Bloxworth 929-018 Cyan
First up in the firing line for this Elliot Brown Bloxworth Trio review is the stunning Cyan Blue Bloxworth Chronograph. If you want to shy away from the crowd, then this colour perhaps, isn’t for you. But if you’re like me, and have a thing for blue watches, then maybe give this a chance.
The ethos behind the Bloxworth range is simple, they are go anywhere, do anything watches, with a little more function and appeal. The new colour variants, of which there are three (black, orange, and cyan) are also offered with either a coloured EDPM rubber strap, steel bracelet or black textured rubber, similar to the Tropic straps of the 70’s.
Bloxworth 929-018 Cyan. Credit: Guest Author.
The brushed polished marine grade 316L stainless case is highly finished and a striking contrast to the matt black dial that is adorned with bright blue Super-LumiNova. The cyan rehaut has the chronograph seconds marked around its circumference, in a contrasting white. The three recessed sub-dials, at 3, 6 and 9 house the seconds, minutes and hour counters and the date window sits between the 4 and 5. Personally, I would have liked to have seen this printed straight and not at an angle, but maybe I’m being picky. The lume as you would expect from Elliot Brown is bright, clear and doesn’t disappoint. The matching cyan chrono second hand completes the overall balanced look to this watch.
Bloxworth 929-018 Cyan. Credit: Guest Author.
It is powered by the quartz Swiss Ronda 5030.D movement which should give you 3 years between batteries. This is of course protected by Elliot Brown’s steel and elastomer damped shock absorbing system. As you would also expect, this has a 200m water resistance and triple-sealed crown and pushers. The Uni-directional bezel is also lumed with markings from 0-20 and the strap features solid screw-in pin bars for easy strap changes.
Bloxworth 929-018 Cyan. Credit: Guest Author.
I feel this is a summer chronograph and would look great on any holiday, I’m sure both the Cyan and Orange versions will sell well and be a permanent offering from Elliot Brown. At £575.00 they are exceptional value for the money, especially the Cyan, I just need to take this away with me on my next holiday.
Bloxworth Heritage Diver 929-101
Next up is the Heritage Diver, for which Elliot Brown have clearly put a lot of effort into producing a great-looking watch. The attention to detail on this is on point and this classic interpretation of the sports diver of the 60’s brings this bang up to date.
Bloxworth Heritage Diver 929-101. Credit: Guest Author.
The overall look and feel of this watch is one of exceptional value for money. Starting with the 40mm 316L stainless case which is finely brushed and has a polished chamfer along its shoulders, a nice touch. The box sapphire crystal gives the watch a more classic look and is surrounded by the glossy ceramic bezel insert, adorned with Super-LumiNova. The 120-click unidirectional bezel has a slim coin edge, to aid with a high grip for precise adjustment.
The dual layered sandwich dial features an inner central lower portion that has a basket weave design which is matched on the surface of the rubber strap and case back. The triple-sealed signed domed crown sits at 4 o’clock and will enable this to go to depths of 200m if required.
Bloxworth Heritage Diver 929-101. Credit: Guest Author.
This iteration comes with a signed split deployant buckle which effortlessly snaps together, keeping it safe on your wrist. Under the hood is the Swiss Ronda 713 quartz movement, which will run for up to 5 years between battery changes and again, much like most of Elliot Brown’s movements, is protected by their proprietary internal movement shock protection system.
The indices, batons and hands are all coated in Super-LumiNova to ensure super legibility at low light or under water. The downturned lugs house the substantial screw in bars, that hold the strap in place, I can’t ever see a reason for these to give way, as they are especially well made. Remember, although these watches are well-finished, they are built to be used and abused in any manner of environment.
Bloxworth Heritage Diver 929-101. Credit: Guest Author.
I would have preferred a tighter bezel with a more positive click, but these have been designed with the intent to be used with a gloved hand, so I should probably let that pass. The colour of the lume is meant to look like the old radium dials of the vintage watches. Elliot Brown has of course mixed their own up to give a similar impression, they call it Purbeck Stone and it’s a pretty close match.
My feeling about this watch is a positive one, there are a few tiny niggles, a loose bezel and a sharp edge on the inner case back, but for the £495.00 price tag and 5-year warranty, Elliot Brown have done an incredible job.
Bloxworth Hali 929-201
Last up is Elliot Brown’s ladies dress diver, as they call it, the Bloxworth Hali. This is a follow-up from their first successful Kimmeridge ladies’ collection. They have tweaked the design and ended up with the Hali, a 32mm dive watch that at first glance, I was rather underwhelmed with.
However, once I took it out of the box and showed my wife, the first thing she said was how lovely it was. So naturally, I had to take a deeper dive into it and have done a 360’ turn around.
Bloxworth Hali 929-201. Credit: Guest Author.
The super clean look to the Hali, with its twin layered white dial, just works. Of course, it’s in a different proportion than I am used to, but the detail is still there. I can see the same Elliot Brown thread of DNA through this watch, that I have seen in almost everything they have produced, it’s just that much smaller.
The 32mm case has a lustrous matte finish which works well with the polished case shoulders. Framing the watch is the coin-edged matte stainless steel 60-click unidirectional bezel. This has a lumed pip at 12 and raised polished numerals, interlaced with 6 cubic zirconia stones, giving this a little bling.
Bloxworth Hali 929-201. Credit: Guest Author.
The domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal allows a clear view of the almost sterile dial. This has the 12, 3, 6 & 9 numerals with the rest of the hours with batons, all lumed in a high contrast Super-LumiNova with a lovely blue hue to it. The Neon Coral rubber strap just comes alive when any UV light hits it, as does the dial. It has the same basket weave finish as the Heritage Diver on the underside case back.
Keeping this alive is the Swiss Ronda 705 quartz movement with the same 200m of water resistance as others in the Elliot Brown range. It also shares the same super strong solid screw-in strap bars that all Elliot Brown watches have, as well as a 5-year warranty.
Bloxworth Hali 929-201. Credit: Guest Author.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, my wife said to me as she handed this back to me. I have to admit here publicly, that I was wrong. This is a cracking-looking ladies’ diver and I have no doubt it will be a success, and at £495.00 may also be on my wife’s Christmas list.
