional rotating bezel make up for this though. The polished ceramic inlay on the bezel is beautiful. The bezel only features an orange triangle at the 12 o’clock position. The bezel has virtually no extra play which is a bonus. That being said the bezel is hard to rotate because the rounded bezel edges. But what’s really cool about the bezel is the cut outs of the ceramic that actually line up where the indices on the dial are. You can’t really notice that the bezel has the cutouts by looking at it, but running your finger across it makes the difference. That’s how I discovered it actually. That’s why I like spending a good amount of time with watches I review, it gives me the chance to discover all the unique details that make the watch great or in some cases not so great.
Looking through the flat sapphire crystal you will see a funky dial that’s packed with that vintage dive watch charm. The bronze/orange dial dances when it hits the light going from an lighter shade of orange to a deep brown/bronze color. It’s one of my favorite little charming details on the watch. Something you will also notice on the dial are the 3 sundials the sub dial at the 6 o’clock position is a little harder to notice though. The sub dial at 9 indicates chrono minutes, sub dial at 3 indicates seconds and finally the sub dial at 6 indicates chrono hours. The sub dials at 3 & 9 are inset and feature some really nice subtle texturing which adds to the depth of this dial.
The applied indices are have polished edges that really enjoy catching the light. The center of the applied indices are black. The applied markers and the hands have some lume coated on them. The glow when charged is pretty faint though, but the orange triangle on the bezel glows a cool shade of yellow. The shape of the hands are a great throwback to the vintage dive watches of the seventies. Thin,polished, long and square. The hands are absolutely beautiful. Even the hands on the sub dials are well done as well, especially the sub dial at 9 which features a red tip.
The black inner chapter ring features a tachymeter measurement tool which comes in handy. To use the tachymeter to measure distance take note of your traveling speed. Start at the zero seconds and when the tachymeter reaches the speed that you are traveling that will be your end spot. So if you marked your traveling speed at 50 mph and the tachymeter reading reaches 50 then you have traveled 1 mile. Every time the the tachymeter reaches the 50 after its another mile traveled.
The movement Stuckx opted for in this watch is the VK series Seiko/TMI movement. Which is considered a hybrid meca quartz movement and has a battery life is of 3 years. The fly back feature on this movement is pretty precise. By pressing the pusher on the left of the crown starts/stops the Chrono hand and the pusher on the right flies it back to start in a blink of an eye. I am one of those people who actually use the chronograph function on my watches, especially at work where I have to time to the exact second. The Funky Bull came in quite handy during my reviewing process.
The nice and soft black leather strap looks like the perfect match for this watch. I love have soft it is to the touch and how is wraps around the wrist with no raised buckling from strap stiffness. The brushed tang style buckle is signed with Stuckx. Simple but gets the job done. The unque shape of this case teamed with the super soft strap really allows the Funky to sit great on the wrist. I love how the watch angles itself towards you by being raised higher on the top of the case and gradually slimming down to the bottom. The Funky Bull is so comfortable on you will forget it’s there from a comfort perspective.
The Funky Bull is a refreshing take on a dive watch but using that vintage charm of the dive watches from the 1970’s. The case shape is so unique and doesn’t really shine to its potential until it’s strapped on your wrist, that’s when the real magic happens. It looks so damn cool when it’s on that its hard not to contort your wrist in all angles/directions to see how it looks each way. The dial is another highlight of this watch. The color is so raw and beautiful. It’s an earthy rust color that never gets old especially when it hits certain lights. I also like the applied indices and the applied Stuckx logo on the dial. There is a ton of depth on this dial.
The Funky Bull does have a few areas for improvement though. From a personal preference nit-picky perspective the crown and caseback should feature some nice engraving, I’d even be happy with both featuring the Stuckx logo. From a functional perspective the room for improvement is the lume and the bezel edges. Brighter lume is a must have in today’s market, especially on a dive style watch. Bezel operation is also important on a dive style watch, and there is no way with diving gloves on that you would be able to rotate this bezel.
The refreshing Funky Bull is a very nice and affordable offering from Stuckx. It’s packed full of vintage charm details. I would definitley recommend the Funky Bull to someone looking for an affordable dive style watch that is a very nice break from the same old same old. It’s a watch that has strong wrist presence that is surely noticible by watch enthusists and by “Joe Public”
I want to personally thank Stephan and Stuckx for this honor and opportunity. And for putting up with my persistence😉
Thank you all for reading. I’ll be back soon.
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