The kevlar band started off super stiff and almost unwearable. I suffered through a few days with the kevlar (leather backed) piece before it softened up to a reasonable ply. It doesn’t have drilled lugs, so a good spring bar tool will be needed to replace it. The buckle is signed “Stranger” and is on the heavier side. It’s honestly so sturdy you would have trouble bending it with vice grips. It really adds to the bomber feel of the watch. I found it gets comfortable after breaking in and doesn’t absorb sweat like I suspected it would.
I wore the watch while climbing Mt. Scarface and Mt. Ampersand on a comfortable 45 degree Fahrenheit day with about 3 inches of snow on the trail – perfect hiking weather. I check the time regularly, at least every time I stop for water or to check the map, to estimate my pace and maintain my bearings. The Ocean Predator Diver performed admirably as I never struggled to read the time and could have forgotten it was on my wrist. As the sun rose into the sky and the mountain’s shadow shrunk, melting snow in the tree limbs accelerated and the dripping became as consistent as rain.
It didn’t take long before the Bull Shark was in its natural habitat and soaking wet. As to be expected, there was no change in performance. I also never had an issue with power reserve either. For some off reason, Stranger doesn’t list the power reserve spec, but since it uses the Seiko caliber NH35 movement, we can assume it’s 41 hours and has a bi-directional winder. It also utilizes second hacking and manual wind features, which I often utilize on days I rotate watches.
Reaching the summit of any mountain is a euphoric feeling, even short day hike peaks, but the summit of Mt. Ampersand is simply stunning with an airy 360 degree view looking miles in every direction of the beautiful Adirondack park. I decided then and there that I really truly appreciated the Stranger Ocean Predator Diver for what it excels at, being an affordable and practical tool watch that fulfills the needs of watch enthusiasts and real world users, at a price I can afford to destroy it through heavy use. I am hard on my gear for the simple fact that I use the heck out of it. The Stranger Ocean Predator Diver is a piece of gear I can use and abuse like any other and trust it to keep doing its job without any fuss. Oh, and it looks pretty great while doing it too.
When I eventually wear out and find the functional end life of my Bull Shark, if ever, I’ll happily lay down the relatively small amount of money for another well built and practical piece of gear that it is. Stranger markets the Ocean Predator line of watches as timepieces you can seamlessly transition from a day of diving to a night out on the town. I can see how that is a realistic pitch, but I can’t speak for it personally. I can, however, vouch that it transitions between the trail and the office with ease and you’ll be less distraught smashing this affordable watch on a rock outcropping than a Swiss piece at ten times the price.
I’m happy to have found true quality and enough uniqueness in Stranger as a small watch start-up to make me appreciate and consider deviating more from the true and tried brands that expensive marketing and long history sways me toward. After putting it through its paces I can say it’s a great value proposition if you actually use your watch in the outdoors and are interested in something more unique than the same Swiss and Japanese timepieces on everyone’s wrists. strangertime.com
