There is a certain caliber of automatic tool watch with an expected price tag well within four figures, like those beautiful Rolex Submariners and Omega Seamasters. When Hager Watches introduced its gorgeous line of tool watches in 2009, it put a level of quality and taste usually reserved for luxury spenders into the hands of discerning thousandaires like me. (Read my original article on Hager Watches.)
The American company has just introduced a new, bouncing baby boy to its family of handsome, well-made, affordable luxury watches: the Aquamariner. With a hint of retro in its design, it’s a new watch that looks like a timeless vintage piece. In addition to its increased water-resistance to 300m (1000 ft.), it’s a tough and sleek badass with marks of a superlative timepiece:
- Miyota 8215 automatic self-winding mechanical movement with metal movement holder
- Quick correction of day and date, hours, minutes and seconds
- 316L Marine grade stainless steel, polished and satin finished
- Domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside
- Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel with disc in matte midnight blue, matte black or matte burgundy anodized aluminum with engraved makers
- Mercedes hands lumed with blue Superluminova
- Stainless Steel bracelet with brushed screw links (instead of pins) and two button clasp and two button slidelock extension system (no need for half links)
The best part? It’s $450. Yes… $450. AND… as of this writing, the Hager Aquamariner is available for pre-order for $330 (50% deposit of $165). Crazy.
As an owner and proud wearer of Hager’s original Commando, I couldn’t give this watch brand a bigger thumbs up. These are lifetime watches… those kinds of tough, well-crafted, elegant chronometers that you wear forever and pass on to a son, grandson, nephew, whatever.
9 Comments
These are nice. You should also check out Steinhart: http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/OCEAN-1-VINTAGE,192.html
The Ocean 1 line is very classic and in the same price point. They are low volume so they sometimes sell out of specific models but they come back. They are assembled in Germany using Swiss ETA movements.
Nice. Thanks!
$450 is way too high for a watch with a Miyota movement. At that price point, it should have an ETA movement. Or, price it >$200 with the Miyota.
The Aquamariner is nothing but a legal fake!
The whole design was stolen from Tudor (Black Bay) -except the hands.
What a shame…
Thumbs down!
Everything is derivative. This is a common tool watch design. Your claim is like calling foul on a bicycle manufacturer who builds a steel diamond frame, two wheels, fenders and a chain guard, claiming they’re ripping off Shinola (who is ripping off Heritage Bicycles, who is ripping off Schwinn, who ripped off many bicycle designers who came before them). It’s a watch. If Hager has infringed on any copyright, I’m sure they’ll be hearing from Tudor. Until then, feel free to drop $2.5K on a Black Bay while most of us cannot.
I agree with Thomas B. This watch is an exact copy of a Tudor Black Bay but with Rolex hands. They could have changed it up a little bit to differentiate themselves, but clearly they are not interested in that.
Also, it seems that watch styles are protected more by patents (which expire) than copyrights which is why Rolex (Tudor) doesn’t go after the many companies that replicate their designs.
These are nice watches and that $330 discount price is really tempting! I have a few Orient watches that I love, but this would be a nice upgrade. I also like the Commando. Am I crazy, or did I once read that Hager originally made watches exclusively for CIA Operatives?
Good Lord! What a bunch of ass hats! Three days ago I gave a teenage prostitute $100 just to call her mom. I walked away as she was crying into the phone. Why? Why did I walk away? Because I knew I was about to drop another three hundred on a plane ticket to Ohio and my generosity has limits. But I don’t even need a ten-dollar timex to know what time it is.
Then last night I put up a homeless family in a motel. There went that $300. The dad was fighting back tears as him and his wife checked in with their three weird little boys.
Sorry, George. I hope you will remember me as a fan and friendly stalker. I still want to do a wild-ride visit to Interbike with you. Can’t you use your hook-ups to get us a couple tickets? I promise to embarrass and freak you out while at the same time getting us both once and for all New Yorker credentials. I’m that good and so are you.
tj
These are huge heavy beasts – though I am a tall gent (6’5″ 210 lbs.) I have small wrists and this thing would hang off me and – hurt my gas mileage! Small tank watches are better for those without big wrists. The last one I purchased (antique shop in Putnam, CT) cost me 12 bucks. Pays to look around..