Awhile back, we brought your attention to a newer brand that recently got some high-profile exposure courtesy of President Obama. While we be taking a closer look at a variation on that model, we’re first going to take a look at another model, the JG1020-12.
This model is one of a handful that JG offers in a bronze finish – and it works quite nicely on this watch. Combined with the brown face and leather strap, you’ve got a very nice, and casual presentation. What’s running under all those earth tones? Glad you asked!
For starters, you have a Miyota 2115 three-hand movement and a date-display complication. This is housed in a 45mm stainless steel case (with the afore-mentioned bronze finish) that features a fixed bezel. Up front you have a mineral crystal, and around back you’ve got a screw-in caseback. This all combines to give you a watch that will run without much attention, and is water resistance to 100 meters.
Of course, you may not want to go quite that deep with the included leather strap. This is one of the thickest straps I’ve seen on a production watch, and is quite nice and comfortable. The one wrinkle I ran into with the strap is a minor one. With the first (fixed) keeper on the strap, it’s a touch too tight, which makes threading the end of the strap a bit more difficult than you’d expect.
Of course, that’s a very minor quibble. At a $275 MSRP, this is a rather affordable, and good looking, option for a casual watch. The case has a very vintage (almost Panerai-like, I’d say) feel to to it, and inspired my wife to say that this is a watch she’d buy for me if she saw it in the store. Suffice to say, this is solid watch, and the bronze finish isn’t something you see every day. Sure, not a truly bronze case, but eminently more affordable.
