We???ve all heard it. The endless refrain from friends and family who want a watch. No, they don???t want one of those old fashioned watches. They want a good quartz one. Show them a Citizen or Seiko flight computer and they???re all like, ???No, that???s too big and too many buttons.??? So you sit down with them, assess their needs, and pick out a nice Diesel or Fossil or DKNY and just let them enjoy themselves.
The DKNY 5073 is the first in a series of pieces we???ve recently received from Fossil. Fossil is manufacturing most of DKNY???s watch selection.
This world-time watch consists of just two hands and a dream. Running the Zexus ZAD44 quartz movement, this watch can automatically set itself to any one of 30 time zones. That, my friends, is about it.
The finish and quality of this piece are average. The case is made of brushed stainless steel and is almost half an inch thick, which seems to be overkill. The face is 40 mm with a black face with small hour and minute numerals. There is a mineral crystal and the DKNY logo is situated prominently above the time zone read-out.
The lugs are unique in that they begin halfway up the case and curve down and are connected to an attractive black leather band and signed buckle. The back of the watch is polished stainless steel and this piece is apparently waterproof to 50 meters, although the leather band won???t like a bath, we suspect. The back of this piece was off center, as if it had been hastily put together. We hope this is not the case with the final pieces.
Setting the watch is easy: pull out the crown to set the time, press and hold to set the timezone. Once you???re done setting the time zone, simply press the second button at 2 o???clock to change the hands. There is no date window and the current time zone appears in a negative LCD readout, which means that the letters and numbers in the read out are actually NOT lit while the blocks surrounding the letters are lit. Imagine a cut-out in a black piece of paper and you get the idea. This allows the readout to blend into the face quite nicely and the 5 second back light glows through the letters.
In terms of style, this is a nice piece for that special someone who travels quite a bit. Perhaps a cousin who just got a job as a consultant, flying from Kansas to Florida to Cali? Perhaps for dear old Brother who visits Las Vegas every month for his blackjack fix?
Overall, the 5073 is an acceptable watch. It is, however, a bit simple for the size and movement and if your idea of a big trip is hitting the Wal-Mart on the other side of town, perhaps its one feature won???t do you much good.
Quality: 3/5
Style: 4/5
Overall: 3/5
-John Biggs
