The Aston Martin DB6 is a grand tourer made by British car manufacturer Aston Martin. Produced from September 1965 to January 1971, the DB6 had the longest production run up to that date of any Aston Martin model. The DB6 succeeded the Aston Martin DB5 and featured improved aerodynamics and specification over its predecessor.
Messages: 134Location: MichiganRegistered: March 2004MKII VantageFri, 02 May 2008 22:55I usually don't write reviews. However, for this watch I must make an exception. I will apologize ahead of time for not including pictures with this review. It is really for all the TZer's own good because I am really terrible with a camera and also know that all members are smart enough to go to the MKII website and view the watch for yourself.INTRODUCTIONThe Vantage is one of the latest additions to the MKII collection. For those of you unfamiliar with MKII watches, the company grew out of the very talented customization work of Mr.
MKII started making watches with the goal of offering custom watches at mass produced prices. They added the pre-built Swiss Made versions to eliminate most of the lead-time for customers that liked MKII's interpretation of traditional designs.OVERALL SPECIFICATIONSCase Width: 39.0 mm not including crownCase Thickness: 12.30 mmCase length: 47.90 mm end to endLug width: 20.0 mmWater Resistance 200 metersWeight: 139 gramsCrystal: SapphireMovement: 2824 Elabore gradeOVERALL APPEARANCEThe watch is very similar in appearance to a Rolex Explorer I with the size of a Submariner. Hands are Mercedes style. The date is small and is located on an angle between the 4 and five marker.CRYSTALDoomed sapphire. Very slight profile but the watch doesn't seem to 'white out' nearly as much as an absolutely flat crystal.FACE/HANDSExtremely legible dial that can be read from nearly any angle. Using a 10X the printing and markers on the dial do not show any pitting or loss of resolution. This is something I can't say about my IWC MARK XVI!
The hands are the classic Mercedes style. Lume on the dial and hands is quite acceptable. Comparable to a Stowa Airman, or IWC MARK XVI.CASE/CROWNCase has through holes on the lugs to secure the bracelet similar to the current 14060M or the pre-SEL 16610 Submariners. Lugs are satin and the sides and bezel are very highly polished.
Crown is small and unsigned. The case-back is solid and stamped with the MKII model no., serial number of the watch (nice touch here), the stainless type (316L),and of course a small MKII logo.The case work is quite good. I cannot detect any flaws are imperfections under a 10X.
Finish on the case is easily that of Tutima and probably closer to the MarkXVI. The blending between satin and polish is done very well.The crown, although small, operates very smoothly. There are two gaskets to ensure the water resistance. The crown must be rotated approximately three full turns before being fully seated.BRACELETThe bracelet is oyster style, all satin (polished sides) with a fold-over clasp and solid end links. The clasp has some fine adjustment and there are several links that are removable. Links are screwed on both sides to secure the pin.The bracelet is very comfortable. Say what you like about oyster style bracelets but they are a time-tested design that is tough to beat from an overall maintenance, and comfort perspective.
The finish is excellent although examining with a 10x revealed some very minor pitting of the finish. Nothing noticeable to the naked eye.PACKAGINGNot the most impressive packaging but then again the watch was just over US$600 delivered.
The packaing is a essentially a plastic cases with foam cutouts for up to three watches. A nice is touch is the inclusion of a spring bar tool and extra spring bars.
The manual is adequate. Unless this is your first automatic, you may never read it anyway.CONCLUSIONShould I assign arbitrary numbers that have no meaning to anyone but me? I will say this: I have and have owned many watches including Eterna, IWC, Rolex, Blancpain, Omega, Fortis, Tutima, Hamilton, Kobold, and Breitling (not an inclusive list). I have owned watches with better quality but not with better value.
For a little over a $600 watch, the quality is quite simply amazing. It seems to me that I read an article a little while ago speculating about the return of craftsman and artisans to the US economy. I must say at the time I didn't really believe it but the work of Mr. Yao, Michael Kobold, and Roland Murphy are starting to change my mind.