DeMarco Watch Co. Pistachio Green Chronograph: My Week on the Wrist
Photo by Ryan Hebda
I recently connected with Mike, owner and founder of DeMarco Watches. After chatting with him, he kindly offered to let me test-drive an example of his brand’s initial offering, The DeMarco Chronograph.
Materials
The case and bracelet are made of 316L stainless steel. Every watch includes two additional straps, one leather and one FKM rubber, all with quick-release mechanisms.
Photo by Ryan Hebda
Bracelet and Straps
Included with every watch purchase are 2 additional straps, one leather, and one FKM rubber, all of them (including the bracelet) have quick-release mechanisms for easy, toolless swaps. The FKM rubber is supple and comfortable, while still feeling very sturdy on-wrist. While I love a good NATO-style or rubber strap, I’m partial to bracelets and will usually buy a watch on the bracelet if it’s available. The stock bracelet on the Chronograph utilizes a flat, five-link jubilee style; the center links are high-polish while the rest has a brushed finish. The signed clasp is a double push-button deployant with built-in, toolless, micro-adjustment on the underside. The micro-adjustment gives you 1.5 links-worth of space to accommodate swelling/contraction during shifts in temperature.
Case
The case diameter is 41mm, 49mm lug-to-lug measurement, 20mm lug width, 7mm signed screw-down crown, 13mm thickness, and 100M water resistance. I have 6 3/4” (17.15cm) wrists and tend to favor watches with a sub 40mm case diameter. However, the DeMarco Chronograph doesn’t feel cumbersome on my wrist; it wears very comfortably on the bracelet, and the other straps that are included with it. The scalloped bezel is a 120-click, unidirectional, and has a lumed pip at 12 o’clock. The scalloping on this bezel is expertly crafted and not only enhances the watch’s unique aesthetic but also serves a functional, tactile purpose. Gripping and turning this bezel is easy even when wearing gloves, which was particularly useful since we were experiencing a severe cold snap when I first received the watch. The 7mm screw-down crown is easy-to-operate; despite its relatively modest size, the knurling makes it easy to grip and it threads smoothly when unscrewing and screwing it back in.
Photo Courtesy of Demarco Watch Co. and Time & Tide
Dial
One of my favorite parts of this watch is the dial. I specifically requested the pistachio green colorway, and it is something very special. The only time I’ve seen a comparable shade of green on a watch was on the Breitling Premier B01 (which will set you back roughly $9,000). The majority of the dial has a matte, granular, pebble-like texture, while the subdials have a smooth sunray finish. The difference in finishing between the main dial and the subdials offers increased legibility and allows the user to quickly distinguish between the different portions of the dial. The hands are syringe-style with a black border and excellently proportioned, allowing you to easily distinguish between the hour and minute hands. The dial text is symmetrical and uncluttered; under the 12 o’clock hour marker is the brand’s logo (the framed silhouette of a bull), and the brand name. The bottom half of the dial reads “Chronograph” and “100M” just above the 6 o’clock marker. There is also a telemeter scale on the outer edge of the dial; it’s printed in small text but is still quite legible. BGW9 lume is applied to the hour and minute hands, the numerals, and a lume pip on the bezel. On the green dial variant, the lume on the numerals is somewhat difficult to make out, as the shade of the lume blends in with the dial; the lumed numerals are much easier to distinguish on colorways where the numerals are white. For a chronograph I’d call the after-dark legibility about average; it glows bright enough that you can easily distinguish the hour hand from the minute hand and tell the time. However, like most chronographs, after-dark legibility is not a priority and that shows in the longevity of the lume.
Photo Courtesy of Demarco Watch Co. and Time & Tide
Movement
Powering the watch is a Seiko VK64 meca-quartz movement, giving you a bi-compax layout with a 24-hour indicator subdial at the 3 o’clock position and a 60-minute chronograph subdial at 9. There is also a circular date window located at 6 o’clock, with a color-matched date wheel. The VK64 does not have a running second-hand, a possible turn-off for some; generally speaking, I prefer having one myself. However, after a week on the wrist, I can’t say that I’ve found myself missing it. The VK64 movement has a battery life of roughly 3 years (depending on how frequently you use the chronograph), so other than once every 1,100 days or so, you can rest assured that it’s running.
Brand
Mike is a watch enthusiast and the watch is proof of that; however, if more proof is needed, the only reason this review was even written is: an unheard of watch e DeMarco offers a 2-year warranty on their watches, which is an industry-standard for microbrands, more or less. The first watch being offered by DeMarco is a great showing and display of their commitment to watch enthusiasts who want quality at an affordable price. As further proof of this being a brand run by a true watch fan, I was lent this watch to try out. Me. Not an influencer, not a journalist, not someone known in the watch industry, just me, a guy with a passion for this hobby. That last bit being said, I hope this review was easy enough to follow and understand #watchfam
Conclusion
At a current price of $349, DeMarco is offering a fantastic value with its initial release. The only possible downsides I can see are: the lack of running seconds hand and the lume. Mike has made a bold move by making his first foray into the microbrand sphere with a chronograph rather than a crowd-pleasing dive watch. The build quality, additional straps, and versatility they are offering at this price are exceptional. The DeMarco Chronograph can be found here.
“Demarco Watch Co. supplied this watch for review, and Ryan was not required to return it. Demarco Watch Co. had no input in this review and will see it for the first time when it is published. Also, none of the links in this post are affiliate links.”
