In short, it you like the look, you’ll really like the price and love the watch. Which is just as well given “proper dive watch” competition from the likes of Seiko, Citizen and Orient at around the same price point. In fact, the Marus is best viewed as an elegant swim compatible everyday or dress watch. The STERNGLAS Marus is a dive watch, but not as we know it. STERNGLAS’ quick release system makes tool-less strap swapping a breeze. If you buy the rubber strap Marus and order a metal bracelet (a $108 option), rest assured it matches the case’s steel, held in place by a branded butterfly buckle. The “fluoro” black rubber strap (a $47 option if you buy the steel bracelet) is super smooth, comfortable, just as stretchy as it should be and no more. Both rubber and steel attachments measure 20mm across. This is a tale of two dials and two straps, and any combination thereof.
The rotor’s so loud my partner insisted that I remove the Marus at night. The Miyota’s spinning rotor is as loud as a Hawaiian shirt at a black tie soirée, particularly when you move your wrist to a vertical position. Setting the watch is a comical moment there’s plenty of play whichever way you turn the crown. Right until you can’t, because it’s not designed to do so. If you turn the STERNGLAS Marus’ crown counterclockwise, you can hack (stop) the second hand to set the time precisely. It’s a cheap-and-cheerful little thing with a 42-hour power reserve and -20 to＋40 seconds per day accuracy. A Miyota 8215 beats away underneath the protective cover.
The caseback is engraved with a boat-load of technical details circling an abstract contour map of a seabed. It combines a proclamation that batteries need not apply (i.e., Automatik) with a clear statement of the screw-down caseback’s tool watch qualifying water resistance (“200m = 660 feet”). The Marus’ dial text – viewed through a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating – is also suitably discreet. The Marus’ hour and minute hands are filled with green Super-LuminNova, ideal for nighttime legibility. The STERNGLAS Marus’ simple silver hands are entirely in keeping with the brand’s Bauhaus minimalism – a welcome break from the funky styles best (worst) seen on Seiko Turtles. The black satin dial variant has a beguiling silken finish. The green dial’s circular brushed finish projects a distinctly metallic look. The date window at 6 o’clock does its best to match the dial, though the green flavor is slightly on the darker side. The black dial Marus’ slightly contrasting black ceramic insert, with white indices, rectifies the “issue.” It creates a less monolithic, more elegant form-follows-function look while being miles better for timing boiled eggs (as RF is wont to do).īoth dial options include painted markers: batons for the hours, dots on the outside track for the minutes. But the design puts the Marus more than slightly outside the traditional dive watch genre. In their defense, the small, monochromatic indices are a versatile choice for those who want a dive watch that does double duty as a dress watch. The engraved numbers on ever-so-trendy “circular burst” green dial version (NEW!) are the soul of discretion – just the thing for divers keeping track of their air supply. The rotating “click” is as sharp as a Shun Santoku, with minimal play. The unidirectional bezel marks minutes in increments of five, rotating counter-clockwise. The contact between the bezel and crown is rough, betraying a lack of polishing or abrasive brushing. Hit them at the right angle and the case’s edges and vertices would dent wood and metal. STERNGLAS offers what mainstream watch blogs call a “value proposition.” The finishing betrays the simplicity of the machining. The metal is slightly brushed, marked with sharp edges. The case aligns with the bezel and recedes slightly at the top and bottom, measuring 53.8mm lug-to-lug. STERNGLAS’ diver is the polar opposite of fragile and delicate: it’s a machined piece of metal that happens to house a delicate mechanical movement. Cocaine analogy aside, wearing this 42mm water resistant watch, you feel every gram. That’s a hunk-a hunk-a of 316L stainless steel. The timepiece tips the scales at just under 100g (3.53 ounces). įirst impression: the STERNGLAS Maurus is a weighty piece. The STERNGLAS Marus Automatik is the result. In the interests of staying in business, Germany’s STERNGLAS says they’ve “listened to their community” calling for a dive watch. The genre’s popularity is inversely proportionate to the number of people who dive. The dive watch’s resurgence is hard to miss – and easy to diss.
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