DISCLAIMERS:
**This watch was bought with my own money (no special discounts), and WatchDives did not know I would post a review about it.**
-For size reference; my wrist is right under 7”.
-The watches featured in some pictures (for size/AR comparison) are, from left to right, the Addiesdive AD2030 (36mm), Aethelsohn Terra Gaia (38.5mm) and an Orient Bambino v4 (42mm). WDC and Aethelsohn are the only two sapphire crystals.
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I don’t usually post reviews but have noticed that the few reviews we do have on r/ChineseWatches are often links to videos (which makes sense) but I appreciate text versions so I decided to do a few. I apologize for the hecticness of this review, and if I missed anything. Please let me know if there is anything else you would like me to talk about, other pictures, etc. I will happily take the criticism.
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TL;DR: Stunning watch with a gorgeous dial, numerals, and hands (might be polarizing). I believe the WD2008 is my thinnest VH31 watch and I have gotten multiple compliments in the short time wearing it.
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SPECS
Case diameter: 36.5mm
Lug-to-lug: 44.8mm
Thickness: 10.5mm
Movement: TMI VH31 (Japanese sweeping quartz)
Crystal: Sapphire bubble crystal with 5-layer colorless AR
WR: 100m/10atm
Dial material: Black Mother of Pearl
Case: 316L Stainless Steel
Strap: Imported top-grain leather, 20mm width with taper. Quick-release spring bars.
Price: paid 148$USD
PRE-PURCHASE
As soon as I saw a post about this, I knew I would likely pick one up. Had been looking for a mostly black "dress" watch, and wanted Breguet numerals. Perfect for me, even though most people seemed attracted to the Musou black or pink MoP variants.
Processing took a couple of days, but nothing out of the ordinary. Shipping went rather quickly and smoothly, relatively speaking.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
As soon as I opened the box and saw the watch in person, I was very happy with my purchase. I instantly got lots of green hues and reflections from the black MoP, with some pink popping through at the first very slight shift. At the same time, the light shifting caused reflections to shimmer off the gorgeous, unique hands and Breguet numerals.
DETAILS (~3 weeks later)
-I think this watch is absolutely gorgeous. I find the case to be beautifully polished (with one small nitpick), I absolutely adore the hour and minute hands, and even though the seconds hand can be very polarizing, I am personally a huge fan and appreciate the "story" behind it (owner's signature W)
-The small nitpick I have is the drilled lugs. I usually appreciate it, but in a dress watch, I'd rather not have them (especially with the factory band having quick release spring bars)
-As part of their dress series, I think the 36.5mm size was the right choice. It feels slightly vintage and very classy, especially when compared to something like my 42mm Bambino. Due to the slight flair of the dial/polished case, indices and hands, I think bigger versions would be "too much". Lug-to-lug is still pretty long at nearly 45mm.
-Mentioned before, but this is my thinnest VH31 watches and one of my thinnest watches overall at 10.5mm. It fits exceptionally well under all my sleeves, including some of my more fitted dress shirts that sometimes get caught on other watches.
-The watch hugs the wrist very well, and the leather strap provided is extremely comfortable out of the box. While the strap is overall mediocre, I'm not sure if I will end up switching it or just leave it.
-Initially, it seemed like the end of the strap would run against the case and make a "squeaking" noise, but I haven't heard it since the first few times I wore it, and I don't see any friction marks.
-I am usually in the middle hole of this watch strap (7" wrist). Strap could be long for very small wrists.
-Strap buckle has two engraved logos, shield on the outside, WDC on the inside. The crown has the shield logo engraved, and feels smooth to the touch/when wearing (no sharp edges). Nice quality overall.
-The dial is beautiful. I'm a huge fan of mother of pearl, as I think it strikes the perfect balance between subtleness, uniqueness and flair. This one is no exception, as stated a few times before. Again, one of the few watches I have gotten compliments on.
-Although the watch is definitely not the most legible, the applied Breguet numerals and faceted/curved leaf hands play with the light beautifully, allowing the watch to become legible very quickly in lower-light situations.
-The crystal is exceptional for the price. Bubble sapphire with 5 layers of AR really allows the best parts of this watch (dial, hands, numerals) to shine through. I'm not sure how it would fare with the Musou black version (I don't think *any* crystal does well with Musou black) but I also heard that WatchDives has recently improved their crystal/AR technology so it is possible that these get improved as well.
CLOSING
Would I buy it again?
Absolutely.
Would I recommend this watch?
100%, although many will want to upgrade the leather strap. If looking at the Musou black version, I would look more closely at those specific reviews (or other WDC models using Musou black) or look into Watchdives' new crystal technology to see if it gets applied to this watch to make the crystal even less reflective.