# Steinhart Apollon finally arrives



## stew77 (May 15, 2009)

*Well...stuck in customs for a few days earlier in the week, the Steinhart Apollon did finally arrive. 'Strongergodzilla' did such a great job posting up excellent pics of his, which greatly helped the wait until mine finally arrived (thanks Roland!!!):-!. Initial impressions are very favorable, and the watch lives up to what one would expect from Steinhart in general, which is a piece that over-delivers for the reasonable price of entry IMO.

I really like the unique design of this one with the sandwich dial construction (matte black outer sandwich dial over BGW9 lume, with a very nice horizontal brushed grey/anthracite central portion which takes on a widely varying number of hues and looks depending on the lighting that is present), and the blue highlights on the seconds hand and dial writing seem to really fit nicely with this one. Titanium case is blasted to perfection (really gorgeous and well done). The crown design works well with the overall look of this one IMO, and is super easy to grip. Crown action is solid and screws in and out very positively.*

*It seems people want to put this one in a specific category of watch (diver, tactical etc&#8230. The bezel does not rotate on this one (which does not bother me at all)&#8230;I see a sports watch that is really beautiful in design and uniquely designed as well IMO&#8230;a bit of a 'toolish' feel due to the hex screws which allow for quickly and easily changing up the bezel and the strap. This fixed 12 hour marked bezel gives me a bit of a military feel and theme, as I don't think it needs to have a 24 hour marked bezel combined with a gmt hand (my two cents worth anyway). There is a rumored chrono version of this one expected to arrive later this year which should look very cool given the design elements of the Apollon.*

*Speaking of bezels, this one comes with three (SS, DLC, and Bronze), and the machining tolerance between each bezel and the case is ultra nice and precise. Bezels slip on and off very easily and precisely with zero slop or wiggle between the inner diameter of the bezel and the outer mounting surface to the case. Bezels exchange very quickly due to the four hex style screws that mount the bezel to the case. I decided to install the DLC bezel first, and I expect to mount up the Bronze bezel very soon after I have a chance to "pre-condition" some patina on it&#8230;it is just a bit too gold for me fresh out of the case, but I think it will look absolutely killer with some nice patina on it against that nicely blasted Ti case!!!:-!*

*The case size is 45mm diameter, and the Lug-to-Lug distance is 56mm (max inner lug distance). Due to the angular shape of the lug tips, the lug-to-lug measures 54mm at the outermost portion of the lug. I say all that to say this one wears smaller than a watch with that lug length would indicate (for reference, the lug-bar-center to lug-bar-center distance is 48mm). Steinhart states the case thickness is 17mm (which includes the slightly domed crystal - with zero distortion due to it being double domed in design)... thickness from caseback to the top of the bezel is right at 16mm according to my measurements. The watch has great wrist presence due to the substantial case dimensions, but is very well balanced on the wrist due to the titanium case material IMO.*

*The only slight negative I can think of is regarding the four raised fasteners on the dial. They somewhat confuse time reading at a quick glance due to their location on the outer portion of the dial between the regular hour markers IMO. I guess they are trying to make the dial look more sporty, but I might prefer them to be further inboard of the dial and away from the regular markers.*

*Overall though, the Apollon is a WINNER with a unique look and design, and great value for the dollar IMO. |>|>|>*

*The specs from Steinhart:*
*Case: Titanium
Movement : ETA 2824-2*

*Back: stainless steel screwed (engraved)
Diameter: 45 mm
Height: 17.0 mm
Weight: 137 g
Dial: black, matt , sandwich
Crystal: sapphire, domed, with double anti-reflecting coating on the interior side
Bezel: 1.stainless steel,2.real bronze, 3. stainless steel DLC
Indices: superluminova white , BGW9 / blue luminescent
Lug width: 24 mm screwed-in
WaterRes: 300 metres/990 feet 30 ATM 
Strap: leather calf grey vintage, 24 mm
Buckle: stainless steel pin buckle PRE-V screwed-in 24 mm*



*You guys do like pics, I think  ;-)*












*Case with bezel removed (excellent fit/tolerances)*


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## JHustwit (Sep 8, 2006)

thanks a lot!! great review. I was starting to have a bit of buyer's remorse while I wait for shipment, and was also second guessing my choice to go with such a big watch, but your review has rekindled my excitement!! Post some patina pics! I need to see the patina'd bezel!!


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## J_Hack (Dec 17, 2008)

Looks very nice, but I just can not understand why the watch is so thick.


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## MrMayface (Apr 23, 2008)

Very cool review Stew. Thanks. I would also like to see how your bronze bezel looks after you apply some patina to it. Have you decided which process you're going to use to age it?


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## strongergodzilla (Dec 23, 2010)

Awesome review and great pics Stew! Cant wait to see the patina!


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## primerak (Sep 1, 2010)

J_Hack said:


> Looks very nice, but I just can not understand why the watch is so thick.


I would guess it's partly due to the interchangeable bezel design - tall enough so you can use reasonable sized screws to secure firmly with enough clearance to the case.


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## H.Solo (May 15, 2007)

Great review and fantasic photos! I can't take my eyes of them!

Congrats on your new timepiece and wear it in good health!


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## Michael 808 (Feb 16, 2007)

Great job Stew! I too have the Apollon and have to agree about the screws on the dial, I like them but find that they can confuse the time reading ability at a glance, I think that the lume markers could be a tad larger to remedy this, other than this I find the watch to a heckuva bargain and a definate keeper...


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## stew77 (May 15, 2009)

*Thanks for all the kind words on the the new Apollon arrival, the review, and the pics...you guys are too kind!|>

I will definitely plan to post up some pics with the Bronze bezel (and patina) when I get a chance.

Michael - I agree with you on the dial screws...I am getting used to it though. Yes, larger lume markers might help, but overall that is a very minor nit with the design. I agree with you, the watch is definitely a looker, keeper, and a heck of a bargain.*


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## Tony A.H (Aug 2, 2009)

wow.
1st one Live. 
Congratulations. Great Watch, the 3 interchangeable Bezels make this Watch so Special. :-!
enjoy it.

Cheers


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## jpohl402 (Feb 8, 2012)

Great band on that one - love it !!
thiccckkkk case on her. cost??


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## Watchman69 (Sep 1, 2010)

Excellent review and pics, enjoy it !


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## FLCx413 (Jan 27, 2011)

Looking good. Definitively a watch I am thinking about purchasing down the road.


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## James_ (Sep 5, 2011)

I want this watch so much I can hardly look at it! I should have it next month.


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## James_ (Sep 5, 2011)

Ordered it on the titanium bracelet.


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## handwound (Feb 11, 2006)

That strap is gorgeous!


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## JonD (Jan 2, 2012)

Great review and pic's, i'm tempted by the apollen myself but also like the trinton duel time and the 100 atm , choices, choices


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## James_ (Sep 5, 2011)

What grade of ETA movement does it have? I think it might be the lowest grade because it doesn't state "elabore" or anything on the Steinhart site.


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## Mathytou (May 10, 2012)

Thank you for this excellent review (comments + pics); very good job!


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## tm.chen (Nov 23, 2010)

Can anyone tell me how to age the bronze bezel? I have mine for the last 5 months but it is still too "gold" for my liking.


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## Max Kool (Dec 29, 2011)

Put it a small box together with some salt and vinegar drenched cloth for one or two days.

Or google on "bronze" and "patina".


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## SRBakker (Dec 10, 2013)

I have some experiencing with adding patina to copper and bronze. There are a few easy ways.

1) As noted above, salt water or vinegar or both will give a nice dark, aged looking patina. It's slow, but more controllable. If your going for a greenish patina, this may not do it, depending on the grade of bronze used.

2) My favorite method involved blasting it with salt and water and then hanging it in a jar of ammonia ABOVE the ammonia and letting the fumes colour it. This will get a nice green tinge in a few hours. Do NOT put it IN the ammonia... Don't ask me how I know this. Suffice to say, patience is a good thing!

3). If you're brave, you can flame it with a blowtorch. I'd be hesitant to try this on something that needs to maintain a very precise shape, but it does produce a lovely, often multicoloured patina.

Try practising on scraps if you've never done this before. You can get some really nice effects. Cheers!


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## SRBakker (Dec 10, 2013)

*cough* Wow, ok. Note to self. Look at date of thread before posting. Sorry 'bout that.


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## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

SRBakker said:


> *cough* Wow, ok. Note to self. Look at date of thread before posting. Sorry 'bout that.


That's alright. We're used to gravediggers here... ;-)

As for adding patina, it's been discussed more recently in a few other threads concerning the bronze Flieger and other Steinhart models.


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## wtma (Jul 26, 2014)

Excellent review!! The lug-to-lug info is very helpful, based on the info I guess my small 6.5 wrist can handle this handsome devil, hopefully. Will place an order in the following days. Thanks.


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