BMW sells some pretty cool watches. The BMW M Watch has a retail price of $219 (you can find it here) and comes with free 2-Day Shipping up through December 31, 2013. The watch sports a contemporary look with a carbon fiber face and ///M logo just below the 12 o’clock and an analogue date display right where the three would be.
The bezel is 40-42mm and the watch weighs 77 grams. It is made of high-quality stainless steel and is manufactured by Tonneau for BMW with RONDA Swiss quartz movement. The second hand is two thirds orange and the tip is white. The only numbers on the face are 6, 9 and 12, and those that rotate in the small date wheel at the 3 o’clock position.
The glass bezel is a hardened mineral glass which looks and feels very durable. Though I didn’t have the heart to see how scratch resistant it is. The strap is intriguing because it is both leather and nylon. The nylon is on the outer surface and the leather is on the inside of the strap. The buckle is brushed stainless steel with the words “STAINLESS STEEL CHINA” stamped on the back.
There is a nice black aluminum outer ring bezel numbered 0 through 60 with 4 scalloped notches. Surprisingly, this outer bezel is for decoration only, meaning it does not rotate even though it looks like it’s a separate piece. That’s rather intriguing given that it’s listed as water-resistant up to 100 feet or 5 ATM. I’d go out on a limb and say that you’re probably not gonna dive with a watch with a nonfunctional outer ring dial and a leather strapped watch. No matter though, because the watch looks outstanding. It has a nice balanced feel on the wrist and sits comfortably without uncomfortably sliding around.
In the center of the back case, the watch has BMW etched in a circular pattern surrounding their familiar propeller. Also stamped on the back edge of the watch along the outside edge is “WATER RESIST TO 5 ATM SWISS MOVEMENT STAINLESS STEEL.”
Once unpacked from the very nice looking square black “premium gift box,” I removed the protective plastic stickers on the front and back and slid it off of its black felt pillow. What I missed for a while was a small piece of plastic between the watch case and the crown. Once I removed this the watch second hand immediately started working. Duh. Note this is why a lot of the pics all have the same time.
The only criticism I have is that the numbers and the movement arms do not have any illumination to them making the watch impossible to read in the dark. Also the black numbered ring doesn’t rotate. In the past, I’ve found those outer numbered bezels very helpful for keeping track of time for certain tasks. These shortcomings though did not diminish my love for the watch though, because I ordered one for myself!
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BMW M Watch Part number – 80262220011
