Last year we brought you a review of the quirky and unique Edmond Pole Guardian watch. A few extra gears on the dial made for a very special look that offered visual thrills and a great way of having an AM/PM indicator. Now we review something more simple and straight-forward, but also really well priced.
This is the Edmond Booster watch. Let’s just put it out there right now, Edmond doesn’t craft watch names as well as they do designs. In addition to names like “Pole Guardian, Booster, and Cap Horn,” the models in each of the collections share a lot of design elements so it is difficult to know what collection they might be in. I think what really separates the collections is the watch bezel versus even the dial. The quirkiness of the watch industry never ceases to amaze me.
I chose to review this model because I liked the dial design. The textured face and applied hour indicators give it a ritzier feel than the price might suggest. It is also legible with a nice modern aesthetic. One issue with the dial is luminant. There are four dots of lume on the dial’s flange ring where the minute indicators are. That’s it. No lume on the hands even. This could have been remedied by having luminant in the open strips on the hands, but alas they are open and skeletonized. Frankly, the watch probably looks better this way, but you’ll need to use the light on your phone to read this watch in the dark (if you can even wrap your mind around the irony of that statement).
The case is a sort of mish-mash of Panerai and diver watch aesthetics, but is really neither. While the watch case is water resistant to 200 meters, the bezel does not rotate, nor is there luminant for diving. Having said that, the piece is durable, and the 44mm wide steel case with black coating is very sporty in appearance. Over the dial is a sapphire crystal and the case is 15mm thick. It wears a bit large, but with the steeply curved lugs, the watch is quite comfortable.
You can’t miss the Edmond “Lock-ED” crown protection system that is of course a nod to the famous crown lock on Panerai watches. While not a copy, this system works the same way. A small lever is used to pull the crown out for winding, date setting, and time setting. When locked, the crown will not turn. It is a neat alternative to screw-down crowns and adds a welcome layer of uniqueness to the Booster watch design.
In black on the new steel bracelet Edmond watches look their best. The bracelet option is a relatively new addition to the collection and in my opinion they match with the case designs better than the rubber straps. It is difficult to explain in words the design of the bracelets, but they uses alternating “H” links. The bracelet links are soft to the touch and it uses a butterfly-style deployant.
Inside the Edmond Booster is a Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement. The price of the watch is really fair given the market value of ETA movements alone (outside of Swatch Group brands). The automatic movement is visible through the sapphire caseback window and it has a custom Edmond rotor.
There honestly isn’t a huge amount to say about these timepieces that isn’t communicated through the images. This specific model is the Edmond Booster ref. BO-BB-A04-M, and it is a well-priced Swiss sport watch with some quirks and character. Other models have dials with more luminant by the way. Price is 1,010 Swiss Francs and you can buy one via the Edmond website.
Necessary Data
>Brand: Edmond
>Model: Booster
>Price: 1,010 Swiss Francs
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Younger guy with a relaxed attitude who doesn’t wear a suit or tie on a regular basis and has no desire to adorn himself with name brands.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Lack of useful lume on the dial.
>Best characteristic of watch: Truly unique look and reasonable price, along with a sense of welcome familiarity to big brand watch designs.
