Audaz Scuba Master Watch Review

I reviewed the Audaz Gallant here, which was a competitively priced diving timepiece. Audaz have, however, really stepped it up a notch with their latest offering: the Scuba Master. Even the name sounds serious.

It has an RRP of $379 / ~£305 – but you can use the code “WIAA30” specially for WIAA readers to get 30% off – making it $265 / ~£215. That’s actually a really good price for a watch this beefy, and one that has a water resistance of 500m. Let’s take a closer look.

The specs

• Dimensions: 50mm diameter x 17mm height x 57.5mm lug to lug
• Weight: 153g
• Water resistance rating: 50ATM / 500m
• Movement: Seiko NH35A
• Accuracy: 1.4 s/d
• Lug width: 24mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: $379 / ~£305

The dial

The main focus of the dial is the striking black mother of pearl base. Personally, I’m not too keen on it – but it’s nice to see something a bit different and it also provides a nice link to the sea, as this is a serious diver after all.

The logo is applied at 12, but sadly is quite poor quality when compared to the rest of the dial and case – it really needs to be thicker, it looks too thin and cheap.

The applied hour markers are of better construction, being a trapezoid shape with polished edging and a lumed centre.

The date window located at 3 has a nice polished steel border to it. The white date wheel means optimum legibility against the black pearl dial.

The hands have arrow heads as tips, and are well constructed. Is it just me or do they look ever so slightly too small / short though? To me, they should be a little bit larger to match the sheer size of the watch. The seconds hand is cool though, with a red streak running around the dial with a lumed chamber.

The case

The case is the star of the show. 50mm in diameter, and a height of 17mm – it’s certainly not for the fainthearted or tiny-wristed. The weight of 153g is decent too; not too heavy but gives you a sense of quality.

The case support the fact that this wants to be portrayed as serious diving gear. With its 500m water resistance and helium escape valve on the side, it will certainly look after you underwater.

The size of the case also supports the idea that it can sit on top of your wetsuit.

The shape of case is very Oris – it has a “bulbous” feel to it; with a very rounded side profile.

The bezel is smooth and provides a satisfying click at each of its 120 points. The grip is polished and nicely machined and finished. The printed insert isn’t anything outstanding.

The screw-in crown is large, with the Audaz logo engraved on end. It also features a lovely DLC grip which is very good for use and shows a high level of detail.

The Audaz Scuba Master has a mineral crystal, which in my opinion should be sapphire.

The watch features a screw-in exhibition caseback. The exhibition window has a scuba illustration printed on the underside, and shows off the movement. Surrounding this are various watch specifics.

The strap

The Audaz Scuba Master comes fitted on a black silicon strap with tool-like, scuba themed detailing.

It’s very soft and supple, and fits onto the wrist comfortably – it’s a strap you can happily wear for elongated periods of time. The tang buckle is not as well designed as the case, and in fact is quite bland in comparison. It has Audaz engraved along the top bar.

The movement

The movement powering the Audaz Scuba Master is the Seiko NH35A. This can be found in quite a number of affordable / microbrand automatic timepieces, so there’s no surprise it’s been selected here too. It’s a movement that offers great reliability and accuracy straight out of the factory. Talking about accuracy, using my Lepsi Watch Scope, this NH35A was measured at an insane accuracy of 1.4 s/d out. That’s seriously good.

Final comments

First I’d like to comment how accurate the movement is – there must be an extra level of adjustment there to get it that accurate.

The case is excellent: very solid construction with close attention to detail with the helium escape valve, crown and bezel.

I think the dial is the only thing that lets the watch down – the applied logo needs to be better quality, simple as that. Whilst the mother of pearl dial is visually quite interesting, it’s not for me.

That being said, there’s no denying that the Audaz Scuba Master is a lot of watch for less than £215 – with the discount code “WIAA30”. In fact, it’s a hell of a lot of watch.