Case Back

Exhibition case backs are the bomb dot com, ladies and gentlemen. Most people love watches due to their incredible precision and craftsmanship in such a small space. I love to turn over a watch and admire the motion inside. Of course, we see the rotor that keeps this bad boy moving, but I also see a three layer construction, a jewelbearing/balance wheel, and several gears that move when manually winding the watch. Under the balance wheel, you can see even more gears that are moving the sweeping second hand across the beautiful face.

Also notable are the grooves in the metal which are probably there specifically for our enjoyment. If we can take our eyes off of that beauty, we also find some useful information surrounding the also plastic covering. This watch is of course automatic, was appropriately assembled in the UK, and is all stainless steel. It also says its 3ATM water resistant, but I’m not particularly confident in that do to the use of plastic.
I’d like to add that the crown is wonderfully easy to use and is a great size. It has two positions to independently set date and time, as all watches should. The push buttons for day and month are also easy to use and are appropriately sized and well crafted.

Strap and Buckle

As I always begin the strap section of my reviews: “I’m a huge watch strap fan. I love custom straps made by old guys in their garages, NATO straps from Europe, and odd straps like denim, ostrich, or stingray. Just one beautiful strap can create multiple new looks for your collection.” By itself, this strap is average, but coupled with the gold toned case it is gorgeous. By the way: don’t take my use of “average” to heart because I own $150 custom luxury leather straps that of course dwarf the quality of every other strap imaginable.

If I had never stumbled upon those straps, this strap would be one of my best. It has a gorgeous reddish brown color and is smooth on both the front and back. It’s sewn well and the keepers are thin, yet durable. It is also made from genuine leather and has plenty of holes for sizing…two things that I love. Ialso love that it is padded in the top (closest to the spring bars) third or so, but not so much that it barely ever breaks in. The gold toned buckle is quite nice and is also removable, just in case I want to put the strap on a silver watch someday. I give this strap and buckle two thumbs up!

The Verdict

James McCabe delivers incredibly elegant timepieces that have good quality materials and details. The strap is excellent and compliments the piece well while the exhibition case back let’s me be a little more nerdy.

Unfortunately, I’m still waiting for someone to prove that this piece uses glass to protect itself and it doesn’t stay wound for long after taking it off. For more info, please visit mccabewatches.com

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Mark Wisdom Phillips – Contributing Writer

Mark largely collects practical watches, but never hesitates if he can snag a deal good enough to call it an economical decision. He loves taking photos of his collection and participating in the tight knit watch community on Instagram. You can see his photos and follow him here. He is highly opinionated and expects nothing but the best and at the cheapest price possible. In his eyes, a watch needs to have superb and bold design to be worthy of anybody’s wrist. To him, organization creates valuable time and so you should expect it from him in his reviews. Wisdom is his middle name and he is here to share it with you. Read his articles here.