I know, I know – I feature a lot of bronze watches. As a matter of fact, just about any watch I come across featuring bronze ends up right here on this site. Now, perhaps you’re not as enamored of a full bronze case as I am. Maybe you’re concerned about the softer material holding up, even though the patina factor appeals to you.
If that’s the case, Steinhart has a watch ready for you in the form of the Apollon Automatic. Here, the 45mm case (17mm thick) is made of titanium (so, light and durable), and features interchangeable bezels – one of which happens to be made of bronze. Along with that, you also have a stainless steel and a DLC stainless steel option (all in the box).
The bezel of your chosing will encirle a domed sapphire crystal which has two layers of AR coating on the interior. This, in turn, is covering a layered sandwich dial that has it’s share of lume (as do the skeletonized hands), and features the date display right down at the 6 o’clock mark. The lume used here is Superluminova white, which actually luminesces blue (another plus in my book).
This all adds up to a watch that has a 300m water resistance rating, though you’re not likely to want to head that deep with it on the included leather strap (attached at the 24mm screw-in lugs). Unfortunately (at least for my tastes) the strap features a pre-V buckle. While this seems to be becoming the norm for wide straps, I feel it just adds a lot of bulk to the bottom of your wrist. Here, though, it’s screwed in, so it would be relatively easy to swap out.
Oh, and I almost forgot – all this is being driven by the ever-present ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, so you shouldn’t have any concerns about reliability.
There’s a lot to like about this watch, if you ask me. Bronze aside, the interchangeable bezel is an interesting concept. And, much like changing the strap can alter the character of a watch, I think a bezel swap will accomplish much the same for this sporty piece. If you’d like to pre-order your own, head on over here. At current exchange rates (and provided you’re outside the EU), you’ll need to put about $450 on the barrel (plus shipping), with the watch estimated to be available sometime mid-August.
