Continuing the trend of checking out quartz watches this summer, in for review is a 36mm diver from the Danish brand Oliver Green. I have been falling in love with the number of Danish brands producing classically styled watches made affordable with quartz movements. There is an awful tendency for people starting in this hobby to completely disregard quartz in favor of the ever-romanticized automatic watches. Likely due to that attitude, there are a few brands doing quartz, and if you are looking for quartz watches, you will find mostly fashion brands.
Luckily, we at Watch Clicker have cherry-picked a good one for you today. The Oliver Green Mare is a 200m diver, coming on a jubilee bracelet and sporting a domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. All at the price of $249.
On the Wrist
36mm may be the size of the summer, with several brands dropping new watches in the past couple of months. See the latest Vaer on the site, for example. That being said, this is my first 36mm watch, and I was excited. Many “neckbeards” talk about how perfect the size is and have pushed for brands to scale their designs back down. I haven’t intentionally been avoiding the size, but there have not been very many that piqued my interest. Typically they are time only or too dressy for me. Once having one in hand, though, I 100% see the perks. Having something this small and breathable on my wrist is a break from my bigger timepieces. The mare’s large lume plots and oversized hour hand make legibility a breeze, and the heavy distortion from the sapphire crystal give a great vintage feel.
The significant benefit I don’t think enough people talk about is that you eliminate a ton of that pale patch ever present during summer, on my wrist, at least. Those with perpetual watch tan lines know what I am talking about.
Oliver Green Mare Specs | |
Case Width 36mm | Lug-to-Lug 43.18mm |
Case Thickness 12mm | Lug Width 18mm |
Water Resistance 200m | Strap Bracelet |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Yes |
Movement Miyota 2305 Quartz | Price $249 |
Dial Details
The applied indices and the polishing are well within the expectation of quality for a $250 watch and held up even under my macro lens. More surprising is the subtle texturing of the dial that appears when you get up close. While wearing the watch, the dial seems mostly glossy and picks up much of the surrounding colors despite the anti-reflective coating on the sapphire.
My favorite aspect of the watch head is the brown bezel. Brown is such an underutilized color, and the addition of this earthy tone compliments the off-white hands well. The off-white hands would look out of place with a more standard blue or red bezel.
Maybe I am partial to the greens of this shade because it reminds me of older divers, but I can’t help but smile when the watch is lit up. The color fades after maybe 10 minutes but remains visible for some time.
Case, Bracelet, and Movement
The quartz movement in the watch is the Miyota 2305. This is a day date complication as this watch has a day date window at 3 pm. Day and date watches are always cool to me and especially in this smaller size, because it is less noticeable on the wrist unless looking for it. The most considerable surprise was the quality of the bracelet and clasp. The links and end links are solid, and there is little “jangle” to the jubilee. The bracelet has a beautiful taper that is noticeable on the wrist. I can’t help but think the money saved on going with quartz meant an upgraded bracelet.
With a lug width of 18mm, strap swapping will not be the easiest, but the bracelet does come with quick-release spring bars. Without requiring tools to swap the bracelet, the Mare is all the more accessible to someone looking to pick up their first watch.
The Oliver Green does feature long male end links on their bracelet. Elongating the lug to lug length is less of an issue because it is such a reasonable diameter, so it’s unlikely to affect the wear. However, picking up the 40mm version of this watch may present a problem.
The case profile showcases lugs that curve down to hug the wrist well. Oliver Green’s logo is embossed on the crown. I found the crown, although proportionally sized, somewhat tricky to use, but I blame my large clumsy fingers. Getting my big thumbs to grip the screwdown crown without the crown guards being in the way was challenging.
Final Thoughts
At $250, the Oliver Green Mare presents an enticing option for someone looking for a more traditionally sized diver. And for those readers out there with smaller wrists or possibly a watch you can share with your significant other, this is a great option. I know within my household, my wife wore this watch as much as me while I was writing this review. A few things could be improved, and the easiest would be changing the triangle’s color on the bezel.
The bezel is brown and the triangles red blends in very easily, making reading the bezel challenging. This red accent color is also used to display the 200m text underneath the 6 pm indice. I missed this almost entirely until I started viewing with my macro lens. The distortion of the crystal hides the text completely at most angles.
The latter I enjoyed as a bit of an easter egg. I love that this watch exists, and I wish I had come across it sooner! I think there is a place in most people’s watch boxes for a 36mm quartz diver, the perfect watch for grab-and-go weekend errands or just end-of-the-day relaxation.
Check out more dive watch reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Oliver Green website here
Thank you for your detailed review of the Oliver Green Mare. It sounds like a great watch for anyone looking for a classically styled quartz watch.