I’m always happy to get acquainted with new brands. I’ve not heard of Manufaktur Waldhoff before, but the Regent immediately caught my eye – German Made and impressive specs, under £300. Let’s take a closer look to see if it truly is a good buy.
The specs
- Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 12.5mm height x 49mm lug to lug
- Weight: 80g
- Movement: Seiko NH38
- Accuracy: +65 sec / day
- Lug width: 20mm
- Warranty: 2 years
- Price: £295 / $368
- Available from: http://manufaktur-waldhoff.de/index.php/mwf-2-regent-72.html
The case
The case of the Regent is a standard barrel shape, with fully polished top and sides; the bottom and caseback are brushed to split up the lines. The reasonably deep depth of 12.5mm is counteracted by the curvaceous lugs which ensure a tight fit to the wrist.
Sitting on top of the case is a flat sapphire coated K1 crystal raised above bezel. It has really good AR, which is also helped by a light dial – I’ve found visibility and clarity is always excellent.
The push-pull crown is a rounded affair that provides good grip and allows quick and easy hand winding. It’s polished to match the case, with the badge logo engraved on the end.
The caseback features a large exhibition window which is likely to be mineral crystal, and is secured in place with 4 screws. Various specifics are deeply engraved surrounding it.
The general shape of the case isn’t really anything to get too excited about, but the quality of the finishing is pretty good.
The dial
The dial is constructed of a dual layered metallic dial offering depth and texture. The top layer surrounding the central disc has a circular brushed finish, and is flanked by another higher layer. The central disc has linear engraving, much like a pin-stripe suit.
Applied roman numerals hour markers are located at 12, 3, 6 and 9, whilst the rest are batons. Lumed pips are located at their base.
The hands are pitched, straight forward batons with a slight narrowing at the tip. The seconds hand has a delicate badge acting as its counterweight.
There is a pleasant open heart at 9, through which you can see through the case. It has a neat and impressively done steel border surrounding it.
The applied badge logo within the top half is a bit on the thin side unfortunately. This is such a shame as everything else on the dial is made to such a high standard.
The strap
The strap is made of beautifully soft genuine calf leather. I love the tobacco colour; it goes with the silver dial and case very well.
The tang buckle has an intriguing cut out of the corners and the badge logo engraved on one side of the top bar.
The strap also boasts quick release pins, which I always like to see – they make swapping straps out so easy, quick and painless.
The movement
The movement powering the Regent is the Seiko NH38 – the bigger brother of the NH35. You don’t see the 38 too often, mainly because it’s exactly the same bar the open balance wheel (open heart) and the omission of a day / date indicator. It’s surprisingly well finished.
The specs include a beat rate of 21.6k bph, 41 hours power reserve, and 21 jewels.
The movement also has a custom application on the rotor – it seems to be a sticker, but looks pleasant nonetheless and is a good thing that they’ve made the effort.
Final comments
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Manufaktur Waldhoff Regent. It’s quite the impressive purchase at £295 / $368: German Made, good specs, and impressive fit and finish. The only bad thing to mention is the quality of the applied logo – if only it was at the same standard as the rest of the dial.
However, it is easy to look past that and appreciate the timepiece as a whole – whilst some may see the 42mm diameter as too large for a dress watch, I’m happy with it – and I’m sure it’ll make anyone who purchases it a happy man too.
