TechnoMarine is a sonorous name: it contains the sea, technology, and the ultramarine color of depth. I finally got a chance to take a closer look at this watch and I'm not disappointed!
What they don't tell you about TechnoMarine
Traditionally they say about TechnoMarine that:
- the brand was founded in 1997 by Frank DuBarry in Saint-Tropez (a resort in France), headquartered in Geneva;
- innovative design brought success; owners include Madonna, Lenny Kravitz and Sharon Stone;
- watches cost $1000 - $5000 (and this is already Omega level);
- Inside there are mechanical and quartz Swiss calibers.
But they usually keep silent about the fact that now the level of hours is no longer the same:
- in 2007 DuBarry sold TM, and since 2015 the brand has been owned by Invicta;
- modern TMs are no more expensive than $400 (I searched and couldn’t find them);
- simple calibers: Ronda quartz, Japanese quartz or NH35 level mechanics. Yes, even glass - only mineral water or Invicta Flame Fusion.
However, some things remained unchanged.
Eccentricity to the end
TechnoMarine immediately relied on boldness, even eccentricity. For example:
- The first model was made of translucent silicone;
- for the first time in the world he encrusted a plastic watch with diamonds;
- released triangular Maori, etc.
TM rocks without DuBarry. So, in 2014, the brand abandoned the Basel Watch Salon, and instead presented its line on the beaches of Crete: a business program in swimsuits and shorts.
Cruise cruiser
Our TM120007 is part of the Cruise line, which is a collection of “vibrant timepieces that will outlive the wearer’s adventures on sea and land.” And the essence matches the name.
"Cruise" means "cruise, hike, cruising." For “hiking and cruising”, most Cruises have 200m water resistance. Many also have a plastic cover on the case, which can refresh the design and/or protect the watch from scratches (the same as the indestructible Victorinox INOX). And for “cruises” - a catchy design.
Depths of the sea dial
The dial is plastic, but two-level and deep. The base is decorated with relief waves, above there is a circle with hour markers. They appear to be metal bars, but in reality they are just flat metal rectangles with lume on a plastic “pedestal”. The marks are as much as a millimeter higher than the base and seem to float among the blue waves. The logo on the “12 o’clock” consists of three separate polished applied parts, and in the TechnoMarine inscription, in general, each letter is a separate element!
The feature of the watch is the small seconds subdial. It is a masterpiece! It is pearlescent, and in the sun the light and dark stripes shimmer like changes in depth in the sea. On top is a silhouette of a stingray made of blue translucent varnish. In the darkness he disappears, as if going into the water column, and rays of light snatch him among the waves. The hour and minute hands are shiny, with smooth outlines, “alive”, similar to fish or dolphins. And the small second is angular, “technogenic”, like a yellow submarine among stingrays. We all live in a yellow submarine, yeah! By the way, the design of the hands is unique - I have never seen anything like it.
A small second is a plus for inexpensive quartz: it is imperceptible to miss the marks. The huge silver arrows on a blue background are easy to read. Yes, and there is lume, although it is worse than that of real divers.
Case and mechanism: well, they are here
The dial is gorgeous, but the rest is, well, just there.
The edges of the body are boring and “blurry”. The symmetrical beads on the sides look good, but the decorative screws on the lugs look dubious. The crown is grippy, large and does not interfere with bending the hand.
Surprisingly, with WR200 it doesn't screw down. And the logo engraving on it is deep, but rough.
The bezel would honor even divers twice the price of the Cruise: comfortable, unidirectional, with 120 clear clicks and no play. But a real diver's bezel should have a luminous marker, and this one doesn't, so this is a "diver-style watch."
The screw-down caseback is simple: finely engraved with the logo, technical information and the watch's 8-digit serial number. Beneath it, the Seiko VD78 is an inexpensive, simple machine with no stones. Three years of battery life on the SR 626 SW, +-20 seconds per month, stop second, no EOL - not much else to say about it.
Landing
In the photo the watch looks small, but in reality it has a diameter of 49 mm. At the same time, on my 16,5 cm wrist they fit, albeit at the limit of what is possible, but very comfortably: they feel pleasantly weighty and do not scroll. One problem: at 12mm thick, the Cruise doesn't want to slip under the cuffs.
I praise the 20mm silicone strap: soft, dense, flexible, pleasant to the hand and with a quick replacement system. There are two disadvantages: non-standard fastening and dust is magnetic.
Even the design of the buckle has been thought out: two types of finishing and clever contours that emphasize the logo.
Two disadvantages: objective and subjective
The objective disadvantage of TM is the glass: a flat mineral glass protruding above the bezel. Hello scratches!
Subjective: the beauty of the watch is somewhat artificial, as if the designers were given the task of “making it look like this.” For example, the ghostly slope in the small dial is elegant, but the silver one on the bezel is clumsy. Why is he there?
Summary
Pros. Recognizable bold design. Workmanship. Attention to detail. Comfortable fit and good readability.
Минусы. Doesn't fit with formal clothes, won't fit under cuffs. Mineral glass.
Verdict. In terms of price/characteristics, this is not the optimal choice. In terms of design and charisma, it is very interesting as a weekend watch (and as the only one if the wardrobe is informal).
