Artago
181
Useful for field and diving
The German special forces are the ones with hardest focus upon optimising their watches as tools I believe.
For instance they use red for logos and text on the dials as red turns brownish and vague when diving in low light, as both the text and logos are completely irrelevant, and they do the same for minutes after 15 on the rotating bezels. It is all about getting the info at a glance.
They place the crown 10 o`clock, a position which makes the crown even easier to operate than 3 o`clock whilst reducing interference with the rubber cuffs on their dive suits. They don`t use crownguards, and if you consider it, your hand / elbow will hit objects long before the watch does if you drag your hand backwards or are working with something in front of you. Basically they don`t really need crown guards with that position as it is "naturally protected" in most practical cases.
The Sinn UX S GSG 9 (EZM 2B) would be the best watch for exploring that solution.
8 o`clock makes the crown harder to operate if you look at the dial when the watch is say 20 cm from your face, thus you`ll have to sacrifice some operability for the increased protection.
As for the 4 o`clock positioning, I agree it makes the crown more awkward to operate. It offers great protection, but if the watch is close to your hand, forward on the wrist, it will chafe or interfere with a dive suit rubber cuff when you are moving your hand.
The best execution of 4 o`clock (actually it's more like 4:20 or so) would be by the Seiko SPB 317 which provides excellent integration between the crown and the case, the case working as a crown guard on the lower side whereas the crown itself is tight to the case. The "tilt" of the crown takes care of it from the 12 o`clock side. A brilliant solution, and I believe the only improvement which can be made to it would be to flip it, placing the crown at 10 o`clock like the Sinn for improved operability and less chafing risk.
The pictured Squale Marina Militare uses the same solution as the SPB 317 but the Seiko would be the better execution in my opinion. Not sure, but it seems like the Squale bezel exceeds the diameter of the case, which would make the operation of the crown a bit more awkward.
It is all about optimising the watches for their intended tool usage, and the good Amanico was kind enough to present an excellent example (simply fantastic) of this kind of optimisation for a particular purpose with the Blancpain Milspec Pakistani Army. In my opinion, the Sinn, the Seiko and the Milspec would be the best references made if this kind features is important for versatile usage of tool watches.
What's with all these new releases with crowns at 4 o'clock?
Do they think this is a solution to replace crown guards? Personally, I find that position inconvenient and hard to operate. ...
I'm beginning to find any crown difficult to operate with watch on my wrist
Must be old age, eh? (he says, knowing all 3 of us are not spring chickens) That looks like a direct copy of a Seiko diver. Mike
You're a right-wrister like me...
doesn't that mean that you never even try to operate the crown when it's on your wrist anyway? I find it far too awkward, much easier to take the watch off.
I don't wear my watches long enough to have to use the crown while on the wrist...
They always come off at night and I rotate very often. That said, I even have an issue with operating the crown off the wrist. Not so much with conventional crowns at 3 o'clock.
the ABSOLUTE worst!
I have one Silberstein with that triangular crown and it's so difficult and unpleasant to use I decided to keep it on a winder so that I don't have to! ...
Style! And it comes with a tool
To turn it 🙂 Some of his crowns are round, square, triangular, rectangular, etc. ...
Useful for field and diving
The German special forces are the ones with hardest focus upon optimising their watches as tools I believe. For instance they use red for logos and text on the dials as red turns brownish and vague when diving in low light, as both the text and logos are ...
