Watches For Men

Despite our lives being improved by an ever increasing number of electronic gadgets, there is still something seductive about clockwork technology.

There is undoubted appeal to seeing gears and sprockets meshed together in such an elegant and functional way, all turning together to deliver their clockwork symphony. It just looks great.

A skeleton watch is a mechanical watch that has a clear view into it’s workings, providing a display of subtle and fascinating beauty for it’s owner and other admirers. Today we are taking a close look at one of the prime examples of a skeleton watch today, the Stuhrling Original Men’s 150A.33152 Special Reserve ‘Symphony Maestro II’ Multi-Function Skeleton Watch.

Stuhrling Original the Company

Stuhrling Original boast around 200 years of Swiss watchmaking experience. As you might imagine for a company with this kind of pedigree, delivering quality is the major driving force behind their company. Their mottos are “Quality is never an accident, it is always the result of intelligent effort” and “The watch is not the work of a single man, but of several generations”

The company still uses Swiss parts and have some pretty rigorous standards, the final assembly being done by hand.

If you ever take a closer look at the Stuhrling Original company you’ll notice they use the word “horology”. This just means the science and art of measuring time. These things can be useful to know

The Symphony Maestro II

The original Symphony Maestro became the signature Stuhrling Original watch, and now they have released this much improved and updated version. It features the same timeless style and design, but also has incorporated new technology.

The first thing you may be thinking when considering a mechanical watch is whether you will have to wind it. In the case of the Maestro II, you won’t have to. It features something called ‘automatic self wind’. What this means is that it winds itself automatically by the natural motion of the wearers arm. So no battery change to think about either.

Don’t Get Fooled

An important thing to not here is that it is not a sports or diving watch. It is not shock resistant. It is water resistant to 50m, but this doesn’t mean you can go diving in it. When it comes to watches ‘water resistant to 50m’  just means it has basic water resistance. You can wear it in shallow water, showering, in the sink etc, but not for water sports.

However we think the build quality (surgical grade stainless steel case, heavily padded genuine French calfskin leather strap) is such that it will be easily sturdy enough for everyday use.

The other thing to remember is that mechanical watches simply do not keep as good time as quartz watches. So like any other mechanical watch you’ll need to adjust this one sometimes. It’s not like it’ll suddenly lose minutes and you’ll be late. Just that it’ll need a little adjusting now and then.So there is a slight trade off to get the beauty of the mechanical movement.

What Else Does It Have?

One feature we love about this watch is the rear or under side of the case. It has a screw-in clear window like the front that reveals the mechanical automatic movement and is complemented nicely by hand-engraving and blued steel screws.

And of course as you can see from the photo the front of the watch is stunning, giving a complete view of the 20-jewel mechanical automatic movement.

Three sub dials on the face of the watch act as a calendar, with day, date and month. The fourth sub dial gives 24 time.

The Stuhrling Original Maestro II has a two year warranty, which is quite good. Many watches at a similar price only having a one year warranty.

In case you are wondering the watch does NOT make a ticking noise.

What the Heck is Krysterna and Why Do You Want It?

As you may have come across already, the dial window (the glass like cover on the front of the watch, also known as crystal) of this watch is made of something called “Krysterna”.

Usually the crystal of a watch will be one of three different materials – acrylic, mineral, and sapphire. Sapphire being the best and acrylic the worst. Sapphire being both the strongest and most scratch resistant.

However about four years ago, a new metrial to be used in crystals was developed called Krysterna. Krysterna was originally used in high-end eyeglasses and Stührling Original was one of the few of watch makers involved in its development. The end result being Krysterna is more shatter resistant than Sapphire and hence better quality.

What Stuhrling Original Symphony Maestro II Owners Think

- “The watch is even more stunning in person than the photos allow you to see. It is a sturdy watch with nice weight to it. I can really feel that I am wearing something of notoriety when I wear this watch“.

- “This is an excellent time piece. I love the look and it is also very well crafted.”

- “My husband was amazed with the craftmanship and quality of this watch. I was a little afraid of the side button being too large but him having a small wrist/hand it looked just fine.”

- “…simply couldn’t believe at first that watches of this quality and appearance would go for these prices. I am now a happy owner of this model, which sports great dual skeletical views and chronograph functions”

Any Complaints?

There are a few complaints, but almost all of them seem to come from owners who didn’t know that mechanical watches do not keep as good time as quartz watches (as we explained earlier in this review). Overall the watch rates an average 4.5 out of 5, so there are plenty of delighted owners out there.

Best Place to Buy a Stuhrling Original

Lets get straight to it. While this is a superb watch, the recommended retail price of around $600 is too much for most people. The good thing is every time we have checked Amazon have had the watch at VERY big discounts (up to 70%). So we strongly recommend buying the Stuhrling Original Symphony Maestro II from Amazon.