Caveman's Watch Forum

Freestyle Shark Night Vision 100M

December 17, 2011 04:33PM

First, a big shoutout to Bro. MCV, as this is part of the donation he sent to Ricky Lee's Home For Wayward Wristwatches last May. The watches in that shipment all belonged to Marc's late father, and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been very diligent in reviewing them. Oops!

Yeah..

..I still have a considerable backlog. Blushing

Mind you, this makes the twelfth one* I have written about, so perhaps we could put this down in part to Marc's extreme generosity, rather than procrastination on my part. Wink

Bit of a story to set this one up. A co-worker bought a Freestyle diver whilst I was out on medical leave, and as I just returned to work on Monday the 12th, Tuesday was the first chance he had to show it off. This is the one:

Stock photo

Click HERE for larger photo

Submersion model FS81212
He got it from amazon.com and, I got to say, it's a mighty impressive watch for the money! All SS, solid-link bracelet, 200M WR, superlative fit & finish, all for US $72? Sold! Laughing

Anyway, after ~~admiring~~ drooling all over his new watch I got to thinking - "Heeeey. Wasn't there a Freestyle in that whacking great shipment that Marc sent to RLHfWW?" And..

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..sure enough! Not merely a Freestyle, but a

! WooHOO!

I'm at a loss to explain why I didn't put it into service sooner. I am confused

I think it was because I'd judged the size as too small by Diver standards. Bordering on "Ladie's Diver", frankly. Laughing

And it still struck me as small, when I first pulled it out of the drawer. I estimated it at 34mm, and judged the strap to be 16mm. But, to my astonishment..

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..it's actually only a fraction of a millimeter below "standard-sized", at 37.8mm x 41.5mm x 10.2mm thick. Oh, and the strap is 18mm.

Base metal bezel, SS screwdown caseback, push-pull crown, 60-click unidirectional bezel.

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
Nice profile, and the clear resin bezel is really growing on me. Thumbs up!

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
Nicely minted caseback, with a robust O-ring and smooth thread engagement.

The movement..

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..was a bit of a surprise. At first I took it for some whacking great proprietary module. Oops!

Then I thought, OK, it's a 6 3/4 x 8 ligne Miyota with a whacking great proprietary Night Vision module wrapped around it. But no! Turns out it's actually a bog-standard Miyota 6N30, which is widely available just as you see it there for under US $20. Hey, A-OK by me! I got no problem with a

at all!

The light show? Yeah! It's got one!

There is conventional lume on the hands..

Photo by Ricky Lee

..and a couple of notches stouter and more long-lasting than I expected. There's none at all on the dial but, of course..

Photo by Ricky Lee

..since the pusher at 2 o'clock fires up the active illumination, there's absolutely no need of it. Laughing

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
All in all a nice, satisfying li'l watch. It came with a nifty "tropic" resin strap which was way, way too short for me ankle-sized wrist. No biggie, that's Par For The Course. Wink

You see it here on an 18mm single-run budget nylon from Uncle Otto. No problemo! It..

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..wears Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr8! WIS Honeymoon

Thanks for readin', y'all, and Thank you!

once again Bro. Marc for your largesse.

Cheers!

"A watch should be worth looking at even when you already know the time" - vintage Omega ad

Messages In This Thread

Freestyle Shark Night Vision 100M	Ricky Lee	1034	December 17, 2011 04:33PM
Congrats Ricky & WTG Marc (n/t)	Adam in NYC	69	December 18, 2011 06:57PM
your bezels way way cooler that the co-workers Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review	Cleans Up	60	December 18, 2011 04:59PM
Re: Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review Thanks mate. Quote Cleans Up your bezels way way cooler that the co-workers Well.. I think so, too. But I may be biased. I thought someone would point out the wonky bezel (and dial?) alignment in the stock Amazon.com photo, for sure. But his FS81212 looks perfect in that regard. It really is a darned impressive watch for US $72!	Ricky Lee	52	December 18, 2011 05:57PM
Wicked cool watch and well done review, Ricky! Oh, and a big for Marc his generousity! What a strong way to go	Bock	44	December 18, 2011 11:53AM
Much appreciated Bro. Erik! Quote Bock Oh, and a big for Marc his generousity! Yes indeed! Is this forum amazing, or what?	Ricky Lee	82	December 18, 2011 03:28PM
Re: "Is this forum amazing, or what"? Definately, Ricky! When a guy offers (a part of) his Dad's watch collection in such way to another, then that stuns me in a way of deep respect. And, if on top of that they go the way to the home for wayward wrist watches....well, that is truly the cherry on the cake! Seriously, I feel they couldn't end up better then your place in this event, as I know you love to take care of them Enjoy enjoy!	Bock	61	December 18, 2011 04:31PM
Looking good, Ricky. (n/t)	Mark C.	64	December 18, 2011 07:31AM
Bro. Mark! You reckon it'd be safe for Surfing Duty? After all, and bill themselves heavily as THE Surfing Watch.	Ricky Lee	46	December 18, 2011 10:34AM
Cool watch. I like that clear bezel, with the wavy pattern (n/t)	JP	65	December 18, 2011 06:59AM
It "makes" the watch, for me. Quote JP Cool watch. I like that clear bezel, with the wavy pattern Thanks for the kind words.	Ricky Lee	55	December 18, 2011 10:30AM
A very nice one! (n/t)	IF	46	December 18, 2011 01:57AM
Thanks Bro. Yannis! (n/t)	Ricky Lee	57	December 18, 2011 10:27AM
Poy likes it! Nice little wearer. (n/t)	poywatch	58	December 17, 2011 10:24PM
Thanks Bro. Jim! Did I mention that.. ..the fellow who just bought the new Freestyle Submersion also wears a Freestyle Hammerhead Night Vision as his workaday watch? Click HERE for larger photo And, yeah, he bought that watch from me. It still runs like a champ, ~ 2 years on, though it's even more ~~wabified~~ beat to hell than it was in those photos. Still, he's so happy with it that, when he decided he needed a pretty watch for Stepping Out, he specifically sought out another . For good or ill, I reckon I made a convert. If the new one's half as good, it'll be one darned good watch indeed. A much under-rated brand, is Freestyle. IMHO.	Ricky Lee	56	December 18, 2011 10:26AM
Wow! You sold your Hammerhead! Mine is a keeper! Ricky had heard this story before along with a couple of others, but a good deal is worth repeating. A good friend of mine had this exact watch for about 10+ years. He is an avid scuba diver & this watch was put through it's paces. I always wanted one. Then I found a NOS one on a clearance table@ Dillards, marked down from $120 to $34! It is now my mediocre beater.	Timemiser	78	December 18, 2011 11:10AM
I did. But.. ..it is a solid watch, which I liked just fine. If it had been in just a little better cosmetic condition, I'd likely have kept it. Quote Timemiser Then I found a NOS one on a clearance table@ Dillards, marked down from $120 to $34! You stole it! Quote Timemiser It is now my mediocre beater. You do that watch a dis-service! It is an excellent beater! Quote Timemiser ..a good deal is worth repeating. 'tis! And as long as we're re-hashing old stories, I was goin' to link the one of when I originally sold the Hammerhead. But, alas, it appears to have fallen victim to the last PMWF database purge.	Ricky Lee	127	December 18, 2011 03:18PM
That clear resin Shark bezel is nifty! ... I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it.	Jimmy50	53	December 17, 2011 07:10PM
Re: ..I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it. It is a fun watch. Thanks mate!	Ricky Lee	57	December 18, 2011 10:10AM
Nice job, RL, enjoy! (n/t)	MCV	51	December 17, 2011 06:19PM
It's a pity your father never paid us a visit here on the . After becoming intimately acquainted with so many of his watches, I think he'd have been a natural on The Phorum.	Ricky Lee	62	December 18, 2011 10:08AM

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Caveman's Watch Forum

Freestyle Shark Night Vision 100M

Freestyle Shark Night Vision 100M

Congrats Ricky & WTG Marc (n/t)

your bezels way way cooler that the co-workers
Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review

Re: Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review
Thanks mate.

Wicked cool watch and well done review, Ricky! Oh, and a big for Marc his generousity!
What a strong way to go

Much appreciated Bro. Erik!

Looking good, Ricky. (n/t)

Bro. Mark! You reckon it'd be safe for Surfing Duty?
After all, and bill themselves heavily as THE Surfing Watch.

Cool watch. I like that clear bezel, with the wavy pattern (n/t)

It "makes" the watch, for me.

A very nice one! (n/t)

Thanks Bro. Yannis! (n/t)

Poy likes it! Nice little wearer. (n/t)

Thanks Bro. Jim! Did I mention that..
..the fellow who just bought the new Freestyle Submersion also wears a Freestyle Hammerhead Night Vision as his workaday watch?

I did. But..
..it is a solid watch, which I liked just fine. If it had been in just a little better cosmetic condition, I'd likely have kept it.

That clear resin Shark bezel is nifty! ...
I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it.

Re: ..I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it.
It is a fun watch.

Thanks mate!

Nice job, RL, enjoy! (n/t)

It's a pity your father never paid us a visit here on the . After becoming intimately acquainted with so many of his watches, I think he'd have been a natural on The Phorum.

Caveman's Watch Forum

Freestyle Shark Night Vision 100M

Freestyle Shark Night Vision 100M

Congrats Ricky & WTG Marc (n/t)

your bezels way way cooler that the co-workers Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review

Re: Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review Thanks mate.

Wicked cool watch and well done review, Ricky! Oh, and a big for Marc his generousity! What a strong way to go

Much appreciated Bro. Erik!

Looking good, Ricky. (n/t)

Bro. Mark! You reckon it'd be safe for Surfing Duty? After all, and bill themselves heavily as THE Surfing Watch.

Cool watch. I like that clear bezel, with the wavy pattern (n/t)

It "makes" the watch, for me.

A very nice one! (n/t)

Thanks Bro. Yannis! (n/t)

Poy likes it! Nice little wearer. (n/t)

Thanks Bro. Jim! Did I mention that.. ..the fellow who just bought the new Freestyle Submersion also wears a Freestyle Hammerhead Night Vision as his workaday watch?

I did. But.. ..it is a solid watch, which I liked just fine. If it had been in just a little better cosmetic condition, I'd likely have kept it.

That clear resin Shark bezel is nifty! ... I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it.

Re: ..I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it. It is a fun watch. Thanks mate!

Nice job, RL, enjoy! (n/t)

It's a pity your father never paid us a visit here on the . After becoming intimately acquainted with so many of his watches, I think he'd have been a natural on The Phorum.

your bezels way way cooler that the co-workers
Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review

Re: Congrats on a fine watch, and nice review
Thanks mate.

Wicked cool watch and well done review, Ricky! Oh, and a big for Marc his generousity!
What a strong way to go

Bro. Mark! You reckon it'd be safe for Surfing Duty?
After all, and bill themselves heavily as THE Surfing Watch.

Thanks Bro. Jim! Did I mention that..
..the fellow who just bought the new Freestyle Submersion also wears a Freestyle Hammerhead Night Vision as his workaday watch?

I did. But..
..it is a solid watch, which I liked just fine. If it had been in just a little better cosmetic condition, I'd likely have kept it.

That clear resin Shark bezel is nifty! ...
I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it.

Re: ..I can see myself wearing a watch like that just for the pure fun of it.
It is a fun watch.

Thanks mate!