The Strap Really Ruins It

"The strap is so poorly constructed that the black hard velcro piece covers 50% of the straps design. I am a big guy as well so this is an issue regardless of wrist size and just shows a really poor execution was put into designing this. What's the point of having a really sleek/outdoorsy strap design if most of it is going to be covered by a cheap nylon velcro piece. Also you have to double the strap over under the watch face for it to fit snugly on your wrist which causes other comfort issues. All in all, I would say this is a hard pass - that watchface itself is fine, nothing special, but what really made this to me was the pairing with the strap and with most of the strap being covered I had to email and ask for a return. Just not worth it IMO."

— Spencer B. (2/5)

Cool design, horrible strap.

"I was obviously really drawn towards this watch, as I love VAER and Topo Designs, so I thought the collaboration would be really cool. It turns out the strap is impossibly difficult to put on your hand. The Velcro is extremely long, and the strap is also so long. You have to double wrap it around your wrist, which makes it essentially bulky and cumbersome. For smaller wrists like mine, the Velcro is essentially only an inch or two strapped on. This became a function-over-form sort of watch: high-quality aesthetics, low-quality function. I would not recommend this watch at all to anyone. It was a horrible strap, and I'm extremely disappointed because I was really looking forward to the design."

— Jesse S. (1/5)

"The case and dial are good. Very easy to read. It’s a thicker case, but you are essentially getting a field watch dial on a divers case. Bezel is aligned. However, as with many quartz, the seconds hand isn’t aligned. It’s about 3/4 the way to the hash marks. Not huge deal, it’s expected. However, the Topo straps are basically worthless. I’m not sure if the designer thought you would wear this watch over a heavy winter coat, but they are twice as long as they need to be and wrap twice around your wrist. It creates massive bulk. Also, the case just sits on a Velcro portion of that strap, so if it ever got unhooked by a branch, etc. it would easily come off. The straps look cool, but that’s about it. They will sit in the drawer while I wear this on a NATO."

— Cody (4/5)