# REVIEW ? Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue



## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue 
Was I bummed when I found out the Traser Classic Automatic Blue is no longer in production? Yeah, I was, at first. But then I got to thinking, Hmmmm, a bezel with timer markings, and it doesn't rotate? I'm not so sure I want that. And so I began looking for a "daily beater" of a watch in automatic flavor. I do own a Seiko auto, but it's not tritium. I have two quartz Trasers, and I think they're great. So my first thought was, dive into the deep end of the bank and go for the Traser Automatic Master. But for now, I'm enjoying this Tawatec E.O. Diver Pro Blue. 
Thank you to WatchUSeek forums for turning me on to TaWaTec. It was thru this site I discovered this brand.

*In a word&#8230;*
The Tawatec E.O. Automatic Diver is a big watch that wears like a feather. It's light and comfortable, is an easy read in any light, and looks the part of a tough military tactical timepiece. Don't expect the world in terms of build quality, you might be disappointed. (Only if you're really discerning. It's not a piece of junk, it's a good watch.) I venture to say that for the price, it's a good buy on a mechanical too. I'm bummed they don't offer the red dial markings on the automatic version. I like the 4:00/4:30 positioning of the crown and date window. I'd like to put in a word about the accuracy of the Selitta mov't, but maybe it's too early to tell. Two days ago I set it to NIST.gov. It's slow by 5 sec. So some quick math suggests it might lose 75 seconds/month. I can live with that.
(EDIT - INCORRECT... Seems it's actually fast, and gains about a minute a week. But I can live with a watch that runs a little fast. I cannot tolerate a clockworks that is slow.)

According to MilWatches.org, EOD means "explosive ordnance disposal". Ya know, like bombfrogs, frogmen who work on underwater mines and such. So yet again, here we have the pretense of another "real tactical issue" timepiece that will supposedly stand up to the most demanding conditions. 

Purchased from MilWatches.com (sister site is H3Watches.org) Customer service is excellent. Email response is quick before and after the sale. The auto-Google translations from German (just guessing) are pretty good.
$404.43 shipped FedEx from Germany to US (288.95 Euros, as of March 2011) Many similar models, differences being the type of band offered and the color of the tritium inserts. Up until now I didn't own a blue tritium watch, so I opted for the less Christmas-y all blue model.
H3 Tritium - Blue on 1 thru 11 and all three hands, and bezel ZERO. Oversized orange at 12 o'clock.
Crown - positioned at 4 o'clock. NOT screw down, peculiar for a watch designated _Water Resist 200M._ Recessed more than usual into case edge. Very distinctive etching on crown, not your typical knurl; great for friction and satisfying to observe and feel.
Crystal - mineral glass.
Band - 22mm NATO with black hardware. I like the stock NATO. Pictures I took have the Hadley Roma white on black silicone band I ordered separately.
Bezel - Rotating, uni-directional, with leading zero on 5min mark that can make it a little confusing.
Movement - Selitta mechanical automatic, 28,000 beats/hr, hacking with sec hand stop and manual wind capability. (If you don't know Selitta, it's a drop-in replacement for the ETA 2824) Sounds the same 1/16th note rhythm as my Rolex GMT, as opposed to my Seiko which ticks straight 1/8th notes.
Case - 47mm excluding crown, advertised as a carbon fiber/poly composite. Back is bolted, not screwed down. Recessed crown doesn't stick out very far. Pretty tight fit under the pins where the NATO strap threads thru. I tried a 1" Waterborne and I had to work way too hard to get it on. The Hadley Roma 22mm silicone band is a perfect fit. Case does not have metal inserts for band pins. I read a review on Amazon where a Luminox band pulled free of its poly case due to wear on the plastic. The Luminox was criticized for not having metal inserts and I thought it worth mentioning.
Reliability - can't say after only a few days.
*Pros:*
· 47mm case diameter, but wears small and is very light due to poly/carbon fibre composite. 
· Recessed crown at 4 o'clock is out of the way, with nice machining.
· Automatic Selitta mov't, hacking allowing second hand stop and manual winding, quickset date. I believe the 28,000 bph is considered high beat.
· Tritium provides great visibility and is available in several color schemes. 
· Uni-directional bezel has tritium insert
· Tough-looking! Bezel demarcations are done in steep relief over an aggressively cut sawtooth edge. Octil Stencil font truly is extremely clear and very cool.
· The date window at positioned at 4:30. Wearing it underneath my wrist as I do, I supinate my arm to see the time and the date is perfectly situated for viewing. It's the easiest read date on any watch I have, including my Rolex GMT with its Cyclops window. I think it could be a little larger, but I love the position.

*Cons:*
· Blue tritium is not as bright as my Traser's green "power-glo". It looks truly bright only in very dim conditions and complete darkness. Even the light from this laptop screen, in an otherwise very dim room, is enough to make the EO Diver's blue tritium glow "just OK". Second hand has such a small tube and is so dim I can barely see it when I look away from the screen. (YES I turned down the screen brightness.) The Traser Commander, on the other hand, starts to show off the minute you step out of good lighting.
· When I shake it a bit to twirl the auto-winder, eee gads man! That thing in there sounds a bit arthritic! It makes a soft, hollow little raspy racket. It's advertised as "ball bearing". Well, the ball has no bearing on the image I have of an assembly line in China recklessly cranking these things out. At first I thought it was so tight that it was only spinning with exaggerated movements, like brushing teeth or shaking water off my hands. But I held it to my ear while slowly turning it, and I can hear that it truly does move freely.
· Bezel fit is somewhat sloppy. If you grab the watch at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions on the bezel and move it back and forth while strapped to your wrist, you can feel the sloppy tolerance. This is not something I'm used to with watches in the $300-400 range, and certainly my Trasers aren't like this. In fact my $220 Seiko auto diver is engineered more like a thousand dollar Tag Heuer. So this was certainly a disappointment.
· Crown is conventional and not screw down. I don't know if this is a con. It's only a con if the Tawatec eventually fails due to water making its way in. But there are few watches I have seen rated to 200M that don't lock it out.
· Crystal is mineral glass, not sapphire.
· Red dial accents only available on quartz version. That sucks.
· No serial number. The quartz Tawatec I have has a sticker on the box with what I think is the serial number. But this automatik has no sticker, and no number anywhere on the case. Kinda points to "cheapiness" in my opinion. But I think these watches are cool anyway. 

*MORE&#8230;*
_From the website, but a better translation:_
Specialists require a big but light-weight watch... The new design of this case guarantees readability of the time in every condition... daytime... nightime... 
... EOD special missions require a watch with non-magnetic properties; the E.O. Diver's anti-magnetic CFC case prevents any interference with detonators...
... the font on the dial, *octil stencil* is _the_ font of the military sector... 
... the crown at the 9 o'clock position (E.O.Diver at 4 o'clock) is characteristic of a high quality, authentic military watch and offers an advantage if you wear a tactical or protection glove . TaWaTec watches are light-weights. The big dial guarantees perfect reading of the time and the integrated H3 trigalight tritium illumination at nighttime and in every condition.


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

2nd attempt to post correct attachments.


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## 2BATTRANGER (Feb 7, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

I own a couple of the quartz Tawatec watches, M7 Titan and ICS resin case model. I've had the titanium model for over a year now and other than a few scratches in the PVD it works and looks great! The E.O. model I have has taken some abuse and still works great, I did have to open up the caseback and re-seat the battery once though (I hit the watch against a machine at work pretty hard) I think the impact was what caused the problem. It was a simple fix, I had to pop the battery out and then put it back in and reconnect the "band" that holds it in place and never had another problem since then.

Congrats on your new E.O. Diver auto, it will take whatever you can throw at it!


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## xlf (May 3, 2009)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



MikoDel said:


> · Bezel fit is somewhat sloppy


Yes it is indeed. i have pop the bezel out twice when playing with it.


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## 2BATTRANGER (Feb 7, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



xlf said:


> Yes it is indeed. i have pop the bezel out twice when playing with it.


The bezel on my EO Diver has a little slop like you say but it's still very firm and has positive clicks! You may have a bad bezel/bezel ring/gasket causing your troubles! I've tried to pop my bezel off with tools and it was VERY hard, I definitely don't have to worry about mine "popping" off accidentally or when I turn it!?!?


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## 2BATTRANGER (Feb 7, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

Here's my E.O. Diver I.C.S. (tri-color tritium):-!


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



2BATTRANGER said:


> Here's my E.O. Diver I.C.S. (tri-color tritium):-!


I'm sorry, that looks just so completely BADASS with the red highlites. The Luminox velcro NATO doesn't hurt either. I don't understand why they don't stay with that color scheme into the automatic versions. Anyway, thanks for all your comments. I'm really glad to hear the watch is durable, and I like the red so much I may go for the quartz after all.

One thing I left out in my review - Tawatec watches have NO SERIAL NUMBERS! Ha! Strange. Is that a Con? I guess so, I don't know. I really like the watch. I got a strap from CountyComm.com, a Maratac silicone with the SS folding quick release buckle. I was liking the white on black divers band but once I fitted this all black band I was totally sold on the look.

The EO Diver looks and feels awesome with the Maratac silicone strap and I will post a few pictures to show it. The 22mm silicone can be a bit sweaty, which is why I like to alternate with the NATO bands once in awhile, but the look suits the watch totally and it keeps it from shifting on my wrist, even when worn a little loose. I think if I got one of those quartz with the red military time demarcations, I might try the Hadley Roma silicone band with the red on black design.


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## xlf (May 3, 2009)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*









Well here the pic of the picture of the bezel out of the watch. I just apply some pressure on 8 o'clock position and force it up a little and here it goes.


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## Lkopo (Jan 21, 2011)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

Its a shame on such a nice looking watch...


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## 2BATTRANGER (Feb 7, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



xlf said:


> View attachment 407841
> 
> 
> Well here the pic of the picture of the bezel out of the watch. I just apply some pressure on 8 o'clock position and force it up a little and here it goes.


Are the "keeper" tabs on the resin bezel broken? Something has to missing or broken for that happen that easy??? Have you tried to send it back for an exchange or refund? It too nice of a watch to have to worry about the bezel issue everytime you wear it!


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## 2BATTRANGER (Feb 7, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



MikoDel said:


> I'm sorry, that looks just so completely BADASS with the red highlites. The Luminox velcro NATO doesn't hurt either. I don't understand why they don't stay with that color scheme into the automatic versions. Anyway, thanks for all your comments. I'm really glad to hear the watch is durable, and I like the red so much I may go for the quartz after all.
> 
> One thing I left out in my review - Tawatec watches have NO SERIAL NUMBERS! Ha! Strange. Is that a Con? I guess so, I don't know. I really like the watch. I got a strap from CountyComm.com, a Maratac silicone with the SS folding quick release buckle. I was liking the white on black divers band but once I fitted this all black band I was totally sold on the look.
> 
> The EO Diver looks and feels awesome with the Maratac silicone strap and I will post a few pictures to show it. The 22mm silicone can be a bit sweaty, which is why I like to alternate with the NATO bands once in awhile, but the look suits the watch totally and it keeps it from shifting on my wrist, even when worn a little loose. I think if I got one of those quartz with the red military time demarcations, I might try the Hadley Roma silicone band with the red on black design.


Nothing wrong with quartz version IMO, autos are nice, but I wanted quartz in both of my Tawatec watches for added durability and "grab n go" convenience.


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## xlf (May 3, 2009)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



2BATTRANGER said:


> Are the "keeper" tabs on the resin bezel broken? Something has to missing or broken for that happen that easy??? Have you tried to send it back for an exchange or refund? It too nice of a watch to have to worry about the bezel issue everytime you wear it!


Nothing is broken. I am just illustrating the popping out of the bezel, maybe it is just my set not as sturdy.


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

I agree about the convenience of Quartz for this type of watch. I like the couple of Auto Divers that I have but I appreciate the fact that I can pick up my Luminox and it is ready to go every time. This thread has caused me to put Tawatec on my want list even though XLF has had that unfortunate issue with his bezel...


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## xlf (May 3, 2009)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



Rusty_Shakleford said:


> I agree about the convenience of Quartz for this type of watch. I like the couple of Auto Divers that I have but I appreciate the fact that I can pick up my Luminox and it is ready to go every time. This thread has caused me to put Tawatec on my want list even though XLF has had that unfortunate issue with his bezel...


Well not to worry, It a nice watch overall. I have not own a Luminox, I wonder how their bezel action is like.


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



xlf said:


> Well not to worry, It a nice watch overall. I have not own a Luminox, I wonder how their bezel action is like.


It is pretty tight. I think that it's not bad considering the low price of mine. Of course, it is plastic or whatever they call it but I like it...

Here is stock pic of the model I have. I usually wear mine on a Maratac Mil series strap as I did not care too much for the rubber...


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



Rusty_Shakleford said:


> This thread has caused me to put Tawatec on my want list even though XLF has had that unfortunate issue with his bezel...


Yeah XLF seems to know his stuff. He says it's not broken, just how it is. My EOD Diver has only a little sloppiness in the bezel tolerance, about what you'd expect on a high quality .45 auto when you try to rock the slide back and forth. It's hardly anything, so I don't want to overstate it. But it surprised me because no other watch I have with a rotating bezel moves like that at all. But certainly I'm not gonna try to "press on at 8 o'clock" like XLF says, unless I really have to take it off for some reason.


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*

I also found this link for a metal link band, which may or may not look good with some of my black mil watches. Could not find titanium bands in black. Just as well, no need to spend that kind of money when this watch is so light to begin with.

Metal Watch Strap - Metal Watchbands - Watch Bands, Watch Straps from deBeer


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - Tactical Watch Technology (Tawatec) E.O. Diver Automatic Pro Blue*



xlf said:


> I just apply some pressure on 8 o'clock position and force it up a little and here it goes.


Yeah man. I was getting into a lounge chair by the pool, and my watch came into contact with the rail of the chair as I was lowering myself in. (Cause I wear it inside.) I heard something hit the ground, and when I looked down at my watch, the bezel was gone! I remembered what you said about how it comes off. So when I put it back, I angled it down on the 8 o'clock side (probably could have been anywhere) and then snapped it down on the opposite side, and it was back on.


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

*Re: REVIEW - A year with the E.O. Diver Automatic*

After a year of ownership, here are some add'l observations -
I have worn this watch operating chain saws, splitting wood with an 8lb maul, swinging a sledge, and in chlorinated, salt and bath water. Logged thousands of bumpy miles on a motorcycle too.
Other than a few scrtatches on the cheap glass crystal, this black beauty is holding up well. I did call Tawatec to ask if they could swap out the glass for a mineral crystal - said no way.

MilWatches.com is also the only vendor I know of with adequate stock. I have dealt with others, but lack of availability is an issue, especially with the more expensive titanium models.


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