Exciting watch releases have slowed to a crawl. We’re inundated with endless Moonswatch variants, unremarkable square Pateks, and dive watches with a GMT complication slapped on. It’s possible that the golden age of watch designs we were living in a few years ago has fizzled out or that watch enthusiasts are more challenging to please (I know this is how I feel lately). When the Markwell Datematic came across my desk, I felt a little spark of creativity we had seen in years past. Sure, it is a three-hand sports watch, but much more is happening with the Datematic. Let’s jump in and take a look.
On the Wrist
The Datematic is an evolution of the Masonic watches Markwell launched earlier this year. Designed to be a more approachable and mainstream variant of the Masonic watch, the Datematic features mid-century design cues and a lovely angular case. Coming in at 37mm wide, 43mm lug-to-lug, and only 9mm wrist-to-crystal (10.35 case height), the Datematic is precisely what you want from a watch aiming to fit into the smaller watch trend without giving up wrist presence. That extra millimeter over 36mm watches makes a more significant difference than one would think, especially when almost the entire face of the watch is the dial.
I recently picked up a 36mm 1972 Datejust, and the difference between the Datejust’s wrist presence and the Datematic is quite striking. The Datematic’s dial jumps out at you and is far more noticeable, whereas a watch like the Datejust can disappear into the background. This could be due to the vibrant colors used on the Datematic or the breathing room afforded to the dial.
The lugs angle down sharply as they leave the midcase, giving the Datematic that feeling we all strive for when trying a watch: it becomes an extension of your wrist and conforms exceptionally well to my 6.75″ (17cm) wrist. Markwell also sent a Speidel Twist-o-Flex bracelet to try with the Datematic, and I would encourage anyone who buys this watch to pick one up. It completed the look and feel that the Datematic is shooting for. I also urged Markwell to develop their version of a Twist-o-Flex to include on future versions of the Datematic.
Markwell Datematic Specs | |
Case Width 37mm | Lug-to-Lug 43mm |
Case Thickness 10.35mm | Wrist-to-Crystal 9mm |
Lug Width 20mm | Weight 59g |
Water Resistance 100m | Strap Leather Strap |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Yes |
Movement Sellita SW-200 | Price $730 |
Dial Details
The stylized numerals were the first thing that popped out to me on the Datematic. A mid-century-inspired 12, 6, and 9 are applied to the dial. They’re obscure enough to blend in with the rest of the applied markers but still recognizable enough not to make you scratch your head as to what they are. I also love how the 12 and 6 creep into the dial’s center portion.
The handset is balanced and reads well with the rest of the dial. The hour and minute hand complement the applied markers as the seconds hand has a painted tip to coordinate with the dial color (in this case, blue). The date window at 3 o’clock is large enough that a small amount of the dates before and after today’s date can be seen. However, they are not visible enough to confuse the wearer on today’s date. The date wheel features a roulette pattern alternating from gold to white text.
The central portion of the dial is clean and well-executed. Markwell’s branding is at 12 o’clock, and stylized datematic text is at 6 o’clock. A subtle crosshair is in the center of the dial. The only lumed part of the dial is the hands, but considering the style of the watch, this works perfectly fine.
Case Details
As much as I love the Datematic’s dial layout, the case design is the star of the show. As I mentioned above, the lugs are angular and feature multiple facets that reflect the light in beautiful ways. The outside of the lugs has a small cut-in that makes them feel more like an extension of the case. They resemble cow horn lugs and are firmly planted in the watch’s mid-century design aesthetic.
The polished bezel is thin and comes off at a sharp angle to the crystal, making it feel more on the side of the case than on top. The bezel also has a subtle concave shape, which makes the light reflections look different from those of a standard rounded fixed bezel.
The Datematic’s crown is push/pull and maintains a 100-meter water resistance rating. The wearer will be pleasantly surprised if they happen to look at the crown at night as it features a lumed Markwell logo.
Final Thoughts
The founder of Markwell grew up not that far from where I did, and one of our first conversations was about all the landmarks in the towns we frequented as kids. We’re both older now with kids of our own, and I can see the inspiration for this watch comes from wanting to have a dressier watch to fit into multiple activities throughout the day without skipping a beat. I joked that this could be a GADA watch, but not necessarily “Go Anywhere Do Anything,” instead, it is the “Go Anywhere Dad Accessory.” The Datematic fills a void in the sports watch segment by bridging the gap between dressy and tool-looking sports watches. It is a watch that gets nearly everything right, and from such a young brand, it makes me feel like Markwell is just getting started on becoming a microbrand powerhouse.
Check out more sports watch reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Markwell website here
