“What a stunner. I bought this as part of the original Kickstarter opened by Xeric, and it was an awesome decision.
At first I was going to buy the "quartz" version, because I seem to be one of the few watch enthusiasts that think that keeping accurate time should be first and foremost. But the added benefits for ordering the automatic were too good pass up.
From the decision to make incorporate a see through back case to view the internals of the watch, to the decision to add the tritium tubes to the hour and minute hands which GREATLY increases the legibility of this watch.
I'm glad I payed out the extra spend. The included fabric NATO strap, was a bonus, and is my preferred strap. I also appreciated the little UV light you can use to charge the lume on the watch which is quite impressive when the lights are off.
The 8215 Miyota movement was a smart choice as this is one of the most common mechanical automatic movements in existence. It is known for it's reliability and ease of repair.
The elephant in the room regarding the Miyota movement, is the "stuttering" experienced by the second hand. This is a known issue with this movement, and it's not just Xeric watches that are affected. The Miyota 8215 is indirectly driven, so when the watch is positioned off horizontal, the weight of the second hand can cause the hand to advance forward and then "stop" until the drive motor catches up.
It's a common issue with all indirectly driven second hands. It's purely cosmetic as indirectly driven second hands have no effect on timekeeping because they are in no way connected to the minute hand.
The Xeric "second hand" is actually heavier than most as it is a "constellation of stars". So it's even more susceptible to stutter. The fact that it's non-hacking (the second hand doesn't stop when the crown is pulled), makes attempting to synchronize the seconds hand almost a futile attempt. And in a watch that has -20/+40 second daily deviation, synchronizing the seconds hand is pointless.
Instead I view the "second hand" as a piece of rotating art, and simply align the minutes hand as precisely as possible (made much easier because of the Tritium tubes...thank you again), when adjusting the watch. I then don't worry about how accurate it is to the second. That's not the point of this watch.
The use of hesalite is a callback to the crystals used by the Speedmaster's provided to the Astronauts for use in the Apollo program. This "plastic" crystal, while more susceptible to scratches than glass or sapphire, it is less likely to crack or shatter, and minor scratches can actually be polished out. It's also pretty easily and inexpensively replaced by a jeweler if necessary.
My only real complaint is despite it's build quality, the watch itself just "feels" a bit juvenile. I'm not sure what it is, but it has a whiff of being a "kid's watch". As a result, it doesn't quite get the wrist time I think it deserves. YMMV, but of the two "space" watches I own, the Bulova Lunar Pilot I have feels much more "mature" than this one. And thus spends much more time on my wrist. It's a shame.”
Hi William! Thank you for taking the time to write this review! Your feedback is extremely helpful!
Thank you for supporting our brand through Kickstarter!
Yay, Jackie! So happy for you and your son! Blue Supernova is soooooo pretty! We also have some new Apollo 15 NASA watches ready for pre-order. Slightly smaller, with a completely different crystal and we also have added more lume :) Check them out and enjoy the NASA watch!!! Thanks for your support.
“I purchased this as a gift for my girlfriend . Three weeks later she shows me an ad on Facebook where she fell in love with it . I was planning on giving it to her on the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing , but I had to give it to her early because she was about to purchase another . Needless to say she was in tears when she realized what it was I gave her . She asked me how I knew exactly which style to get . I just smiled and said "You love NASA and automatic watches , and we have been together for 28 years. "I purchased the Black hole style one for myself .”
