The specs

• Dimensions: 39mm diameter x 11mm height x 44mm lug to lug
• Weight: 137g
• Water resistance rating: 10ATM / 100m
• Movement: ETA 2824-2
• Accuracy: +10.4 sec/day
• Lug width: 20mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: AUD $899 / £520
• Available from: https://www.erroyl.com/collections/duke-collection/products/duke-melrose

The case

The case of the Duke is a barrel shape with a curved underside. It’s fully polished with brushed tops of the lugs and ridge of bezel. The 39mm diameter is a splendid size for a classy dress watch.

The general fit and finish of the case is splendid – all edging and finishing is flawless.

The pumpkin crown has pleasant grip, although it’s a little tough to hand wind. It has Erroyl’s badge E logo delicately engraved on the end in a very accurate fashion.

The case has a double domed sapphire crystal, with an anti-reflective coating on the underside which provides good clarity and a decent viewing angle.

An exhibition caseback sits at the rear, the central window having various details engraved around it. Secured by 6 screws, it’s a smooth and curvaceous affair.

The dial

I’m finding the grey colour of the Erroyl Duke’s dial is a classy alternative to the usual black. There are no applied elements though, which I find to be a bit of a bummer. The dial in real life seems a bit lighter than the pictures on Erroyl’s site.

The sword shaped hands have a thick grey border to them, which affect legibility. I’ve noticed that these thicker than normal borders make the hands blend into the dial a bit more than usual, thus appearing a lot thinner in body than they actually are.

There are lumed numerals at every hour, printed in a smart and subtle font. The dial is slips into two main sections – an inner circle with a very light concentric circular pattern, providing a bit of texture to the dial; and an outer ridge.

The Erroyl logo is printed within the top half on the inner circle, with a raised base so the printwork is not directly on the circular pattern. There is a gentle rail lines minute track in rehaut, and an inner light index at edge of inner circle. The words Swiss Made are printed at the foot of dial.

The date wheel is positioned at 6 which I really like, and is cut out of the dial with a delicate border to it. The colour of the date wheel matches the dial very well indeed, and has white text.

The lume strength is nothing too exciting.

The bracelet

A jubilee bracelet isn’t my personal favourite style, although I can appreciate the craftsmanship of this one. The end links fit cosy to the case and lugs, and all 5-columns of links are very well constructed.

The bracelet is smooth as butter to manipulate and thus is beautifully comfortable on the wrist.

The 1st, 3rd, and 5th link are brushed, with the 2nd and 4th being polished; the outer links have polished edges. This alternation of finishes creates a lovely impression whilst on the wrist, the light catching the various facets in a very effective way.

The concealed butterfly clasp is tremendous – you don’t realise it’s even a join. One half of the clasp has an overlapping Erroyl shield logo which sits within an ingress on the other side. The clasp has polished side buttons to open it up.

The movement

The movement powering the Erroyl Duke is the venerable ETA 2824-2. Whilst it’s the standard grade, Erroyl have customised the rotor by means of skeletonised côtes de Genève (Geneva Waves) with their E logo laser etched in center. Sadly this E logo is slightly misaligned; it’s not quite sitting in the centre.

The 2824-2 is quite possibly on of the most used Swiss automatic movements available. It’s also extremely reliable, tough, and easy to service and regulate. Speaking of regulation, this one is coming in at +10.4 sec/day. Usually I like to see autos within 10sec/day so it’s a shame it’s running a tad fast.

The movement is clean and crisp, and lovely to look at.

Final comments

Really there’s only 2 minors I’ve found with the Erroyl Duke: the thick borders on the hands reducing the legibility, and the misaligned E logo on the rotor. One is a design issue, whilst the other is a genuine flaw which hopefully won’t happen regularly.

Bar those two issues; it truly is a stunning timepiece. Sure you can get Swiss Made autos for cheaper, such as a Steinhart, but this is a true original piece with high quality packaging to boot.

It’s a lovely size, comfortable wear, and looks impressive on. The build quality also give quite a luxurious impression – so you’ll definitely feel like your getting your money’s worth.

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Their third model, the Regent, is an expansion of the family. Based around the same design cues and feeling of their other models, the Regent provides a level up. Higher build quality and more intricacies make it a visually impressive timepiece. It comes in three version, and I have the Nero here to review.

It’ll cost you $579 AUD / $400 USD / £285 GBP, which is fairly standard for a decent quality automatic from a micro brand. Let’s take a closer look to see if it’s a good deal.

The case

The case measures in at 42mm in diameter, 12mm tall, with a 49mm lug to lug length. It’s fully polished and is a pleasant shape – that being a bulbous configuration with curvaceous lines. The watch weighs in at 98g, so despite the fairly large size for a dress watch it’s surprisingly lightweight on the wrist.

The pusher at 2 is for the month advance. My personal preference is to not have a large button like this, as it can be easy to accidentally push it and advance the month. I probably would have preferred to see the other option here – that of an inset mini pusher, but for that you’d need a small tool to press it.

The push-pull crown is an unusual angular mini onion. It’s well machined considering the complexity of it, with decent grip and a protruding end containing a deeply etched Erroyl logo.

The sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the underside

The screw-in caseback features an impressive stamped design, the kind you’d see on a much more expensive watch. It’s deep, detailed, and well produced.

The dial

The Regent has a very attractive black sun ray dial with a guilloché concentric circle design. The Nero is striking because of the “panda” appearance – white subdials on black.

I always love applied hour markers, and the Regent impresses in this area. Polished stainless steel to match the hands and provide a flashy reflection, they’re pitched and in two shapes – triangles at 12, 3, 6 and 9, and batons for the rest. They’re all well made and applied.

The recessed day and month subdials are elegant and flawless, with a matching concentric circular pattern to match the main dial.

The dauphine hands are graceful, thin and outstretching. They’re pitched, delivering a reflection to match the applied hour markers.

The date wheel is white, so it doesn’t technically match the dial – although in a way it mimics the white subdials so I think the Regent Nero gets away with it more than usual (not that it particularly bothers me). The window has a neat border to it, which keeps the dial clean-cut.

All printing is fine and accurate, and I really like the high contrast of the white on the black main dial section – very classy.

The strap

The leather strap measure 20mm wide at the lugs, tapering down to 18mm at the buckle. It’s made of genuine Italian Crazy Horse leather – the Crazy Horse part being the finishing of the leather. It’s not what you’d expect on a smart dress watch, and I really like it. It has a more rugged look thanks to the special purpose wax applied to a buffed grain surface. In the case of the Regent, perhaps the default choice would have been a patent leather strap. But I like the decision Erroyl have made here – a little bit off the book, which I think has paid off. I like the matt finish to the leather, and it’s really soft to touch too. It’s very well stitched and the quality of the leather is very good.

The butterfly clasp is well machined and built. But – there is one issue that I’ve found – that being the positioning of it. On my 7 1/4 inch wrist it sits a little high and on top of my lower wrist bone. This is fine for a while, but soon gets a bit uncomfortable.

The movement

Powering the Erroyl Regent is the Miyota 9122 triple date (day, date and month). It’s an automatic with hand winding capabilities, has 26 jewels, and is high beat running at 28.8k bph or 8 ticks per second. As is the usual case I’ve found with Miyotas, you can hear the rotor spinning around if it’s quiet enough. It’s one of their top models, much like the 9015, so it’s likely to be a hardy little fellow that will be reliable and sturdy. Miyotas are usually a bit industrial looking, but that doesn’t matter here as its hidden behind the impressive stamped caseback.

Final comments

For under £300, the Erroyl Regent offers a watch that is dashing in looks and super in build quality.

I have just two minor issues; that being the strap comfort in smaller wrists due to the positioning of the butterfly clasp, and also the month pusher (which is just a personal preference). Apart from that, it’s a solid watch for the money which is executed to a level higher than you’d expect at this price point.

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Before, the E30 Heritage was their only model – and what a watch it is. Excellent specs and build quality for the price, there’s little wonder why they’ve become so popular. 

Now, though, there’s a new model of the E30 Heritage out. Named the Royal 300 (only 300 made) it’s the same in design, but has a number of major alterations. Namely the dial colour, the caseback, the bracelet, and the presentation box. 

It’ll only cost you £10 more, making it still an incredible bargain at $410 AUD / $305 USD / £196. I won’t go into too much detail of the ins and outs, as for the most part, it’s the same watch as the E30 Heritage Rose Gold I reviewed a little while ago. 

Let’s take a look at the key differences. 

The presentation box

First up is the new shiny box. Whilst the standard box is no slouch, the new box is excellent. Made of a beautiful piano black finish, it’s a heavy wooden affair that is very well finished, and this alone is worth the extra £10.

It has a luxurious velour interior, with a blue gilt rendering on the underside of the lid, a pleasantly designed affair that provides a classy look.

The dial

The Royal 300 is characterised completely by the “Royal Blue” dial colour – a deep, luxurious blue. The dial is completely the same in every other way – that is, extremely very well designed in an elegant way, and made to a level that far surpasses the price tag.

I actually believe that the blue face has resulted in increased legibility, as the stainless steel hands are offset well against the blue.

All the applied elements are also polished stainless steel, so they all also sit well visibly on the deep blue. The date window has the same neat border to it, and the white date wheel means it’s easy to locate and read.

All the printing is white (the logo, minute track, and “Automatic” in the bottom half), and whilst it is delicate, it is suitably visible.

The dial in general is just as impressive as it was before, but with a new fresh colour.

The caseback

To replace the rather simple exhibition caseback, the Royal 300 features a very detailed, deep stamped motif. There’s a lot going on, and although it’s detailed, the execution is done with good accuracy.

It’s all mainly based on a mat, blasted finish – and it’s a nice touch how all the detailing is polished to create contrast.

The bracelet

Although I’m not a particularly big fan of how jubilee bracelets look, I’m always very happy to wear them thanks to how incredibly comfortable they are. I also appreciate the amount of work that goes into them, there’s so many links involved, all made with high precision in order for it to be put together. The way it’s manufactured – with 5 small links in each row, is the reason behind how good they feel. It hugs the wrist so well you barely notice it’s there.

The links are all very well made indeed, with the first and last links brushed, and all 3 in the middle polished. The top 5 rows of links contain the curve from 20mm to 18mm smoothly.

The butterfly clasp is well disguised when closed, and is very comfortable. 

It folds together with minimal effort, and is easy to operate by using the release buttons on either side. The finishing and manufacture of the clasp is top-notch, much better than one would expect.

Due to the bracelet, the Royal 300 comes in at 122g – that’s 42g more than the standard E30’s 80g. So it provides a little extra weight, and therefore feels like there’s a bit more to it and substantial.

Final comments

Let’s just get this straight – for under £200, you get the following:

• Sapphire crystal
• High beat Miyota 9015 movement
• Very well made jubilee bracelet
• Flawless deep blue dial
• Impressive deep stamped caseback
• Large piano-finish wooden presentation box

I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty epic. I’m more than happy with this watch for the price – and if you were to but one, then you would too. Obviously the jubilee bracelet is a specific style that may not cater to everyone, but you can’t really ignore the fact that they’re possible one of the comfiest bracelets around – so it’s worth trying out if you haven’t yet!

Erroyl have impressed once again, and I look forward to their next watch release in the near future.

The post Erroyl Royal 300 Watch Review appeared first on 12&60.

Now, the E30 Heritage Rose Gold will cost you a mere $399 AUD, or £201, which is an extremely reasonable price for a watch of this quality with these specs. I think it’s even worth mentioning the superb presentation boxes. These are so often overlooked, but Erroyl have really worked hard on making your initial opening experience as pleasurable as possible, and it has really impressed me. The outer cardboard box is obviously high quality, with the logo foil printed on the top, and the box itself is of a similar vein. All the books and cards with it are meticulously designed and support the high quality feel of the watch. View the video review below to see what I mean.

How about the name, Erroyl? Interesting isn’t it. Wes, Errol’s CEO, states the following about it:

“The name Errol derives from the title of Earl from the Anglo-Saxon period and again we can draw this back to my interest as a child in the folklore of the Anglo-Saxon period. We added the Y to ERROYL to make it a little different and to create some curiosity in it’s origin.”

So far, so good. Want something else that’s cool? How about a voucher entitling you to 10% off an Erroyl E30? Here you go: E30-WIAA110. This is valid until the end of March.

So let’s take a closer look to see how it fares as a £200 watch.

The case

The case is a suitable size for a dress watch (although some hard-core fans will say it’s still too large) at 40mm in diameter. It does fit comfortably on my 7.5″ wrist, and in my eyes is a good size – not so big it looks like a dinner plate on your wrist, but big enough to be noticed and have some wrist presence.

It’s actually quite a slender watch too, measuring 10mm in height. This is at least 1-2mm thinner than a lot of other new watches. It fits neatly under a dress shirt with no problem at all – just what it was meant to do.

Lug to lug, the E30 Heritage is 46.5mm long. This is quite long for a 40mm watch, but when you see the lovely and elegant, out-stretching lugs you can see why this is so. Thankfully, they don’t interfere with wearability – even though the lugs are reasonably flat, the watch sits well on the wrist.

Looking at the case lug-on, you see that it’s very fluid, and has an almost bulbous shape. The bezel join provides a line to break it up. For a simple case, it’s very well designed.

The weight is minimal at 80g – when you’re wearing the E30 you can barely tell it’s on your wrist. This results in a very comfortable wear, and you’ll be fine to have it on your wrist all day with no bother at all. 

The E30 case is made of 316L stainless steel, and is available either as standard steel – or (as is the case here) rose gold plated. Both models are completely polished head to toe. The fit and finish of the case is genuinely flawless, I’m impressed with just how well the case is made. There’s not a mark on it, it’s exceptionally well machined.

Of course, we also have two flat sapphire crystals – one on the front, and one for the exhibition caseback. This is a positive as usually manufacturers put a mineral crystal in the caseback to save costs. The sapphire crystal used on the top of the watch has a truly excellent anti-reflective coating on the underside, which is again of a surprisingly high quality.

The crown is a push-pull type. It is an understated yet suitable size, with decent grip. It features the Erroyl E logo accurately and deeply etched on its end – a nice touch that could have been left out.

The E30 Heritage has a water resistance rating of 50m. This means that it can be lightly submerged in water no problem, as long as it’s not too deep. 

The caseback is polished stainless steel – but is not rose gold plated as per the main body of the case. This may put some off, and it does spoil the design ever so slightly having two different colours on the case. But, I understand the cost implications it would have meant to have had a matching rose gold caseback. Hopefully in the future they can match. That’s not to say that it’s not a good caseback, far from it. As we learnt earlier, it’s an exhibition caseback – so you can see the Miyota 9015 movement in all its glory. The window is sapphire too. It’s secured in place by 6 screws, and it has a number of the watch specifics deeply etched surrounding the exhibition window.

As is more or less the same throughout this watch, the quality of finishing and machining is pleasantly surprising. It’s extremely good for a watch of this price and I’ve been very impressed with it.

The dial

What has surprised me most is how accomplished and flawless the dial is on a watch not only costing this much, but also a brands’ first release. It really is extremely well put together, and I think the design is spot on too – it has a classy elegance about it which is very pleasing to the eye. Everything is well balanced and in proportion with each other.

One thing I love to see on a dial is texture. The E30 Heritage provides this thanks to the concentric circle pattern it has. It’s surprisingly well made, and is also fairly subtle too which is good – it doesn’t take over. When the light hits the dial, it produces an attractive sunburst effect which spins around depending on the angle.

The dial itself is an off-white champagne colour, which again provides a measure of elegance to the watch. It suits the rose gold case and tan leather strap exquisitely. 

Next, the applied hour markers are also extremely well made and finished. The markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 are Roman numerals, which are beautifully made. All the other hour markers are simple batons, again made with surprising precision. All the hour markers are polished rose gold, harmonising with the case and buckle.

The date window is located at 3, and has a fine framing around it. It’s good that the date wheel is close to the dial, as this means there’s little to no gap between the two (also known as a sunken date wheel), which can be a little bit ugly.

The hands, just like the hour markers, are polished rose gold and are made extremely well. It’s very hard to find any flaws or faults with this dial – it’s been put together with great care. The hour and minute hands are a lancette type, thin and stretching out towards the edge of the dial.

The printing is minimal – in fact, just the logo on the top half, the single word automatic in the bottom half, and the minute track is printed on the dial. Considering the printing is on a concentric circular texture, it is surprisingly crisp and clean.

The design of the dial in general is very charming, I strongly believe it’s been designed with a lot of thought and with a good eye. I like appreciate how everything on the dial is polished, so it creates a lovely reflection in the light.

The movement

Once again, we find the ever-present Miyota 9015 within a small boutique watch. There’s no better choice of an affordable high-beat movement, which is why we see it used so much. It’s rugged, reliable, and offers the same specs as the Swiss Made autos it’s based on – a high beat of 28.8k bph (8 ticks per second), over 40 hours power reserve, automatic and hand wind ability, and a hacking seconds hand. Sure it’s not the best looking movement, but that’s something that can be overlooked. If you’re anything like me, seeing any sort of mechanics – no matter how plain it is – is a joy to see.

The 9015 in the Erroyl is proving to be satisfyingly accurate too, coming within +10 seconds a day which is definitely acceptable. In fact, I’ve timed this E30 Heritage and the movement is running at +7 secs a day. Can’t complain with that at all for an affordable mechanical watch. 

So you’re sure to have a reliable and accurate movement, with a lovely smooth sweep in your E30 Heritage. 

The strap

The strap on the E30 measures in at 20mm at the lugs, reducing to 18mm wide at the buckle. A very standard and suitable size that fits the watch and wrist well.

The leather is a beautiful tan colour, setting off the rose gold case perfectly. It has a nice alligator pattern to it, with darker and lighter characteristics which looks great on the wrist – it’s a real eye catcher. 

Although it looks great, it feels a little stiff and doesn’t feel that high quality – but the level is perfectly acceptable for the price of this watch. I’ve been wearing it every day for a couple of weeks now, and the top where the buckle slides along to put it on is starting to show a little bit of wear already, which is a shame. Obviously a strap is extremely easy to replace, so it’s really not that big a deal, but I thought it was worth mentioning. It’s nice and thick, and comfortable on, so it does what it’s meant for well.

The strap features a standard buckle, excellently machined and perfectly finished polished rose gold to match the case. It has “Erroyl” very neatly etched along the top bar. Again, I’m very impressed by the quality of manufacture for a first model.

There is talk of the introduction of a deployant clasp for the next batch, which I think will make this watch even better value for money. But in all honesty, the strap is perfect for the watch – it would be unrealistic to expect anything higher quality than it already is. 

The competition

The two main competitors that come to mind are both just as new as the Erroyl, and are rose gold autos.

Firstly, there’s the Melbourne Watch Co Parkville – which is a tad more expensive at £235. It’s just as classy as the E30, with a splendid guilloche spiral pattern on the dial.

Then there’s the Brathwait Minimalist Automatic, which is the cheapest of the lot – costing you a mere £170. It’s a little more trendy in its design, and not as elegant / classy looking. So it’s up to you which way you want to go. These are all great watches.

Final comments

I am extremely impressed with Erroyl’s entrance into the world of watch manufacturing. They’ve done such a good job first time round – it’s hard to say where they can go next. The strap could be a little better I suppose but that’s a small issue. The packaging is well thought out and impressive, the design and build quality of the watch is spot on, and the specs can’t be beaten – all for what is honestly a crazy price of £200.

And what’s more, the price gets crazier still with this voucher code available to WIAA readers: E30-WIAA110 will get you 10% off, and is valid until the end of March.

If the E30 Heritage is anything to go by, Erroyl are going to be making great watches for a very long time.

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