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It's a happy day, a new watch arrived Watch or Accessory Review : Vollmond chronograph

Ricky Lee
May 22, 2011 02:31PM
 Registered: April 2005
Posts: 17,866 (2012-03)

Another in the series of Marc's Dad's Watches. Smile

The Vollmond™ brand was unfamiliar to me, so I did a bit of research. Sure, a PMWF search was the first step. Smile Not a lot of info there, but the fact that, in one of the threads, Bro. Marc mentioned that he's seen the brand in the Heartland America catalog gives a hint as to the origins of the watch. Whistle Further, an eFlay search would suggest that Vollmond™ clocks are more common that Vollmond™ watches...

But enough of that, let's see a photo of the watch, shall we? Laughing

Vollmond chronograph

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for Mega-sized photo

Bling-bling! but in an understated and tasteful way. WIS Honeymoon

The case is full SS, and measures 39mm X 47.5mm X 12mm, with 20mm lugs. Both crown and caseback are screwdown, and the crystal is mineral glass. The bezel, despite the "fixed" look, turned out to be 60-click unidirectional rotating. The action is good, though with the smooth polished periphery it's a bit challenging to get a good grip. The OEM strap was leather with a reptilian grain and, frankly, I wasn't that disappointed in the fact that it was too short for me, as it looks and feels a tad.. well, "plastic-like". Smile Interestingly enough, it was branded simply "Leather" on the back, vs. the far more common "Genuine Leather". Hmmmm. Laughing I admit that my choice in straps..

Vollmond chronograph

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..is a little Crazy! Loco! here, and I've since switched to a plain black 1-piece nylon with a gold buckle. Blushing

One thing's for certain..

Vollmond chronograph

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..due to my intense curiosity about the movement, there's no way I could resist a peek inside this one. Smile Something about it (the "feel" of the pushers, I think) reminded me of the TMI/SII VD53B as used in my Belaggio bel tempo Ravello. But the layout is totally different here: it's a 60-minute chrono, with the sub-dial at 12 being 1/10th seconds (spins at 30 RPM), chrono seconds at 6, and the chrono minute counter at 9. Like the VD53B, the central hand is continuous-running seconds and, also like the VD53B the reset function of the sub-dials is "linked". I.e. if you time a 5-minute interval, when you reset the chrono the hands don't all jump directly back to zero. Oh no! The chrono seconds spins completely around five full revolutions, one for each step of the minute counter. No big deal, and actually quite an interesting quirk, fun to watch. However, it's important to note that it can take a while. Since the chrono seconds spins at 30 RPM during a reset, if you've timed a 29-minute 59-seconds interval it will go thirty full revolutions counter-clockwise to get back to zero, and take a full minute to do so. Logically enough, it does take the shortest path. IOW, if you time a 55-minute interval, the hands go clockwise on reset, a mere 5 total revolutions.

So, after all this, something told me that, despite being a different beast than the VD53B, this movement might still be related, given the similarities. And, sure enough, when I looked inside I found..

Stock photo

..an SII VD55B. Smile Am I good, or what?! Laughing

Sure, I got that drawing from the (excellent!) TMI-SII support site. Also this screen shot showing the full VD5* / VD6* line:

Stock photo

I may have to collect the whole set now! Eek! Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

Let's have a HWS, then I'll wrap up...

Vollmond chronograph

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Wears Grrrrrrrrrrrrr8! WIS Honeymoon

Sure, I do have a few nitpicks. Well, the first approaches a rant, actually. Oops! Eek! When I opened the watch up, you see, I found that they'd put the sticker detailing the battery change instructions directly on the movement I am angry!, just like with my Bellagio. Oops! That is not the proper procedure! Crazy! Loco! Rather, it should be affixed to the inside of the caseback, just as Seiko does it:

Vollmond chronograph

And that's the way it is.. now! I am angry! Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off As in the case of the Bellagio, the sticker came off 'clean', leaving no appreciable residue on the movement, so kudos to TMI for at least making sure there's no permanent damage, even when the sticker is mis-used.

And, I got to say it.. I've never understood the use of a 24-hour bezel with a 12-hour movement. I am confused I mean, sure, it looks nifty! This watch could even get away with a "slaved" 24-hour hand, since the bezel rotates. But without a 24-hour hand of some sort, the bezel is, from a functional standpoint, totally loopy. Crazy! Loco!

Beyond that, no real complaints. Smile As with the Bellagio, I do somewhat miss the lack of tactile feedback when activating the chrono pushers. But after living with the Bellagio for a while, it no longer bothers me. And, yes, some may dislike the "slow reset" though, again, I've grown used to it and don't see it as a real drawback.

But this watch has a lot going for it! The fit & finish is darned good, with the dial holding up particularly well to inspection under the loupe. The logo is reasonably crisp, the wave pattern well-executed (my sucky photos Oops! don't do it justice!), and the concentric rings of the sub-dials and applied markers finely formed. The hands do have some minor flaws, but nothing you could pick up on with the naked eye. Add in the full SS case and near-bulletproof TMI-SII movement and, Chinese ultra-PMW or no, I reckon it's a keeper for sure.. Wink

Again, Thank you! so much, Bro. Marc. I will wear it with pride, and in remembrance of your father.

Cheers!

-Ricky


"A man, like a watch, is to be valued for his manner of going." - William Penn

Messages In This Thread

Watch or Accessory Review : Vollmond chronograph Jpeg Attachments URL

 Ricky Lee 923 May 22, 2011 02:31PM

A very nice watch for sure, a very nice review, too! SmileThumbs up! (n/t)

 IF 115 May 23, 2011 12:25AM

Great review, thanks Ricky. And as a German native speaker, I really love the name Thumbs Up (n/t)

 Reto 63 May 22, 2011 11:40PM

Very nice review . Thumbs up! Thumbs up! Smile (n/t)

 DanB 58 May 22, 2011 05:21PM

Great review and...about the 24 hour bezel...

Quote
Ricky Lee
I've never understood the use of a 24-hour bezel with a 12-hour movement. I am confused I mean, sure, it looks nifty!
...if you're very familiar with your time zones, a 24 hour bezel could work beautifully as a dual time zone/world-time option. Cheers!
 AlbertaTime 83 May 22, 2011 04:25PM

Re: ...if you're very familiar with your time zones, a 24 hour bezel could work beautifully as a dual time zone/world-time option. Cheers!

If I remember the GMT offset in me head, why do I need to rotate the bezel to calculate it?

And, even if I do, the numbers don't "track". I.e. there's a built-in 1/2-to-1 error ratio in each gradation of the hour hand with a 12-hour movement.

Or am I missing something? Crazy! Loco! If so, please enlighten me! Laughing
 Ricky Lee 78 May 22, 2011 04:55PM

I sit corrected Cheers!

...musta been something I ate in the 60s. Crazy! Loco! Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off
 AlbertaTime 68 May 22, 2011 05:09PM

Very nice....Like the logo!!! (n/t)

 dano0 72 May 22, 2011 04:05PM

Nice review smile (n/t)

 Ed Brandwein 66 May 22, 2011 03:52PM

Eeeeexcelent! Thumbs Up (n/t)

 Anonymous User 72 May 22, 2011 03:48PM

Right on! Thumbs up! Another great gesture on Marc's behalf. Clapping! (n/t)

 Jimmy50 64 May 22, 2011 03:10PM


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