Not too long ago, I reviewed the Model C from Seals Watch Co. While I liked the watch and believed it represented a good value for the money, I thought it also suffered from trying to cram too many disparate influences into one design. I can happily say that with the new Dark Seal, however, the brand has managed to streamline its design language to offer a truly great tool watch at an affordable price?and in an attractive package to boot.The Dark Seal is a 40-millimeter (41.5 millimeters with the bezel), stainless steel, time-only automatic wristwatch with 200 meters of water resistance. A deep black and a matte blue dial are available, both featuring polished and applied indices with C3 (green) Super-LumiNova. Hands are a custom design with polished, angled edges filled with C3, and the crystal is a domed sapphire with AR coating. Though the prototype shown here does not feature a signed crown, production models will feature a signed, screw-down version.
The two things that struck me first about the Dark Seal were the case and the bezel. The case features multiple surface finishes (circular brushing on the bezel, blasting between the bezel and notches, and a polished chamfer along the drilled lugs) and looks and feels fantastic. The bezel is a notched 12-hour type, which many customers are likely to applaud, and features a very satisfying, ratcheting click.
I also wouldn?t mind seeing the option for a 60-minute bezel in the future for those of us who might like t...