Hello everyone, and welcome to another Singaporean article! On this shiok Saturday, I’m excited to introduce the SeaBorne 500, the maiden offering from Singaporean watch brand, Audric.
Audric is a Swiss-Made watch microbrand based here in Singapore, with assembly being in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The SeaBorne 500 is the brand’s first watch, and will be offered via Kickstarter next week. There’s no shortage of Singapore watch brands – in fact at current count there are over 60 local brands. Can Audric offer something that’s different, or will it get lost in the mix? Let’s take a closer look.
Audric Seaborne 500
According to Audric, the SeaBorne 500 is a great everyday timepiece that can be worn in any situation. The brand states: “For the desk divers, the watch enthusiasts, the explorers and the office goers alike, the SeaBorne 500 is the perfect fit for people who appreciate the fine art of watchmaking and the beauty of intricate mechanics.”
The SeaBorne 500 comes in a couple of colourways, but my favourite is definitely the baby blue variant. Look at it – it looks like the perfect watch to bring on a holiday to the beach. It’s bright, fun, and packed with colours. I love the coloured chapter ring, which is an aesthetic touch that I’ve not seen in any other diver before. This watch just screams fun.
For those looking for a more subdued option for the office, check out the black variant! It’s not as fun as its baby blue brother, but it’s definitely the more sensible pick for work. I love the radial patterning of the dial as well – not something that’s commonly seen. The alternating shaped applied indices are pretty unique too! Dive watches are a dime a dozen on Kickstarter nowadays, so it’s nice to see Audric putting in some effort to stand out from the crowd.
For those that find black a tad too mainstream, how about this ice grey version? To me, this should be a sleeper hit. It’s more under the radar than the baby blue variant, yet possesses enough intrigue on its own to warrant a second look. It reminds me of the Rolex Yatchmaster 40, the one with the platinum dial. There’s just something undeniably cool about this variant – it’s probably my favourite after the baby blue model.
As we all know, green is now the new black – it’s the hot colour of the year. There is a green variant of the SeaBorne 500, but I’m not a huge fan as it reminds me too much of the Rolex Hulk. However, if you love green dials, this will be right up your alley.
I must say, I’m very impressed by the level of finishing of the SeaBorne 500. I only have these press pictures to go off on – although I should be reviewing a production model once it arrives – but even in these pictures, the high level of finishing is noticeable. The watch appears to be satin-brushed, with polished beveling throughout. I love the faceted, angular nature of the case too, which should give the watch a more striking look on the wrist. Lastly, the bracelet displays a nice juxtaposition of finishing techniques as well, with the polished centre links contrasting nicely with the brushed outer links.
Alright, let’s move on to the specifications! Firstly, a double-domed sapphire crystal is utilised on the Audric SeaBorne 500. As you guys know, I’m a huge fan of sapphire crystal because of its scratch-resistant properties, which significantly enhances the durability of a watch. Audric states that six layers of anti-reflective coating has been applied on the underside of the crystal, so you don’t have to worry about nasty reflections affecting legibility.
Like the crystal, the bezel is also forged from sapphire! As compared to other materials such as ceramic, steel, aluminium, acrylic, etc, sapphire is significantly more durable and scratch-resistant, as explained above. Thus, you don’t have to worry about scratching the bezel of your SeaBorne! Audric states that the choice of sapphire for the bezel is an intentional one, as the SeaBorne is meant to be a sports dive watch that would withstand any trials and tribulations that it encounters. The bezel – and the indices/hands of the dial – are filled with BGW9 Swiss Superluminova, which will glow an icy blue in the dark. Unfortunately, Audric has not provided a lume shot in their press release, but I’ll certainly take one for you guys when I review a production model!
As the name suggests, the Audric SeaBorne 500 boasts a water-resistant rating of – you guessed it – 500m. That’s more than enough both daily usage and diving trips, so you absolutely don’t need to worry about getting this watch wet. To accomplish the high WR rating, the SeaBorne uses a screw-down crown, a helium escape valve, and a screwed on caseback.
Lastly, the Sellita SW200-1 movement powers the Audric SeaBorne 500. For those unfamiliar with watch movements, the Sellita SW200 is basically an ETA 2824 clone, with some small improvements. It’s nothing to be scorned at – several well-established luxury brands such as Oris, Ball, and Montblanc use Sellita SW200 base movements in their watches. These watches are triple/quadruple the price of the SeaBorne – this is a quality movement. For more information regarding the Sellita SW200 VS ETA 2824 debate, Watch Flipr has an article on it here. Some basic specs: the Sellita SW200-1 beats at 4Hz per hour (contributing to the smooth sweep of the second hand), has 38 hours power reserve, 26 Jewels, and is hacking with quick date function.
Overall, the Audric SeaBorne 500 is a very tempting watch. It’s well-composed, visually intriguing with its radial dial and play on colours, and looks to be mightily finished too. The specifications are pretty great as well. At $600 USD, it’s not going to be the cheapest dive watch on Kickstarter, but I personally think it’s a fair price considering that this is a Swiss-Made watch with attention paid to details. One can argue that there are other choices from more established Swiss brands at this price point – Tissot Seastar 1000, Certina DS Diver, just to name a few – but I think the finishing on the SeaBorne is better, and it looks more interesting as well. Whether you’re looking for an everyday tool watch, or a fun diver to wear on the weekend, the Audric SeaBorne 500 is a great choice that packs style and substance for not a lot of money.
The Audric SeaBorne will be live on Kickstarter on June 2nd, with production starting in July. Kickstarter prices start from 600 USD, and the final retail price will be 1000 USD.
Specifications:
SS 316 L case: 43 mm * 51 mm.
Thickness: 15.4 mm including the crystal.
Crystal: 4.5 mm.
Lug width: 22 mm.
120 clicks unidirectional sapphire bezel filled with BGW9.
Domed sapphire crystal with 5 layers of anti-reflective coating.
Screwed case back with watch specs.
Screw down crown with logo etched. Logo filled with white luminous ( BGW9 ).
50 ATM W R.
Helium Escape Valve @ 9H.
Sunburst pattern Sandwich Dial (minute markers in C3 Lume) with Matt background and Applied indexes Rhodium plated (filled with white luminous BGW9 ).
Rhodium plated hour, minute and seconds hands filled with white luminous (BGW9).
SS 316 L bracelet with diver buckle and extender. Solid end links on the fitted bracelet with screws in the links for easy sizing. 22 mm at the lugs and 20 mm at the buckle.
SW 200- 1 Incabloc and Elabore Execution.
Adjusted to 5 positions.
SWISS MADE
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P.S.S.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
