Review: Chase-Durer Special Forces Underwater Demolition Team Chronograph
This is a serious piece of timekeeping machinery. Yeah, it’s quartz, but the Rambo factor of the watch earns the term “serious” in my book.
The PVD finish is well-executed and blacks out nicely. I was flipping channels the other day and came across a re-run of American Chopper on the Discovery channel and they were building the Commanche bike, based on military helicopter designs. This watch is like that bike - dark, foreboding, serious, and with a lot of attitude.
The face is busy, but is easy to read and the complications are easy to use. There is a screw-locked crown and pushers and screw-in back. The lume is good, although it’s not like a Luminox where you can mark out an LZ and signal Hueys in the middle of the night.
This watch is feature rich. There is a full chronograph with 1/10th second, 60 minutes, and 12 hour elapsed time with lap time. It runs on a ETA 251.262 quartz movement and is water resistant to 330m/1000 feet.
The buckle is expandable deployment and will pop out from your normal size to a larger size to accommodate a wetsuit.
The lumed hands are strong, sword-style with excellent visibility. The bezel is unidirectional, ratcheted 0-60 countdown and 360-degree compass heading marker bezel. I don’t have much experience with bezels, but I do have to say that the movement of this one feels a tad cheap. It feels “plastic-y” to me. This may be normal and I wouldn’t mark a lot off for it, but for the price they could have added a better bezel.
The weight is 6.2 ounces and you definitely know this watch is on your wrist, but in my opinion, that���s a good thing with a timepeice of this nature. I get a lot of queries about the watch and it���s perfect with a black cord sweater, dark blue jeans, pea coat, and black knit cap. With an outfit like that, and a watch like the UDT, you���ll feel like Mack Bolan, and you can pretend that the cellphone in your coat pocket is really a Colt Python as you stride amongst the bad guys.
Quality: 3/5
Style: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-Scott
The Chase Durer - CD2464BB7 Special Forces Underwater Demolition Team Chronograph is available here.
December 8th, 2005 at 4:31 am
I am a student and now i am studying in pondicherry university and i need this watch and what i can do
December 8th, 2005 at 4:33 am
i need this watch
December 8th, 2005 at 4:33 am
it is how much cost
December 8th, 2005 at 4:35 am
my family is poor
December 8th, 2005 at 4:36 am
so any body can help me
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:28 am
I recently bought one at eBay. It really is a nice watch.
September 26th, 2006 at 11:18 am
The bezel is quality steel (not plastic) and has a solid movement. The hours and date can be set without stopping the second hand, allowing for daylight savings adjustment without losing seconds. The appearance is stealthy yet elegant. Overall, this is the best watch I have owned.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:47 pm
I owned the UDT, I find the fact that you have to
unscrew the pushpieces just a REAL pain. If you had to time something off in a hurry, your SOL! Also the little instruction booklet looks like it was photocopied at Kinko’s late after an all night drunk.
Also, you have to be very cafeful about screwing down
the pushpieces too tight, one of mine broke off! I bought it on ebay, and the guy said he WAS an authorized dealer….I really should of checked! One hundred and fifty bucks and 3 months later….
On the positive side, it has a great chronograph, I love the oversize minutes hand to count elapse time with. Also it is ultra accurate! But I’d spend
an extra eight hundred and get a Ball Hydrocarbon,
because these are REAL exploration timepieces!
http://www.BallWatch.com
Dan
July 17th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Very confused concerning the 1000udt. The 45 mm XL version…the 42mm has been discontinued…has a 21 mm lug size and I could find no strap for this watch. Seems the Chase Durer has obligated the purchaser to use only the bracelet equipped with this watch. When I looked up the Air Assault Version, The pushers are no longer “lock down,” versions and one internet supplier complained that Case Durer does not notify them of changes in design…so the illustration is not always accurate on their site. I can’t find any consistent info on these models
February 11th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I’m bugging my wife to get one for me for my upcoming b-day. I’m planning to get one through e-bay, great price! We’ll have to use a little of our income tax returns for this piece. I hope I don’t run into the same problems Dan R. had.
Nec.