Watch Review: Evant Tropic Diver

Company: Evant

Website: https://www.evantwatches.com

Model: Tropic Diver 300m Vintage

Specifications:

Case Diameter: 41mm

Lug to Lug: 48m

Lug Width: 20mm

Case Thickness: 13mm

Movement: Swiss Made ETA2824-2 Automatic. Elabore grade.

Power Reserve: 38 Hours

Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel. Polished.

Crystal: 3mm Domed Vintage Sapphire Crystal with Inner Anti-reflective Coat

Luminescence: Old Radium Vintage

Buckle: 316L Stainless Steel. 20mm. Polished. Signed Tang Buckle

Water Resistance: 300M

Warranty Period: 24 Months International Warranty

Sometimes something old can become something new again. One of my favorite hobbies is repurposing and refinishing old wood & furniture. It’s a pretty awesome process taking something that was disguarded by someone, can be turned into a thing of beauty. Bringing what was once beautiful out again but in a different style is a magical process. This is what Evant tried to accomplish with their watch, the Tropic Diver. Taking what Breguet produced in 1965 with their limited edition No. 1646 which was limited to just 60 pieces, and Evant ‘repurposed’ it into the watch I have in today for review.

Upon opening the wooden box, something vintage is immediately felt. I can’t describe how it felt to pick up the watch for the first time and examine it closer. But I can hope to describe what my brain processes through this review. The Tropic Diver’s 316L steel case is hard to ignore because of the high polished finish which gives the watch a dress style dive watch. The sides of the case and right down to the lugs are mirror polished. I’m typically a brushed case kind of guy, but this case is quite beautiful. The crown shares the polished look and keeps the continuity flowing on the Tropic Diver. The screw down style crown is 6.5mm in diameter and is signed by the Evant logo. What I like about this crown is how wide the stem tube is, it really gives the crown an extra rugged reassurance and it just looks cool as well. The crown is one of the smoothest operating crowns I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. The edges of the crown allow you to grip it easily to screw/unscrew it. Winding the Tropic diver is an absolute joy and is extremely addicting.

The unidirectional bezel is quite unique for a few reasons. Let me first establish that it’s unique in a good way. The connvex ceramic inlay is not wide at all, it gives the dial the perfect border without intruding in the least bit. The same goes for the bezel edges. When I first looked at the bezel I thought it was a fixed bezel because of its size and edges. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it rotated and how easy it was to grip despite its size. The convex ceramic looks really good and the old radium vintage lume underneath is fantastic. It doesn’t look gimmicky at all, it looks legit vintage. In fact, I had several people ask me how old was this watch and if it belonged to my father/grandfather. What I really like about it is that there is black underneath that can be seen in certain spots of the lume markers on the bezel, giving it that true aged look like some of the lume is wearing thin/rubbed off. But when you see this glow in the dark, you can’t tell.

The case back is one of my favorite little gems on the Tropic Diver. The screw down case back is a real treat. Firstly, it also stays consistent with the case design/finish and with the polished finish carryover which looks great in itself. Secondly the engraving just completely enhances the look of the case back all together. The James Bond-esque diver on the case back is so nice. This is why I absolutely prefer solid case backs on a watch. Yes seeing a watch movement is cool in its own way, but a watch’s personality can be extended to the case back, and that is exactly what Evant has done here in absolute perfection.

The dial on the Tropic dial just exudes vintage sex appeal. It is easy to view through the 3mm dommed vintage sapphire cystal that has an inner anti-reflective coating. On the dial first and foremost is the gorgeous matte black back drop that sets the tone for the mood of this watch. Now I’m not comparing this to a Rolex sub, but this matte black is just as nice as the matte black dials that I have experienced on some submariners/seadweller. There is a certain magical beauty that is encompassed by the dial on the Tropic Diver. You have to see and hold the watch in person to fully understand what I am talking about. There is something undeniablely special about this watch.

The dial features some printed text that is crisp white, simple and just nails it set against the black dial. Located under the 12 o’clock marker you will find ‘Evant‘ & its logo and located just above the 6 o’clock marker you will find written in gorgeous cursive ‘Automatic‘ & 300m.  Speaking of gorgeous, the hands on the Tropic Diver are vintage elegance at its finest. Now of course the oblivious vintage aspect of the hands is the old radium lume and the color of the inner portion of the hands. This looks great but where Evant takes this a step further is the metal portion of the hands are aged as well. You can see what I am talking about in the macro shot above. This detail is absolutely perfect. I love that Evant took the vintage theme a step further than most. You see, Evant had added all these little details that truly add up and deliver a consistent and dedicated product.

The markers on the Tropic Diver received the same treatment as the hands have and they are just as spectacular. At the 12 o’clock you will find a large diamond shape, at 3, 6, & 9 you will find rectangular shaped indices, and at the rest of the hours you will find large circles. The indices have a color changing property to them which changes depending on the lighting. Sometimes they appear more orange and other times they appear more yellow. They are extremely eye grabbing. Along the outer edge of the dial are printed white minute markers. The white is just as crisp as the white printed text. This dial is truly stunning. Even with the date window at 3, purest can appreciate the fact that it is a black wheel with white printed text. Not only does it look nice, but it doesn’t disrupt the overall flow of this dial. Take a look at the pic below and how nice this watch glows, especially take notice of the bezel.

The sweeping second hand just glides around the dial. It’s smooth sweeping motion can be thanked because of the movement ticking away inside. Within the case of the Tropic Diver we find a swiss made ETA2824-2 elabore grade movement.  This movement is a true workhorse. Not only is it accurate but it is also a very durable movement. Here’s a breakdown of what the elabore grade is: it has either a Etachoc or Incabloc shock protection, nickel balance, Nivarox-2 spring, Nivaflex NO. and it is slightly decorated. During my review of the Tropic Diver it was keeping – 6 seconds per day. As I spend more time with this watch I will update this section if there is any changes.

The Tropic Diver comes with a nice assortment of straps, one of which is my absolute favorite but I will get to that in a bit. You get:

Black Military Grade Nylon NATO Strap  250mm long.

Handmade Light Tan Italian Leather Strap  Length: 75mm/120mm; Thickness: 4mm.

Black Rubber dive strap.
Length: 75mm/120mm; Thickness: 2mm.

Canvas Leather Strap
Length: 75mm/120mm; Thickness: 4mm.

All of the straps are extremely well made with excellent professional  craftmanship. My personal favorite it the green canvas strap. I believe that the Tropic Diver looks so good on the canvas and it is the most comfortable of all the straps. The tang style buckle is polished of course and is signed with the Evant logo. I don’t want to ruin the surprise of how each strap looks on this watch, I believe that is something you should experience first hand because it’s pretty awesome trying each strap on and seeing in person the different look they create.

Wrist is 7 1/2″ for reference

What do I think about the first offering from Evant? Well at $499 it’s a great value for one because of the movement alone, throw in the 4 included straps and this has become a great value. The quality on this watch is not to be skipped over either. Evant has made a excellent first offering with the Tropic Diver. Yes it was built upon Breguet 1646, but only 60 of the 1646 were ever made back in 1965. So chances of coming across one of those is pretty slim. I love what Evant has done here with the Tropic Diver. It delivers on quality, quantity and design.

I would absolutely have no hesitations recommending this watch to anyone. I believe it’s a must have for any dive watch fan. I was surprised about how much I liked the size of the watch. My sweet spot typically stays in the 44mm-47mm range, but there is something magical about the 41mm case on the Tropic Diver. It has stellar wrist pressance. The chamfered lugs allow the watch to conform to most wrist sizes. There are so many little details on the Tropic Diver that make it a must have piece. These are available exclusively to www.gnomonwatches.com. Gnomonwatches.com is a well trusted place to get watches from. I have delt with them many times in the past. Great customer service, fast, secure shipping made my experiences with them always pleasant.

Like I mentioned in the beginning of this review, something old becomes new again holds very true and accurate in terms of this watch. Inspired by a vintage beauty and made into a modern piece so that all can enjoy it. You certainly don’t need deep pockets either to have this watch strapped to your wrist. There isn’t anything that I can nit pick about in terms of design and execution and I certainly can’t nit pick about the huge variety of straps that truly change the look and feel of this watch. I was not disappointed and I’m pretty sure you won’t be either especially if you appreciate vintage dive watches. If you like you dive watch with a more modern look, checkout Evant beadblasted Tropic variant. It has a more military/tool watch feel to it.

I want to personally thank Evant for the honor and opportunity to review the Tropic Diver, as I am looking forward to what is coming from them in the future. Thank you all for reading and as always please ask/comment below.