Reviewing My Men's Relic Sawyer Chronograph Watch

This is a review of the Relic Sawyer that I published on Yahoo Contributors Network a few days ago.  This watch is one that I consider a classic part of my collection.  I'm reprinting the entire review here:

Places like Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Hampton Roads are world renowned naval ports. They are also places where the Relic Men's Sawyer Chronograph watch (Model ZR66037) would look right at home. This quartz chronograph sports a battleship gray band, bezel, and 40 millimeter diameter face around a gleaming, 12 millimeter thick, stainless steel case. The look is beyond nautical. It's a naval warfare look for sure.

The Relic Sawyer

While style is important, this watch is also quite functional. The hour and minute hands have inlaid luminous material and the second hand is black. Each hour is marked by a luminous baton and small dot. Each minute is marked with a short white hash mark. The date is readable and positioned at a canted angle between the four and five o'clock batons. The 20 millimeter wide silicon strap is supremely comfortable and generously-sized to fit most wrists.

Relic Sawyer at the Battleship North Carolina

Three subdials handle chronograph functions. At the six o'clock position, seconds are counted by a small white hand in a subdial with only the bottom half of the subdial. Minute counting is handled at the 9 o'clock position in a circular subdial with numerals for 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes and hash marks at five minute intervals. Finally, twenty-four hour time is provided by the subdial on the right at three o'clock. The Chronometer will time events for up to an hour. But, the 24-hour subdial provides only the time and is not part of the chronometer feature set. The crown for this watch is flanked by buttons to start, stop, and reset the chronograph subdials.

This Relic watch does have a few weak points. First, there is some looseness to the rotating bezel. If you tap the bezel, it will click like an old-time telegraph station. For the steampunk set, the ability to tap out Morse code could be feature. But, the rest of us might find it a slightly annoying lapse in quality for a watch at the top end of the Relic product line. Full retail for Model ZR66037 is around $95. The second flaw enhances the look of the watch at the expense of functionality. The flat black numbers on the bezel are simply hard to read at a glance. Overall, these a fairly minor criticisms of a novel approach to the diver-style chronometer.

The Relic Sawyer is a fine looking watch and a great addition to any casual collectors watch box. If it had a cool nautical name, it would probably cost five times as much.

Relic Sawyer - Perfect for Victory at Sea

My Relic Sawyer Wristwatch looks like something issued by the Navy.  It's sleek, grey, and purposeful -- like a battleship.  The numerals on the bezel are darkened and the face is grey with white baton markers at hourly intervals.  They seem purposeful and warlike.  Even the sub-dials look like nautical instruments.  This Relic watch looks so much like something off of a battleship that I recently took it to a battleship.  I stopped by the U.S.S. North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina, over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The U.S.S. North Carolina in Wilmington, N.C.

The Battleship itself is moored just across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington, North Carolina.  It's a lot of fun to find and view on google maps.  

The Battleship and Watch Both Look Sleek

While the Relic Sawyer isn't any kind of official Navy watch, it sure looks like it could be.  However, it's far more affordable than any kind of mil-spec hardware that's designed for extreme conditions.

Ready for Adventure!

Of course, when you strap on this watch, you can't listen to some namby-pamby, snooty public radio, symphony.  You have to listen to something truly awesome.  I recommend the Victory at Sea Soundtrack.

Plus, if you are going to wear a watch that looks like it belongs on a battleship, you should learn something about battleships and there is no better starting point than the best documentary series ever made:

Inexpensive Watches with Subdials

Complications and subdials are the mark of a sophisticated timepiece.  Unfortunately sophistication is never cheap.  Fortunately, if you crave the style and precision of a fine European timepiece with subdials, there are lots of beautiful Asian-sourced watches from familiar watch brands.  They are priced affordably and many sell  for less than $100. 

The Relic "Moonphase" Watch

The watch below is my Relic Multifunction "Moonphase" watch.

Relic Multi-function Moonphase Watch

The watch provides day, date, and night or day indication via subdials including the subdial at 6 o'clock that shows a moon or sun depending on the time of day. You can read more about the watch here on my post: Relic Multifunction "Moonphase" Men's Watch.

Relic Sawyer Chronograph Watch

The Relic Sawyer is a very naval looking watch. It's actually a quartz chronograph watch for men. I love the battleship gray of this model. You can read more about it here in my Relic Sawyer review. 

The Relic Sawyer Chronograph

Casio Edifice Watch

This final watch is my Casio Edifice from Walmart. It's Model EF305-1AV. While it has the same vaunted name as more popular Edifice model, it actually is an inexpensive value priced watch. You can read more about this great timepiece here on this blog in my Casio Edifice EF305-1AV Review. 

Casio Edifice EF305-1AV

If you'd like to buy this Casio Edifice, it's available here on Amazon.com in 2025 for less than $40:  Casio Edifice EF305-1AV.

The last of my secret stash -- the Relic Sawyer Chronograph

I stockpiled a few new watches before starting a new job last year. I called this collection my secret stash. Here is the last one from my secret stash. It's a Relic Sawyer Chronograph.

 A Relic Sawyer Chronograph Watch

If you'd like to read of full review of this great watch, check Reviewing My Relic Sawyer Chronograph on this blog.