Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
DUFRANE WATERLOO
The affordable watch world is drowning in a wide array of tool watches, whether they be divers or GMTs or pilots. These kinds of watches make money because they often offer a “cool” factor beyond three hands, and that’s a great way to pull in someone who may otherwise not be ready to spend over $200 or so on a watch—it’s all about feeling like you get a bang for your buck. And it’s no wonder that debut models are often some kind of tool watch. So it is with DuFrane Watches, who releases its Waterloo as the fourth model in its lineup, following a diver, a pilot, and a GMT.
Between you and me, I’ve not been the biggest fan of DuFrane’s prior offerings. To my eye, there’s always been something just off, whether it be the dial or the handset or the markers. (Have I actually tried any of them on? No. Do I have a platform where I get to voice my opinions anyway? Yes.) But as soon as I saw the Waterloo, that changed. I’m partial to cleaner, dressier watches, and the Waterloo from DuFrane is just that. Also, I’m a sucker for a layered dial with some texture. At a glance, the Waterloo is checking a lot of boxes for me.
Inarguably spot-on dimensions on a very familiar case style make the Waterloo easy to wear. The modern sweet spot for most watches is about 39mm, especially if you’re talking about a pared-down dress watch such as the Waterloo. While the case features limited curvature, its 47mm lug-to-lug makes it unlikely that anyone will find this watch too large. At 10.4mm thick (8.8mm for the quartz model), the watch at times feels like it’s not there, and easily slips under any shirt cuff.
I mentioned the case is very familiar, and that’s because it very strongly resembles that of the Rolex Datejust. It’s hard to argue with the simplicity and elegance of this case design. And given how ubiquitous it is even among non-homage pieces, I don’t hold it against DuFrane for choosing the style. The case shape and dimensions are unaided by the stiff stock strap, but this is in turn mitigated by drilled lugs and a second set of (undrilled) holes for your own straps.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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