Recently, for whatever reason, we’ve gotten away from actual hands-on review. This isn’t by design, it’s just part of the ebb and flow of how things come into the review desk. And most times, when I’ve got a shipment coming in, I know it’s on the way. This one was different – I had a box show up out of the blue (from another reviewer, as it turns out). Lo and behold, it was two different Gavox collections! After touching base with the brand, I got to the business of wearing the watches. Let’s give you that rundown of the Gavox Stellar collection.
As you can tell from the photo up top, this collection is made of up three different watches. These all start with the same case (36mm diameter, 41.5mm lug-to-lug, and just 7.9mm thick) into which you’ve got different dials set (and, depending on the function, different movements). First up, we’ve got the Gavox Stellar Golden Stars. Powered by the quartz Miyota 6P28, this one features the eponymous “golden stars” in a subdial that gives you the 24-hour (and day-night) indication. Then, the Gavox Stellar Navy flips over to the Seiko VD78 and has a subdial that shows the running seconds. Lastly, the Gavox Stellar Rosedate goes back to a Miyota (this time the 6P26), with the subdial showing the date of the month.
Admittedly, that’s an odd way to run those down, but by and large, the functionality is how you differentiate the watches – 24-hour scale (the Golden Stars), sub-seconds (the Navy), or date (the Rosedate). Past that, these Gavox Stellar watches are much the same. You’ve got the same dial set (allowing for different subdial positioning) into the same case with it’s 18mm lugs, paired onto straps and bracelets that feature quick-change spring bars. Even pricing across the range just has a $40 swing, so it’s really a question of what function you want.
The Gavox Stellar – along with it’s relatively unisex sizing of 36mm – is considered a Marine dress watch, which is how we’ve arrived at the stretched Roman numerals, blued pomme hands (with lumed pips, always nice) and polished cases. You might be worried that 36mm is too small for your wrist, and that’s your call to make. For me, I didn’t feel like it was undersized on my 7.25″ wrist, helped along no doubt by the 41mm lug-to-lug measurement. Proportions are well-balanced (even with the 18mm lugs / bracelet), and the taper of the case profile from front to back slims it down and keeps the weight down as well.
Viewed from the back, the crown and tube of the Gavox Stellar seems pretty unprotected, but when it’s on your wrist, you’re covering that bit anyways, and I didn’t feel any wobble once I had the crown set in. It’s just a push crown – so only 50m of WR – but that’s a-ok for a dressier piece like this. Sure, you might want a higher WR rating, but you’re going to a pricepoint – here, well sub-$250, and frankly, these look better than 90% of the stuff we see hitting Kickstarter these days. Michael Happe know what he’s about with his brand, and he’s designing some lovely, reliable pieces. Sure, these may not have the splashy interest of say, the Gavox Roads or Gavox Avidiver, but that’s ok. I see these as the watch for someone who just wants to add a no-fuss dressier watch to their rotation (perhaps even just for occasional wear). And yeah, at this price, I think you could end up doing far, far worse than these watches in the Gavox Stellar Collection. Oh, and should you want a larger version, the Gavox Legacy collection carries the same designs, just in a larger case size and slightly higher prices.
While the Gavox Stellar collection might not be the first thing I gravitate to from the brand, it’s a solid design that will last you for years. Whether you’re familiar with the brand or just getting introduced, well, it’s a good way to see what the Belgian brand has to offer. gavox.com
Review Summary
- Brand & Model: Gavox Stellar collection
- Price: $201 – $240 (breakdowns below)
- Who?s it for?
- Would I wear it?
- What I?d change:
- The best thing about it:
Tech Specs from Gavox
- Gavox Stellar Golden Stars: $210 – $230
- Smallest unit displayed?1 Hz
- Calibre?Miyota 6P28
- Autonomy (+/-2 years)
- Accuracy (minutes per year)?4
- Measurements?? 36.0 x 41.5 x 7.9 mm
- Water-resistance?3 bar (50 m / 199 ft, static)
- Time base?Quartz Oscillator
- Limited Warranty?24 months
- Measure between lugs 18 mm
- Sapphire crystal (AL2O3)
- Anti-magnetism?1,600 A/m
- Gavox Stellar Navy: $201 – $220
- Smallest unit displayed?1 Hz
- Calibre?Seiko VD78
- Autonomy (+/-3 years)
- Accuracy (minutes per year)?4
- Measurements?? 36.0 x 41.5 x 7.9 mm
- Water-resistance?3 bar (50 m / 199 ft, static)
- Time base?Quartz Oscillator
- Limited Warranty?24 months
- Measure between lugs 18 mm
- Sapphire crystal (AL2O3)
- Anti-magnetism?1,600 A/m
- Gavox Stellar Rosedate: $220 – $240
- Smallest unit displayed?1 Hz
- Calibre?Miyota 6P26
- Autonomy (+/-2 years)
- Accuracy (minutes per year)?4
- Measurements?? 36.0 x 41.5 x 7.9 mm
- Water-resistance?3 bar (50 m / 199 ft, static)
- Time base?Quartz Oscillator
- Limited Warranty?24 months
- Measure between lugs 18 mm
- Sapphire crystal (AL2O3)
- Anti-magnetism?1,600 A/m
