RIP CURL ECLIPSE TIDEMASTER PU MEN'S WATCH BLACK A1044 BLK

Product DescRIPtion

Case: 100% Marine Grade stainless steel with screw-in case back, multi-sealed screw crown, heat bezel timer and hardened mineral crystal.




Function: ATS- Automatic Tide System, Swiss-made 5-jewel movement.




Strap: Dual Color Polyurethane.




Dial: Pressed sunray with print.




Water resistant 200m.

I've had the Ripcurl Eclipse Tidemaster watch for 4 weeks (it was a Christmas present) and I'm very happy with it. The watch is about 44mm wide and 11mm thick. I would have preferred it to be slightly smaller in diameter but it doesn't feel bulky to wear. I chose the model with the black dial because the hands were easier to see at a glance compared to the other coloured dials. The hands are like a pointed ellipse with a hollow centre so that they don't block the view of the small red tide dials as they move around the face. This design works quite well, but again, you need to look at the watch a fraction longer than you would a normal watch in order to tell the time because the hands don't stand out quite as well as the solid hands on other watches. I consider this only a very minor issue. The minute and hour hands are tipped with luninous material. The luminous tips hold their brightness reasonably well inthe dark; I've woken during the night several hours after turning off the light and, while the glow is faint, you can still work out the time. There are no numbers on the watch face, only strokes and these do not have luminous material on them.
There are three smaller dials on the watch: high/low tide, spring/neap tide and moon phase. The watch uses a "tide averaging" system to track the tide. Basically, the high/low dial completes a full sweep twice every 24 hours and 50 minutes each day, in step with the moon's rotation around the Earth. Therefore, the time of the high tide advances on the watch by 50 mintues each day. However, depending on the time of the month (and phase of the moon), the tide sometimes advances as little as 37 minutes each day (around the new and full moon) or as much as 67 minutes (around the first and last quarter). At least it does on the east coast of Australia where I live. What this means is that the dial does not point exactly to high tide at exactly the right time every day. The dial will be quite close to correct, but not spot on every day. But if you're a surfer of fisherman it is close enough and it doesn't gain or lose each month - it averages out over the month. The Ripcurl Oceansearch digital watch is much more accurate because the tide times are programmed in. But in my opinion, the Eclipse Tidemaster is a much better looking watch and far less bulky than the Oceansearch.
The second dial is the Spring/Neap tide dial. This dial rotates twice per 29 days. When it is pointing to Spring (during the new or full moon), the difference between the high and low tides is much greater. When it is pointing to Neap, the difference between the high and low tides is less (ie. the high tide is not as high as a Spring tide and the low tide is not as low as a Spring tide). The third dial shows the moon phase. I've periodically checked all three dials against a tide chart over the past 4 weeks and the watch is tracking the tides and moon phase correctly. And most importantly, the watch is keeping time accurately - there has been no noticeable gain or loss.
The date is shown at the 12 o'clock position on the watch. Compared to other watches the numerals in the date display are quite a bit smaller and not so easy to see at a glance.
I have worn the watch several times in the surf (I'm a body surfer) and it has stood up well to the waterproof test. I chose the polyurethane band for the watch because they are far more reliable in the surf than a metal bracelet. The Tidemaster with the black-faced dial comes with a PU band that is black on top and red underneath. I thought the red colour cheapened the look a little (in my opinion), so I ordered the same sized band that is coloured grey underneath. This band is the one supplied with the blue-faced Tidemaster model. It only cost $22 for the new band and the people in the Ripcurl shop changed it over within a few minutes.
It is disappointing that Ripcurl requires the watch to be returned to their own service centre for any work including battery replacements. If it is opened by any non-Ripcurl centre the warranty will be void. As Ripcurl has only one service centre in any country (and sometimes none at all) you have to send your watch away for 2 weeks or so while the work is carried out. Really, they should have at least one approved service centre in every major city. They could franchise the work out to major jewellers in order to provide greater coverage.
All things considered, I would recommend the watch to anyone interested in keeping track of the time and tide. It looks good on the wrist and is dressy enough to wear to the office yet it also functions well as a surfer's or fisherman's watch.

About RIP CURL ECLIPSE TIDEMASTER PU MEN'S WATCH BLACK A1044 BLK detail

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12749 in Watches
• Brand: Rip Curl
• Model: RCA1044BLK

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