Whilst they’ve mainly been focusing on the more affordable market, with cheaper movements; they’re starting to foray into the slightly higher quality bracket by releasing Swiss Made timepieces with impressive movements. These watches do come at a cost though, often at a similar price to alternative brands such as Tissot or Hamilton, who have solid reputations.

So, is the Beagle their way of muscling in with the bigger boys? Does it hold up to its rather eye-watering RRP of £940? Let’s check it out.

The specs

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 12mm height x 51.2mm lug to lug
• Weight: 73g
• Water resistance rating: 5ATM / 50m
• Movement: Sellita SW200-1
• Accuracy: sec/day
• Lug width: 22mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: RRP £940 / use code WIAA30 for 30% off: £658 / ~$795
• Available from: https://www.thomas-earnshaw.com/collections/swiss-made-automatic/products/es-0035-02

The case

The case itself is fully polished, with a reasonable size of 42mm in diameter. The 12mm height feels slender enough, as that is to the tip of the domed crystal. Just be careful whilst wearing the watch as the finish will be a scratch magnet.

The overall fit and finish is certainly a step above other Thomas Earnshaw models in the cheaper bracket, so I’m pleased to see some distinction and justification in the higher price range.

The push-pull crown has the sound E logo accurately engraved on the end and is easy to use, thanks to the reasonable size and effective grip. Gentle crown guards are positioned either side of the crown.

Along the side of the case is an Invicta-style engraving of “Earnshaw”. It’s certainly not quite as gaudy, and in fact, it’s done neatly and fits in well.

The caseback’s primary goal is to show off the movement, so it’s mainly the exhibition window. There are some details around the outer edge, and the Thomas Earnshaw logo is printed on the underside of the glass. It obscures the movement a little, which is completely stock with nothing customised at all. Thankfully, as it’s a Sellita, it’s very nicely finished, albeit a little plain.

The dial

I really like the design of the dial. It’s unique, classy, and is interesting enough whilst maintaining elegance. The pearlage on the base provides a lovely array of light reflections, and the steel vibe works tremendously well.

The hour markers are all on a higher level, like a bagel (or a doughnut if you’re less worried about your weight) with a quarter cut out. It provides great depth and is a key design feature.

Another eye-catching design feature is the top segment containing the open heart. Applied like the hour marker channel, it’s deep and has very neatly engraved vertical lines. The balance wheel of the movement itself seems to be ever so slightly misaligned with the porthole in the dial which is a shame. I think the two screws are purely for presentational purposes but appear to be well constructed.

The logo is located in the centre of the bottom half on a cute little plaque which works well. Again, a steel appearance to it.

The hands are beautifully done – under closer inspection they don’t look to be lacquered blue, but rather the more impressively looking chemically or even thermally blued. The hour and minute hands are a beautifully elegant Breguet style (named so as Breguet designed that style of hand in 1783), whilst the stick seconds hand has an exquisite double E logo as the counterweight.

I’m a little disappointed to discover a couple of flecks of dust on the dial, which is a shame for a watch with an RRP of this value.

The strap

The strap is reasonable. It’s enough to get by, but nothing special; nor suitable for a watch costing nearly a thousand pounds. I think it’s the same strap as all other Thomas Earnshaws’ – even the cheapest ones – I would have expected an upgraded here.

The dull matte is suitable and I rather like the aesthetics it provides; it compliments the overall style of the watch well. It’s fairly supple too and comfortable on, but it’s not that thick and doesn’t feel luxurious enough for the price tag.

I do like the buckle that comes with all of their offerings – it’s a clever usage of the “E”, however, it does mean that the centre of the strap wears out quicker as there’s greater pressure where the centre serif of the E meets the strap itself.

The movement

The Sellita SW200-1 is the best thing about the Thomas Earnshaw Beagle. The movement doesn’t usually have an open heart, so I’m wondering if this has been modified. It is highly regarded, nicely finished and should last a good amount of time too. The rotor hasn’t had any sort of customisation, but there is the logo printed on the underside of the exhibition window to make things interesting.

Specs include 28.8k bph, 38-hour power reserve, 26 jewels, hacking seconds hand, and hand and automatic winding.

The verdict

I’m going to be brutally honest here, and say for the RRP – don’t even think about it. Don’t consider it with my 30% code WIAA30 either; as £658 is still too wild.

Thomas Earnshaw is punching well above their weight here. Their strengths lie in the affordable bracket, costing around £100-£300 where they can make use of cheaper skeleton movements.

Whilst I appreciate the effort that’s been put into it – at the end of the day, it’s still Swiss Made with a well regarded Sellita movement – the execution isn’t quite there to justify the price. My honest opinion is that I wouldn’t spend more than £400 on this watch. So, if you can find one for that cheap, give it a try. Otherwise, just go for a similar offering from a brand with more heritage, such as the Tissot Tradition Open Heart.

The post Thomas Earnshaw Beagle ES-0035-02 Watch Review appeared first on 12&60.

There’s no doubt about it, it’s a seriously beautiful watch – and it is Swiss Made, and has a great automatic chronograph movement in the Sellita SW500. Their pricing of it, however, is surely going to ensure that no-one will buy one; if it was priced at around the £1000 mark then I’d have a completely different viewpoint of it.

The specs

The video review

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With an RRP of £330 (or £231 / $300 with code WIAA30), the Thomas Earnshaw Beaufort promises to be an impressive, classy semi-skeleton timepiece. It’s pleasantly constructed, but not quite for me – it doesn’t quite live up to the price in terms of looks (almost as if it’s trying too hard). If you can grab one at a cut price, then go for it.

The specs

• Dimensions: 43mm diameter x 14mm height x 50mm lug to lug
• Weight: 75g
• Water resistance rating: 5ATM / 50m
• Movement:
• Accuracy: +26.2 s/d
• Lug width: 22mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: £330 – WIAA30 = £231 / $300
• Available from: https://www.thomas-earnshaw.com/collections/men/products/es-8082-01

Video Review

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Thomas Earnshaw really do like to produce a skeleton watch; and here we’re checking out two options from their Longitude collection. It has a very (too) high RRP of £470, but I’ve been able to find it for ~£235 with a bit of Googling. It’s an impressive looking watch (sometimes skeletons can look cheap) with a tidy unspecified hand-wind movement. Watch to see what I make of it.

The specs

• Dimensions: 44mm diameter x 12mm height x 50.5mm lug to lug
• Weight: 72g
• Water resistance rating: 5ATM / 50m
• Movement: non specified decorated / skeletonised Asian 6497
• Accuracy: +5.9 sec/day
• Lug width: 22mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: RRP £470, available ~£235
  • Use code WIAA30 for 30% off = £329

Video review

The post Video review: Thomas Earnshaw Longitude Skeleton ES-8062 appeared first on 12&60.

When I first saw the advert for the Thomas Earnshaw Cornwall Bridge, I was rather excited. At a glance, it’s hard to deny that it looks a stunning timepiece and Bridge movements are used few and far between.

First things first, the watch is marketed as the “Cornwall Bridge Automatic”. I’m sure you’ve come to realise that it’s a hand wind only watch and is not automatic in the slightest – so that’s a bit embarrassing for them.

Let’s take a closer look to see if it’s a decent watch for the money and overlook that.

The specs

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 9.5mm height x 49mm lug to lug
• Weight: 55g
• Water resistance rating: 50m
• Movement: PTS JQ-005
• Lug width: 20mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: £410

The dial

What’s there to say really about the dial apart from there isn’t one? The bridge / baguette movement provides a pleasing and unusual backdrop to this timepiece.

There is technically a dial, but it’s a transparent disc which the logo is printed on and the applied hour markers at 12 and 6 are connected to.

These applied hour markers are very well done indeed, accurate and finely finished. There is the double E logo at 12, and 6 in Roman numerals at the base of the dial.

The pitched dauphine hands are gold to match the movement. They have a brushed finish and are very well executed, however it can prove to be difficult to read the time when they’re sitting on top of the movement – such as 9:15.

Surrounding this void is an elegant blue rehaut, which sets the tone nicely and works well with the yellow gold case and movement.

The case

The case is yellow gold plated and definitely provides wrist presence – whilst it is on the large size at 42mm in diameter, due to the transparent nature of the watch it doesn’t wear that big.

As is their custom, they have Earnshaw engraved down the side of the case, which is deep and neatly done.

The screw-in caseback is steel, with a large exhibition window with details surrounding it. It’s a shame it’s not gold plated to match the case.

I believe mineral crystals have been used on the top and bottom. For a watch costing £410, personally I think they should be no less than sapphire.

Now we come up to the worst part of the whole watch – the crown. It’s simply unusable. Of course, it’s a hand wind only watch, which naturally means you need to wind it every two days at least – but it’s just too small to use. It’s a nightmare getting any sort of grip on it, it’s even difficult to pull out to change the time. I’ve developed a technique to wind it – sort of pushing my thumb flat on top of the town and twisting it. It’s not really ideal as it’s putting strain on the movement but it’s the only way to easily wind it. I’m pretty perplexed by this – surely they would have tested something like this. It has the double E logo engraved on the end.

The strap

The strap is thin, but lovely and supple. The thinness of it helps it to be very comfortable on the wrist, but it still feels good quality in the hand.

The strap has another slight flaw  – the buckle. Whilst it looks good as the top bar is in a shape of the E logo, that usually ends up wrecking the centre of the strap due to the strain on it. The brushed top bar has the Earnshaw logo engraved, with polished flanks.

The movement

The movement powering the Thomas Earnshaw Cornwall Bridge is the PTS JQ-005. It looks nice and certainly creates a luxurious appearance, but under close inspection there’s a few marks and signs of budget finishing.

It has a 36 hour power reserve once fully wound, and runs at 21.6k bph (6 ticks per second).

Final comments

It’s not too often that I’m critical of a watch. But, I strongly feel that Thomas Earnshaw should have though about this a little more. It’s constructive criticism, not just a good ol’ moan. Firstly marketing it as an automatic makes them look unknowledgeable, and then the crown is so small it makes the entire watch hard to use.

The RRP of £410 seems to be too much for a watch with a Chinese mechanical movement and mineral crystals.

However, there’s no denying the Thomas Earnshaw Cornwall Bridge does really look the part and if you’re happy to overlook the issues and can get it at a bargain price then it’ll be a watch that fits in well on the wrist in any smart situation.

The post Thomas Earnshaw Cornwall Bridge Watch Review appeared first on 12&60.

I’ve reviewed a couple Thomas Earnshaw watches before, such as the Beagle and Longitude. The Beagle was a very nice Swiss Made timepiece, whilst the Longitude didn’t quite live up to the same standard.

The watch I have to review here is their very latest offering: the Bauer Shadow. At first glance, it’s a real looker – I really like the smokey opaque dial. But, does the quality stack up? Especially as it has a rather high RRP of £470? Let’s take a closer look.

The specs

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 11.5mm height x 50mm lug to lug
• Weight: 68g
• Water resistance rating: 50m
• Movement: non specified decorated Asian 6497
• Lug width: 22mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: £470

The dial

The dial is a good place to start – as I think it’s the best part of the watch. It has a unique smokey opaque base. I’ve not seen a dial in this style before; it is very attractive.

There is an applied logo in the top half, which is a little on the light side of things – I always like to see decent, thick applicator elements and I often find that whilst the hour markers are good quality, the logo usually is lesser. This is the case here, it’s very thin when compared to the hour markers.

We have a dual ƎE at 12, and pitched applied markers at every other hour, all very well constructed and applied.

The pitched dauphine hands have a brushed finish and are a charming design.

The case

The case is polished steel, however it’s a little bit “chromey”, resulting in a slightly cheaper appearance than anticipated.

The case has a polished rose gold plated bezel, which looks pleasant and provides a splash of elegance and quality.

The case has the word Earnshaw engraved on the side. It is quite lightly engraved, but it’s accurately and tastefully done.

The onion push-pull crown is really good quality, feeling sturdy and dependable in the hand. This is vital as you’ll need to use it every other day to wind up the hand-wind only movement. The finishing and machining of it is very good. It’s a shame the rest of the case isn’t the same.

The case has a screw-in exhibition caseback. The crystal has some various pieces of information laser printed on the underside. It shows off the movement well.

The strap

The strap is 22mm wide at the lugs, reducing down to 20mm at the buckle. It is made of patent black leather, that doesn’t feel the best quality. It’s also a little bit stiff to start with.

The tang buckle is shaped in the “E” of the logo. This is a nice idea, but it actually doesn’t work too well as after a little while it starts to damage the strap thanks to the central section being the only bit to make contact with the strap.

The black colour compliments the entire watch though, and from a far it looks perfectly suitable.

The movement

The movement is not identified by Thomas Earnshaw themselves, but it appears to be the decorated Asian 6497. This is a very reliable and good-looking movement, however it’s one that can be found in $70 homages such as Parnis. £470 is definitely is too steep for this movement. There’s no denying the fact that it looks really good though, with a lot of decoration found on the bridges.

One thing to note: it’s rather loud. You can hear it ticking away (at 21.6k bph – 6 ticks per second) from around a meter away.

Final comments

For me, the star of the Bauer Shadow is the dial – it really is very well constructed, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of finish.

However, the case finish isn’t the best, and the strap really should be better for the price. At the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t spend more than £200 on it. The good news is that Thomas Earnshaw have lots and lots of sales and they’re also available from other website for below the RRP – it’s pretty much impossible to pay full price for them.

The RRP of £470 is frankly ridiculous, and it’s also a little bit frustrating as it cheapens the brand a bit. However, if you can find one for less than half price then I’d say it would be a great choice for a skeleton watch.

The post Thomas Earnshaw Bauer Shadow Watch Review appeared first on 12&60.

These two skeletonised offerings from Thomas Earnshaw have created a fair following. Although they have simply laughable RRPs, the price you can actually get them for is much more reasonable. The Beagle is one of the cheapest Swiss Made skeletons on the market, but for a few hundred more you could get a Hamilton for instance which would be much better quality. Still, for the price it’s fairly good. The Longitude is certainly not on the same level as the Beagle, but then it’s a quarter of the price. Around £100 is a respectable price for a skeleton watch like this, which has a nice detailed dial, albeit a little on the cheap looking. Watch the video review below to learn more about them, and view the picture gallery at the end of this post to see some real life pictures.

Specs:

The Beagle
Diameter: 42mm
Height: 13mm
Weight: 82g
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50m
Lug width: 22mm
RRP: £1170 (available for £450)

The Longitude
Diameter: 44mm
Height: 14mm
Weight: 95g
Crystal: Mineral
Water resistance: 50m
Lug width: 22mm
RRP: £400 (available for £110)

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