Customer Reviews

Smith & Wesson Men's SWW-12T-N Soldier Tritium H3 Black Nylon Strap Watch

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Update: I replaced the nylon webbing band about two weeks ago and have not had a single problem. The new solid plastic band I have on it was about $10 at a local watch shop. I am very tempted to increase my rating from 4 to 5 stars but since I had to modify it from it's original state I guess I'll leave it as it is. Still not a single scratch on the crystal...

THINGS I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS WATCH:

The styling of the face is not too cluttered
The face has markings for 24 hour "military" time
The tritium works great
The crystal is nice and hard and is slightly recessed from the bezel


THINGS I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT IT:

As another reviewer mentioned the pins that hold the band on, pop out of place when the watch is bumped the wrong way.

The band is designed with a small flap that I guess is supposed to keep the rectangular metal ring on the top side of the watch from contacting your skin. I'm not sure why that would be important but the side effect of the "flap" is that it effectively limits the size of wrist it will fit. If you have wrists smaller than mine you may want to cut the "flap" off or replace the band. My wrists measure about 7 in. (18 cm) around.

Also, the band is designed so the the bits that attach to the case are longer than the corresponding length that sits next to the wrist. Meaning, when you hold the band straight there is a 5/8 in. (1.5 cm) gap between the back of the case and the inner section of the band. I understand the need for a small variance but the effect it produces is that any swift motion causes it to feel like the case is flailing around on the outside of your arm. Frequently causing me to think that one of the pins has popped out of place again.

The face of the watch is a little bit bigger than I expected. Not really a bad thing except when coupled with the aforementioned proclivity for becoming detached from the band.

I wear the watch to work. Where, I have to change rubber gloves on an extremely frequent basis. Often the crown will get caught on the cuff of the gloves as I am removing them, causing the watch to stop. I have had to get myself into the habit of pulling the glove over top of the watch to avoid this happening. This problem could also be dealt with by wearing the watch on the palm side of the hand but when I tried that, the pins popped out even more frequently.

The date window is very small and recessed making it difficult to read.


In summery, the timepiece is really quite nice and seems super durable but the nylon band leaves a lot to be desired. I will most likely be replacing it with a plastic one with the hope that the rigidity of the plastic will keep the pins from getting pulled out so easily and a better fit may be achieved.

I agree with the previous reviewer. For the money it's a great watch. I have 2 Luminox and I would have to say this watch is just as bright even though the Tritium is not at all the numbers as on the Luminox. I found a better price on the Web but even at this advertised price it's a great buy. These watches are great for those of us that wear glasses and need an analog watch to see the time, especially in the dark, when you are not wearing them.

I was in the market for a new tritium watch several months ago but didn't want to break the bank. This is definitely a good value for the money but there are a two complaints I have about it. First is the tritium vials. I don't know if it was my specific watch, but the vials I got were a bit dim. You can still see them in the dark fairly well, but I figured they would be brighter. The only other complaint I have is with the metal spring/piece that holds the band to the actual watch. I've been digging out for stuff under seats/logs/whatever and caught the edge of the watch and had one side of the band come off. Stronger springs would remedy this issue. Other than that, it is a good value for the money and has held up very well considering I'm very hard on the things I own.

I love this watch; the only problem I have with it is a problem I personally often have with watches -- I have a pretty skinny wrist, and even though this band is nylon & velcro, it still doesn't work for me very well. I'm going to replace it with a plastic band I can cut to fit (like I do when I get a Casio digital watch). The watch itself is great -- easy to read numbers and looks really cool. One other minor issue -- the instructions only talk about how to set the time & date; there's no info about the battery.