The Watch MTM Special OPS

MTM Special OPS Air Stryk II

Specifications:

• 47mm wide case
• 17mm thick
• 57mm lug to lug
• 24mm lug width
• 155 grams in weight
• Titanium Case
• Sapphire Crystal
• Modified Ronda 703 quartz movement
• 100 meters water resistant with a screw down crown
• Rubber strap (other options and other rubber straps available)
• Retail Price $1,050 USD

• Features:
• TITANIUM CASE
• SWISS ANALOG MOVEMENT
• DIGITAL COMPASS
• MULTI-FUNCTION DIGITAL DISPLAY:
• – TIMER/DATE MODE
• – ALARM MODE
• – GLOBAL, WORLD-TIME MODE
• – 24 HOUR MODE
• – CHRONOGRAPH MODE
• – ELECTRO-LUMINESCENT BACKLIGHT
• LONG LASTING, LOW LIGHT, LUMINOUS INDEX
• 3 YEAR WARRANTY

With a brand name like MTM Special OPS, obviously the owner has a military background and produces watches with Military/Law Enforcement personnel in mind.  And  doing some reading on the website, you will see that is the case. Myself, I am not a member of the Military or a LEO, and do not pretend to be. Granted, things like a world time mode, chronograph, compass etc, should definitely be useful to someone in the Military to have in a watch. But, what about us civilians? Do we even need a watch like this? Well, the simple answer is no. But most of us don’t dive or fly a plane, and we have dive watches and aviation styled watches, don’t we?

So, I am going to review this watch the only way I now how; as a watch enthusiast. And while I might not have a need for all of its functions, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them, nor does it mean I don’t think this watch is pretty damn cool.
Now, first things first. This watch is large. Very  large. When you are looking at 47mm by 16mm thick square watch case, it is imposing to say the least. Is it too large? Well, that is debatable. With its digital functions, being a large watch makes it easier to read for sure. And, most G-Shock watches, which have a lot of the same functions are this large as well, if not larger. And while G-Shock watches are very lightweight due to mostly a plastic construction, so is the Air Stryk II, as it is made out of high grade titanium.

Before we get into some of the features of this watch, lets talk about construction. It has a solid Titanium case with a grey DLC coating, Sapphire crystal, and Hex screws everywhere. A large screw down crown with 4 pushers. A Solid titanium screw down case back and a silicone rubber strap. The hex screws used on the case and lugs are solidly in place with no issues. The lug bars themselves are quite unique. It utilizes a two piece screw bar and both ends when unscrewed with the supplied tools have rubber o-rings attached to them, to allow for a tighter fit, and to prevent the screws from being stripped.

They have the solid construction down, that is for sure. So what about usability? The 4 pushers operate many different functions, more than I can or want to type all out here, so please make sure to check out the video above. The settings are easy enough, and not over complicated in my opinion. The only thing I was not able to figure out, was how to sync the analog time with the digital time. Now, If you are going to use the analog for a home time just as an example, and the digital time for a another time zone, the hours would of course be different, but the minutes and seconds should sync. The only way I was able to do that was by setting the analog time and then going into the digital setting and keep pressing the reset button on the seconds, until I could get the time to sync. As you can imagine, it was a little frustrating. And it is quite possible that I just missed how to sync them easily, but if it were easy, I would think there would have been a setting that allowed this feature, and I did not find one. Everything else, as far setting the day and date, alarms (you can have up to 5 daily alarms), using the chronograph and timer and the back-lit electro-luminescent  function were all pretty standard and self explanatory.

For this review, I chose the white dial, but there are many more dial options available, even some with carbon fiber. The dial itself, or should I say the analog dial, is easy to read and has a lot going on when it comes to construction of it. Large 3D ramp style markers filled with superluminova compound surround most of the dial except for the 12, 3 and 9, these numerals are solid 3D pieces of the superluminova compound and attached to the dial. The skeletonized baton markers are coated in the same dark grey as the case is, and make a nice contrast against the white dial. Of course, the hands are going to get in the way of the digital display at some point, and this is inevitable.

When it comes to the readability of the digital section, well, it depends on your lighting. As you can see in some of my photos, you can not see the digital readout well at all times. The good thing is that the digital portion does have a EL Back-light feature, so if you find yourself not being able to see the readout, just push in on the upper left button, and it will glow a nice shade of blue.

Wearablity is going to be subjective. I have a 7.5 inch wrist, and for daily wear this watch is a beast. It is just beyond what I would normally wear. It is relatively comfortable due to it being titanium, so it is not a brick on the wrist, and the silicone strap is soft and pliable. Though, as we all know, silicone is also a lint and dust magnet. So while comfortable, it can look like crap quickly if you are not constantly wiping it off. Fortunately, MTM Special OPS offers about 3o different strap options for this watch, so if the one I show it on isn’t for you, they probably have an option you will like. The rubber strap is fitted with solid titanium buckle, which also uses a hex bar construction.

The screw down case back is titanium and features a large sword/dagger logo and a bead blasted finish. But most are probably wondering about what is under the case back; the movement. Now, I can only go on info that is given to me, but on the MTM website, they list the movement as being “Proprietary Swiss Quartz”. When I inquired further about that, I was told that the movement is “Modified Ronda 703 that incorporates with the digital displays and compass”. So, while they are using a base Ronda 703 as the starting point of the movement, the are modifying it to their needs for this watches’ specific functions.

When it comes to the luminescence, as you would imagine from looking at those markers and numerals, it is excellent in any low light or complete darkness situation. There are two different lume colors being used here as well, the hands and applied markers glow a light blue, while the numerals give off a strong fluorescent green. Not only is it functional, but damn cool to look at.

How do I sum up this review? Well, as usual, I did pick this watch apart and give you my real world findings of it. There are some things I think could have been done a little bit better, but I can say that of almost any watch. The construction is for sure top notch, and the overall package is worth the price of $1000 in my opinion with all it has to offer. How many civilians are interested in this watch over Military/LEO?  That I am not sure. I will say the functions can come in handy, and while we have many of these functions in our smartphone these days, I would think if you are going to be outdoors you would rather be using this solid and well built watch, versus your phone. And plus, you don’t have to worry about being in a service area or hoping your phone holds an all day charge.

Source From: http://watchreport.com