I recently found myself needing to replace my trusty 10 yr old Seiko Kinetic. I have always enjoyed watches and rely on them so this was not a hasty purchase. After many hours of hunting and research I finally decided to buy the Stuhrling Original Raven Diablo (Silvertone) from Amazon. So far this has turned out to be an excellent decision and I am extremely pleased.
I had no specific brand in mind when I began my research-I simply wanted an affordable timepiece that met the following criteria:
-automatic mechanical movement
-rubber adjustable strap
-water resistance
-luminescent hands and markers
-quality crystal
-interesting (might as well enjoy it too, right?)
It is very clear to me that Stuhrling Original aims to make the purchase of a new watch a special event for the "common man". This was clear to me before the watch was even out of the box as the packaging is very nicely done. Not necessary, but certainly appreciated.
The movement thus far has proven to be very accurate and lost only 11 seconds the first 24 hrs and only 2-7 seconds over each 24 hr period since-excellent accuracy for a mechanical watch out of the box and better than I could have hoped for. The black silicone-like rubber strap is robustly built, very soft, flexible and "grabby" so the strap keepers actually work. I am extremely happy with the readability in the dark. My concerns in this area were put to rest the first night when after only 2 hrs out-of-box in moderate household lighting the hands and markers were still very visible following 8 hrs sleep.
The watch is very ruggedly built and I feel that the quality is outstanding for the price paid. I have received many comments on the watch and find myself looking at it more often than is really necessary. I definitely like the fact that it's a skeleton, and the moving parts are visible. There are a lot of nicely done details and I especially like the use of skeleton-ized carbon fiber on the dial and the black PVD coated case. I should also note that the bezel has a finely brushed stainless steel appearance and is shinier than what appears in some of the photos.
One potential drawback for some is the fact that this is NOT a small watch and with the grippy nature of the strap can create issues when donning/wearing tighter long sleeves. A minor issue for me, but one worth being aware of.
Time will tell in regards to durability and longevity of the watch but I am expecting good things. I'm extremely happy with this purchase to this point and feel that this timepiece is an excellent value. Stuhrling Original Men's 179A.331613 Sportsman 'Raven Diablo' Automatic Watch
Always have thought of Stuhrling watches as a bit of a joke but I couldn't ignore the design of this piece. It is a stunnin, skeleton movement in the vain of Bell & Ross watches and a fraction of the price. I own Tags and Omegas and this easily holds its own in terms of presence and design.
For $200 whats not to love?
To the service department of sturling,
July 14, 2009, I purchased a Sturling Raven Diablo watch. This past February I sent in my to be serviced because something seemed to be loose in the movement. Keep in mind, the watch was not even 1 year old and was returned to me 4 weeks later, fixed? Today October 8, 2010, to my surprise, my watch stopped working and when I pulled the pin to set the watch before winding, the pin came all the way out and the watch still does not work after manually winding it. !!! This is disappointment and unfortunately reflects badly on your product line. I am afraid to send in my timepiece because I should not waste another $20.00 and the fear that something else will go wrong.
I cannot in good faith every buy a sturling product or recommend one to someone looking for a quality timepiece.
Sincerely,
Todd Shrager
So apparently I got mine as it is being phased out. I had to spend about 20 minutes on Google searching for a site that still had black in stock. Amazon has the black/silver, but I just like the all-black better and it was worth the search for me. That being said, if the all-black was totally gone and I had to get the silver/black, I'd still be happy as a pig in slop. First, the watch is clearly a "knock-off" of the Bell & Ross. One big difference: this watch costs 5% or less of what the B&R costs. So, is it the same quality? No. Is it the same fit and finish? No. But it's sure as heck a lot more than 5% of the quality and fit and finish. Probably closer to 50% fo the quality and 60-65% of the fit and finish. So the way I see it, I got $2,000 worth of watch for $200. I'll take that. This watch is big and relatively heavy, but I am surprised at how comfortable it is on my wrist. Since I have not had it long, I cannot speak to the durability, but for now I am extremely happy.
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS!!!
I am a watch collector and own several rare watches that i treasure. I was looking for something special. I always thought i wanted a watch with carbon fiber, but i was not impressed with what is offered on the market. Prices for Carbon Fiber-faced watches seem to range between the $500 - $15,000 range. But that wasn't the main issue for me. The main issue is how to you blend the Carbon Fiber with the technical aspect of an Automatic Watch? How to bring something Traditional and Modern together? I never liked the solutions i saw from Firms such as OMEGA, TAG HEUER, RAYMOND WEIL, BELL&ROSS, PANERAI, but to name a few....then i saw this watch! UNBELIEVABLE!! so beautiful in every detail. The pictures do not do this watch justice! I chose this version with the aluminum because it looked very technical and sporty and i liked the contrast. I love every detail of this watch. My personal preference is to have a leather band, as i do not like Rubber Straps. But, once again, even the Rubber Strap of this watch is special... it isn't a one-dimentional strap. It has detail, depth, character. It looks like the strap was chiseled out of a solid block of rubber. I really must say, the detail level on this watch is extraordinary. Even the screws that fasten down the crown have a special 'S' pattern to them that i did not notice before. The box and presentation (packaging) of this watch is also of the highest level.
I would have paid much more for this watch.
Not that it is important to me, but everyone that sees this watch asks me about it.... much more then my Omega's on Panerai watches that i own. - Skeleton Watch - Stuhrling - Automatic Self Wind - Awesome Watch'
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