As you might imagine, we here at WWR are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to what we are going to cover. While a lot of it comes from relationships we’ve established with brands, some true surprises come out of a cold contact from a brand that we’ve not heard of. One of these recently came in from Hong Kong, in the form of the Greyhours Essential collection.
While the brand has been around for a few years now, I am guessing many of you are like me and have not heard of them before. I don’t have a lot of details for them, but if you want to get into that sort of info, you can check out this interview. For me, I want to focus in on the watch.
As we have seen lately, quartz-driven minimalistic watches are really nothing new. Which means that the Greyhours Essential collection has something that is unique. It is not a specific feature that I can put my finger on – it is just the overall look and feel that catches my eye. And that, frankly, is because I saw the black version of the Greyhours Essential first. The crispness of the handset and day display against the dark dial, plus the bright blue second (and day) hands, just clicked for me. Yes, the white version looks identical (except red replaces blue), but it does not grab me quite the same way.
On closer inspection, there are some details to the Greyhours Essential that I am less-enamored of. For starters, take a look at that date display – it is much more inboard that I would prefer to see it. And, as the marketing material touts that the Isaswiss 9232/1950 was customized, one wonders why a larger date wheel couldn’t be procured to move the date window further out. It is not like the 40mm case is overly large – it just indicates how small the movement itself actually is.
The second item that does not sit well with me on the Greyhours Essential are the indice cutouts. Perhaps it is just me, but when I see cutouts on a dial, it makes me think of a sandwich construction, and I start looking for lume. While the main handset appears to be lumed, there is no reference to it being on the indices. Sure, it helps the Greyhours Essential have that cleaner minimal look, but it does break some of the utility of the piece for me.
Speaking of utility, the Greyhours Essential is definitely made with materials intended to keep up with you. You’ve got one of two hardened coatings on the steel case, a sapphire crystal (with AR coating, of course), and an Italian calf leather strap to keep it all in place. Some nice materials for sure, especially when you consider that it’s wrapped in a $250 package. While all of the details on the Greyhours Essential may not be spot on, I can see this being of interest who give the edge to form over function when it comes to their watches. greyhours.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Greyhours Essential
- Price: $250
- Who we think it might be for: You like your watches clean and minimal, but still like having a day and date indication
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: While an interesting design, it simply isn’t one for me
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Get the date window moved further toward the edge of the case
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The crispness of the white and blue against the overall black palette
Tech Specs from Greyhours
- CASE MATERIAL: 316L brushed stainless steel
- HARDENED COATING: DLC (Diamond like Carbon) or IPH (Ion Plating Hardened)
- DIMENSIONS: Diameter 40 mm / Thickness 9,10mm
- MOVEMENT:
- Isaswissquartz caliber 9232/1950, personalized by GREYHOURS
- Display of hours, minutes, seconds, days, and date
- LENS: Sapphire crystal with 5 layers antireflective treatment and anti-print treatment on both faces.
- WATER RESISTANCE: 5 ATM / 50 meters
- WEIGHT: 65 grams
- BRACELET: Italian calf leather on the top and Nubuck lining
