REVIEW – A little while ago, I wrote up a news article about a new hybrid electric/mechanical watch by The Electricianz. The Electricianz fancy themselves as creators of unusual watches that feature interesting colors and lighting.
Electricity keeps the world moving. The Electricianz is on a mission to put that energy in the spotlight. We combine watchmaking techniques with bold colors and patterns for a line of watches that is both creative and reliable.
Well, they sent me one of their original watches for a more in-depth look – the Electricianz Blue Z. Let’s take a look.
What is it?
The Electricianz Blue Z is a large wristwatch coated with a blue PVD (physical vapor deposition) finish. It comes with either a blue rubber strap or the blue steel strap that I received. It has typical watch features like hours, minutes, and seconds. In addition, it has an unusual four-LED lighting system for night viewing.
What’s in the box?
First, let’s talk about the box, or more correctly, the packaging.
The Electricianz are all about electricity and their packaging is designed to mimic packaging to protect sensitive electronic components.
Inside the box, the watch is protected in foam.
The Electricianz Blue Z watch itself is completely covered in protective film. In the right image, you can also see the plastic tab holding the crown out so that the watch doesn’t run until you remove the tab and press the crown in.
So, everything in the box is:
- Electricianz Blue Z watch with attached strap
- QR code card with a link to the online user manual
Hardware specs
- Case diameter: 45mm
- Opening diameter: 38mm
- Strap width: 22mm
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Light function: Yes
- Movement: exclusive in-house electric module, single-battery concept, Miyota 2033
- Power: 1 lithium 3v, 48mAh battery
- Accuracy: +/- 20 seconds per month
- Battery life: about 25 months – less the more you use the light
- Case: stainless steel all blue monochrome with PVD treatment
- Dial: Blue Sunray dial, blue housing, blue plating
- Glass: hardened mineral K1 glass with anti-reflective treatment
- Water resistance: 3 ATM – resistant to splashes and rain – not good for swimming
- Straps:
- Blue Z – Metal: comes with stainless steel all blue monochrome with PVD treatment (tested)
- Blue Z – Rubber: comes with a blue rubber strap
- Warranty: 2 years
Design and features
Make no mistake, the Electricianz Blue Z is a large wristwatch. With a 45mm case, it can look somewhat imposing on smaller wrists. Lucky for me, I don’t have a small wrist, so it works well for me. Even with a large-ish wrist, the strap was too big for me. The strap is held together with pins, meaning that if you want to adjust it, you need to take it to a jeweler, unless you have a pin removal kit. Lucky for me, I do.
After I removed two links from one side and one link from the other, the fit was perfect.
The thick mineral glass crystal has a beveled edge that to my eye looks pretty cool. The entire watch and the strap are PVD coated in a dark matte blue.
Similar to electroplating, physical vapor deposition (PVD) gives items a decorative appearance as well as added strength and durability. PVD is different from electroplating because it represents a group of coating fabrication processes that are made in an artificially created vacuum. PVD coatings don’t create any chemical waste and are therefore more environmentally friendly.
The controls are on the right side of the Electricianz Blue Z watch. The lower is the crown and stem. Pull it out to stop the watch. Then, rotate it to set the time. Push it in to start the watch again. The upper button turns on the backlight.
The strap attaches to the case with a pin. The Electricianz thoughtfully used a bolt-style pin that doesn’t require tools to remove.
The strap has a deployment-style closure.
The strap closes solidly and releases easily by squeezing the side buttons. When the strap is closed, the buttons only slightly protrude from the side of the strap.
The case back is marked with the logo and other electricity types of symbols, keeping with the electric theme of the watch.
Pressing the upper right light button turns on the LED lighting.
The blue LEDs illuminate the dial from the back.
Setup
To start using the Electricianz Blue Z watch, I sized it, removed the white spacer from the crown, set it to the correct time, and pushed the crown in.
Performance
A watch’s performance is typically based on three things: 1) accuracy; 2) style and looks; 3) durability and longevity.
- Accuracy – with a claimed accuracy of +/- 20 seconds per month, it certainly isn’t the most accurate watch out there but is well within typical parameters for a usable watch.
- Style and looks – this is certainly subjective, but I like the style. The monochrome blue finish is really attractive. You have to like big watches to like this one. The light feature is perhaps a little gimmicky, but with a watch this dark, it does help with visibility at night, albeit at the expense of battery life.
- Durability and longevity – the mineral glass, steel construction, and PVD coating should all wear well over time. Miyota is one of the largest movement manufacturers, so given all the quality parts used, the watch should last for a long time.
As I mentioned, the Electricianz Blue Z watch face is dark. Its monochrome finish does make it a little difficult at times to actually read the time. With everything on the watch being dark blue, you really have to look at it to read it. But, given this watch’s interesting looks, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And, you can always push the light button for an assist. But, in really dark conditions, the light only makes the watch barely readable, given that everything, including the light, is blue.
Per their online manual, as long as you push the button only once per day or less, you should get about 25 months out of a battery. If you are button-happy, three pushes daily drops the battery life to 20 months. Five per day costs you three more months for a total of 17 months. Ten pushes daily will net you about ten-month battery life.
The Electricianz Blue Z watch is rated for 3 ATM water resistance. In real terms, that means that it is splash-resistant. So, if you splash it washing your hands, or get caught in the rain, you’re good. Going swimming or diving with this watch will likely end with a dead watch.
What I like
- Good looks
- Light weight given its stainless steel construction
- Interesting lighting effect
What I’d change
- Sizing the watch requires special tools or a visit to a jeweler
- Improved water resistance – 5ATM or better
- I might opt for a higher-contrast model like their Steel Z or Stone Z
Final thoughts
After wearing the Electricianz Blue Z watch for a while now, I can report that it is quite comfortable, especially for such a large watch. As I mentioned, the face is quite dark and takes a good look to read the time. The other night, I was sitting outside with friends after dark and I was unable to read the time at all. Pressing the light button helped, but with the blue lighting behind the blue dial and blue hands, it wasn’t that much more readable, even with the light on. That’s partly on me as when I got the offer to review a watch, I was asked for a model and I chose the Blue Z. They have other models that offer more contrast. Even with the contrast issue, I like this watch. It looks good, is finished very nicely, and offers a solid, reliable movement. The Blue Z has found a way into my regular watch rotation.
Price: $475 with a rubber strap, $595 with a steel strap (tested)
Where to buy: The Electricianz; Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by The Electricianz.
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Expensive trinket. If it called home and told you your pulse rate, it would have a chance! LoL
Its pretty but overpriced for a quartz movement without sapphire crystal and virtually no water resistance. And with no extra calculations let alone a date it seems it is selling itself as an art exhibit rather that a time piece.