Joined
·
1,125 Posts
REVIEW: The Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius>>>>>>>
<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: facebook_likebutton -->
<like href="https://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/content.php?r=16-REVIEW-The-M%C3%83%C2%BChle-Glash%C3%83%C2%BCtte-Mercurius&s=4fb5b2e6b41e42da61050094df35ab8b" font="tahoma" layout="standard" show_faces="false" width="300" action="like" colorscheme="light" data-share="true"></like><!-- END TEMPLATE: facebook_likebutton -->
by <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: memberaction_dropdown -->
JBHII
<!-- END TEMPLATE: memberaction_dropdown -->
Published on 01-25-2010 05:56 AM
Number of Views: 6330
Review of the Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius
By: John B. Holbrook, II
1/25/10
![Watch Analog watch Silver Clock Everyday carry]()
Last week, I got to show you one of Mühle-Glashütte's dressier selections in their catalog with the Teutonia II Kleine Sekunde. This week, we've got another dress watch in the Mühle-Glashütte line up - the Mercurius. Where the Teutonia II is a large diameter, traditional Saxony time piece, the Mercurius is an entry-level piece for Mühle-Glashütte and is a dress watch with more classical sensibilities.
The Mercurius has a case size of 38.5mm - An absolutely perfect size as far as I'm concerned for a dress watch. Most watch enthusiasts feel a true dress watch should have a case size under 40mm, and the Mercurius definitely fits this bill. However, if you're used to wearing a 40mm+ sized sport watch, the size of the Mercurius won't seem jarringly small by comparison. The case has a blend of brushed as well as polished (the bezel) finishes, and has a 100m water resistance rating.
![Watch Analog watch Rectangle Clock Watch accessory]()
The dial of the Mercurius is blue, and features a mixture of polished applied indices, and Roman numeral hour markers. The matching hands feature SuperLuminova elements to give the dial some modest visibility in low light situations - a nice feature many dress watches don't incorporate.
Blue can be a funny color on a watch dial - it's been my experience that blue watch dials can look very different depending on the angle and lighting, and the Mercurius is no exception. In the first photo above, the watch dial appears to have a deep royal blue dial, while the 2nd photo appears much lighter, and brings out the almost two-tone properties of the dial. In most lighting situations, you'll find the dial looks fairly in between these two photos. But it's a lovely, captivating dial, and it's protected by a sapphire crystal.
![Watch Analog watch Product Clock Natural material]()
Between the case lugs of the Mercurius we find a lovely brown "reptile skin" strap (as it is described in the Mühle-Glashütte catalog) - I'm guessing it's alligator skin. With the Mercurius being an entry-level price point piece for Mühle-Glashütte, I fully expected the strap to be, at best, a cowhide strap, so the fact that they offer a high quality exotic skin strap on a watch at this price point was quite shocking to me. Neither did Mühle-Glashütte skimp on the stainless steel deployant clasp - it would have been easy for them to just offer a simple tang and buckle on this watch, but instead it has the same deployant clasp I've seen on several other more expensive Mühle-Glashütte models.
![Watch Analog watch Silver Watch accessory Clock]()
Turning to the backside of the Mercurius, we find the watch has a mineral glass display back for viewing the modified and decorated ETA 2824 movement used in the Mercurius. The ETA 2824 is the work horse of the Swiss watch industry and used by more manufacturers than I can count, and usually in watches with a more entry level, near luxury price point. The ETA 2824 is a 25 jewel self-winding mechanical movement with a balance wheel which oscillates at a speed of 28,800 beats per hour and has a power reserve of about 40 hours. Mühle-Glashütte's does install some custom components on this movement which they manufacture, including blued screws, a custom "woodpecker" style regulator, and of course, the custom signature winding rotor.
![Watch Analog watch Silver Watch accessory Clock]()
All Mühle-Glashütte's movements are adjusted for accuracy in 6 positions, and always leave the factory running fast anywhere between 0 to +8 seconds per day. I monitored the accuracy of the of the Mercurius on my Orbita Mechanical Watch Tester and noted very little variance from +0, meaning the watch was holding near perfect accuracy. The results are a true testament to what can be achieved using the basic ETA 2824 when a manufacturer doesn't simply order a fully assembled movement from ETA, and just slap it into the watch case. The attention paid to this movement by Mühle-Glashütte's watchmakers is what makes the difference.
![Watch Rectangle Electronic component Gadget Circuit component]()
For an entry-level time piece, the Mercurius will surprise you in the areas where quality isn't compromised. Where some companies would use a cheaper cow hide strap, Mühle-Glashütte uses a reptile skin strap. And while this watch uses a simple ETA 2824 as the base caliber, the enhancements and embellishments to the movement Mühle-Glashütte performs yield surprising results. Inside and out, the Mercurius is an extremely impressive, attractive time piece. I expected this entry-level dress watch to feel small and "cheap." Much to my delight, this watch doesn't wear small, nor does it feel compromised or "cheap" in any way. In fact, the movement holds far more horological interest for me than do other more expensive watches which use the same base caliber, thanks to Mühle-Glashütte's craftsmanship. At a retail price of just $1299.00, the Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius is an easy watch to recommend.
**Photos & Text Copyright 2010 WATCH TALK FORUMS INC.. No part of this report can be reproduced outside of WATCH TALK FORUMS without the expressed permission of John B. Holbrook, II.
This article was originally published in forum thread:
REVIEW: The Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius>>>>>>>
started by
JBHII
View original post
<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: facebook_likebutton -->
<like href="https://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/content.php?r=16-REVIEW-The-M%C3%83%C2%BChle-Glash%C3%83%C2%BCtte-Mercurius&s=4fb5b2e6b41e42da61050094df35ab8b" font="tahoma" layout="standard" show_faces="false" width="300" action="like" colorscheme="light" data-share="true"></like><!-- END TEMPLATE: facebook_likebutton -->
by <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: memberaction_dropdown -->
JBHII
<!-- END TEMPLATE: memberaction_dropdown -->
Published on 01-25-2010 05:56 AM
Number of Views: 6330
Review of the Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius
By: John B. Holbrook, II
1/25/10
Last week, I got to show you one of Mühle-Glashütte's dressier selections in their catalog with the Teutonia II Kleine Sekunde. This week, we've got another dress watch in the Mühle-Glashütte line up - the Mercurius. Where the Teutonia II is a large diameter, traditional Saxony time piece, the Mercurius is an entry-level piece for Mühle-Glashütte and is a dress watch with more classical sensibilities.
The Mercurius has a case size of 38.5mm - An absolutely perfect size as far as I'm concerned for a dress watch. Most watch enthusiasts feel a true dress watch should have a case size under 40mm, and the Mercurius definitely fits this bill. However, if you're used to wearing a 40mm+ sized sport watch, the size of the Mercurius won't seem jarringly small by comparison. The case has a blend of brushed as well as polished (the bezel) finishes, and has a 100m water resistance rating.
The dial of the Mercurius is blue, and features a mixture of polished applied indices, and Roman numeral hour markers. The matching hands feature SuperLuminova elements to give the dial some modest visibility in low light situations - a nice feature many dress watches don't incorporate.
Blue can be a funny color on a watch dial - it's been my experience that blue watch dials can look very different depending on the angle and lighting, and the Mercurius is no exception. In the first photo above, the watch dial appears to have a deep royal blue dial, while the 2nd photo appears much lighter, and brings out the almost two-tone properties of the dial. In most lighting situations, you'll find the dial looks fairly in between these two photos. But it's a lovely, captivating dial, and it's protected by a sapphire crystal.
Between the case lugs of the Mercurius we find a lovely brown "reptile skin" strap (as it is described in the Mühle-Glashütte catalog) - I'm guessing it's alligator skin. With the Mercurius being an entry-level price point piece for Mühle-Glashütte, I fully expected the strap to be, at best, a cowhide strap, so the fact that they offer a high quality exotic skin strap on a watch at this price point was quite shocking to me. Neither did Mühle-Glashütte skimp on the stainless steel deployant clasp - it would have been easy for them to just offer a simple tang and buckle on this watch, but instead it has the same deployant clasp I've seen on several other more expensive Mühle-Glashütte models.
Turning to the backside of the Mercurius, we find the watch has a mineral glass display back for viewing the modified and decorated ETA 2824 movement used in the Mercurius. The ETA 2824 is the work horse of the Swiss watch industry and used by more manufacturers than I can count, and usually in watches with a more entry level, near luxury price point. The ETA 2824 is a 25 jewel self-winding mechanical movement with a balance wheel which oscillates at a speed of 28,800 beats per hour and has a power reserve of about 40 hours. Mühle-Glashütte's does install some custom components on this movement which they manufacture, including blued screws, a custom "woodpecker" style regulator, and of course, the custom signature winding rotor.
All Mühle-Glashütte's movements are adjusted for accuracy in 6 positions, and always leave the factory running fast anywhere between 0 to +8 seconds per day. I monitored the accuracy of the of the Mercurius on my Orbita Mechanical Watch Tester and noted very little variance from +0, meaning the watch was holding near perfect accuracy. The results are a true testament to what can be achieved using the basic ETA 2824 when a manufacturer doesn't simply order a fully assembled movement from ETA, and just slap it into the watch case. The attention paid to this movement by Mühle-Glashütte's watchmakers is what makes the difference.
For an entry-level time piece, the Mercurius will surprise you in the areas where quality isn't compromised. Where some companies would use a cheaper cow hide strap, Mühle-Glashütte uses a reptile skin strap. And while this watch uses a simple ETA 2824 as the base caliber, the enhancements and embellishments to the movement Mühle-Glashütte performs yield surprising results. Inside and out, the Mercurius is an extremely impressive, attractive time piece. I expected this entry-level dress watch to feel small and "cheap." Much to my delight, this watch doesn't wear small, nor does it feel compromised or "cheap" in any way. In fact, the movement holds far more horological interest for me than do other more expensive watches which use the same base caliber, thanks to Mühle-Glashütte's craftsmanship. At a retail price of just $1299.00, the Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius is an easy watch to recommend.
**Photos & Text Copyright 2010 WATCH TALK FORUMS INC.. No part of this report can be reproduced outside of WATCH TALK FORUMS without the expressed permission of John B. Holbrook, II.
- Share
- Share this post on
-
Digg
-
Del.icio.us
-
Technorati
-
- Share this post on
This article was originally published in forum thread:
REVIEW: The Mühle-Glashütte Mercurius>>>>>>>
started by
JBHII
View original post
- Categories:
- Mühle-Glashütte
