Maybe I am just messed up or I have been preconditioned to think a certain way. It is absolutely absurd to me when I dissect my thought that weight has something to do with quality. I have always felt like the two of those things have something to do with each other. I love that even after many, many years of collecting, admiring and loving watches, that I am still learning about them and discovering the real truths for myself through first hand experience. My thoughts were that Titanium watches felt cheap because of the reduced weight than that of stainless steel cases. Now what really made me rethink this is take Invicta for instance, how much some of their pieces weigh. Heavy as f#%k right? Heavy equals quality? We know that answer. I never really thought of it in those terms before. Today my eyes became a little more open and more importantly, my mind has as well.
Arriving in the watertight tactical case that I have grown accustomed to receiving with the MTM watches, the Seal dive watch is today’s review piece. Upon opening the tactical case, I was greeted by not one strap, but two straps and a titanium bracelet. There is a ballistic velcro I, one rubber style I, both of which I have experience with from my other MTM reviews. High quality straps that are built for use in the field and built to handle extreme conditions. The titanium bracelet is nothing short of amazing. The Tudor Pelagos has one of the nicest bracelets that I have experienced, this bracelet is right up there in terms of quality and design. Honestly, I did not expect this bracelet to be so nice. The solid grad 5 titanium links are individually connected with allen screws which are located on either side of the link and both screws have to be removed in order to remove the link itself. The clasp is my favorite part of this bracelet in terms of operation and design. The pics below illustrate what I find so appealing about this bracelet. The bracelet wears like a dream which just adds to it’s appeal because if it wasn’t comfortable it would be just another pretty face.
The case of the Seal is also made from grad 5 titanium. The case is armed with an oversized locking crown, with extremely easy to grip knurled edges. Located across the case at the 10 o’clock position is the detailed automatic helium release valve. The valve is signed with an engraved MTM logo that matches the one found on the bracelet clasp which is a fantastic bracelet to case tie in. The awesome logo can also be found on a much larger scale with an impressive raised style logo on the screw down case back. I love how extremely easy the crown is to function, this is thankfully carried over to the bezel. MTM listened to the advice because this bezel is tight, without any extra play whatsoever. The knurled edges teamed up with the raised sections allowed me to rotate this bezel with ease during the wet conditions during my review. It has awesome mechanical racheting sound/feel that is addicting to play with, aka my fidget spinner. The screws that are found decorating this case throughout can also be found on the bezel, with an orange glowing tritium tube located at the 12 o’clock position.
The beautifully angles of the tappered lugs give way to the solid screw bars that can be viewed via the drilled holes. The screw bars are well constructed with doubt eliminating strength. The included tools make strap/bracelet flipping easy which when you consider the 3 options that accompany this watch, it actually makes strap changing fun and not an annoying challenge. I had the best complementing strap for this piece, the beautiful custom leather strap from DC Leather Co. Just a side note here, this strap will be fully reviewed soon.
The case and straps/bracelet are definitely a highlights on this watch, and the highlights are definitely carried over to the Seal’s dial. There is absolutely no problems whatsoever with the legibility or the visibility on the dial of the Seal. During the day, in multiple weather/lighting conditions, I was able to read the dial with difficulty. The larger applied indices are beautifully designed in terms of shape, lume and overall finish. What I like that MTM did here is they included actual numerals with each applied indice without creating a cluttered mess on the dial. For us healthcare and military folks, they also included those hours onto the chapter ring. A detail that I absolutely love and use. The hands are always a concern for me personally, because they can make or break the dial in my opinion. MTM definitely nailed the length and width of the 3 hands on the Seal. I also believe that they nailed the color as well, with the vibrant orange color of the hands. The orange color seems to glow and jumps right off the dial. I have never been a huge fan of tritium lume, that being said the Seal dial glows just enough to see at night/lowlight environment/situations. I can appreciate this because if you are wearing this piece in a covert/stealth priority situation, especially in the dark, you definitely don’t want flashlight glowing lume beaming from your watch’s dial.
MTM included a date window at 3 o’clock on the Seal’s dial which comes in handy for those of us who don’t have a cell phone or those of us who are prohibited use of a cell phone. I would have preferred a black date wheel with white printed numerals if I have to nit pick about something. Something that I have never seen done which possibly could already exist, is a date wheel with lumed numerals on it. I think that this detail would be very cool to see. The Seal’s dial has small printed text which doesn’t clutter or disrupt the flow on this dial. A nice detail on the dial is the MTM logo located at the 6 o’clock position on the dial which adds color and depth.
The MTM Seal is easily the best quartz powered diver that I have experienced. By best this includes overall quality, design, functionality, wearability, and ruggedness. It is not scratch proof by any means, and I did sustain some scratches on the case while climbing rocks at the water. Do I care about scratches? No because like all watches, this piece is meant to be worn and to sustain abuse related to your work in the field. It’s definitely not a watch you pussy. It’s a god damn tactical watch for goodness sake. I prefer a mechanical/auto movement but I also can appreciate the value of a quartz movement in a watch such as this. Paul from Scurfa Watches, helped open my eyes to this with his personal experience with quart movements while being in the rough waters of the North Sea.
MTM delivers watches that are badass, built tough and are for those guys and gals who don’t want to worry about watch failure when out in the field. The Seal is MTM’s best watch out of all the watches that of theirs that I have reviewed in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, the other watches are quality as well, but there is something extra special about this watch. I definitely recommend this watch to those who demand a lot from their watch and don’t worry about sustaining surface abuse. This piece won’t fail you. If it does, MTM has fantastic customer service. You won’t have to worry about battery change for about 10 years.
Thank you all for reading and listening to my 5 minute rant. I truly appreciate you all. It’s an absolute honor to share my love and passion with you.
Thank you Drew.
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Disclaimer: The above review contains ONLY my personal opinion which is based on actual experience of time spent with the watch.
www.specialopswatch.com/product-category/seals/
Specifications:
MOVEMENT | Swiss Quartz Specially Calibrated Movement With Date Window Ronda 715LiCASE | Solid Titanium (grad 5) With Automatic Helium Pressure Release ValveBAND | Solid Titanium (grad 5); Adjustable Links. Individually Connected with Allen Screws, Making it Easy to Adjust with the Supplied Allen KeysBANDS INCLUDED | One Titanium Bracelet attached to watch, One Ballistic Velcro I, One Rubber Style IFINISH | Available in Brushed Silver or Black DLC CoatingBEZEL | Unidirectional, Ratcheting BezelCROWN | Locking, Screw DownGLASS | 4.5 mm Thick Sapphire, Anti Reflective, Scratch ResistantDIAL | Carbon Fiber NASA TypeINDEX AND HANDS | Equipped With Tritium-Gas Filled Tubes That Will Glow Brightly Without The Need For Any External Light Source For 25 Years. Approved by the US NRC. Hands Are Specially Designed For Easy Reading Under WaterWATER RESISTANCE | 1000 Meters – 3, 300 FeetCASE SIZE | 44mm (Without Crown) x 16 mm (Thickness)WEIGHT | 6.6 ozBATTERY | 10 Year Rated – LithiumPACKAGING | Securely Shipped in its own Watertight Tactical Case
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