Jiusko Mens Multifunction Quartz Tachymeter Chronograph Silver Dress Watch - Sapphire - 24 Hr Dual Time - Alarm - Stainless Steel - Date - 108MS01

I discovered the Jiusko brand by chance when browsing watches in Amazon UK and was immediately struck by their unique individuality in a very crowded marketplace.For me, the stand-out watches are the Deep Sea Divers and Jiusko Chronograph series as they are well designed and have European appeal where so many watches of Asian origin can be overly decorative or `blingy'.After buying a Deep Sea Diver I was sufficiently impressed to order the Jiusko 108 Chronograph with white face. I had a Seiko Chronograph Sports in the 1990's which succumbed to salt water corrosion when I went swimming and left the crown open, the Jiusko 108 seemed theperfect replacement as I missed the Seiko and wanted something a little different from the herd but offered a similar specification.The Jiusko 108 Chronograph is an well designed watch which comes in three different colours, all are very stylish and exude an under stated elegance, often lacking in watches of this type, and has styling cues reminiscent of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. Not mimicking but developing its own style. I was torn between the beautiful rose gold accented style and this one, the white face model. I decided on the latter as it is less `dressy'.The watch comes in a pelican type waterproof box which enhances the feeling of quality in the Jiusko brand.The box contains a quality leatherette and stainless steel credit card case with guarantee and instruction manual, there is also a smart cleaning cloth. The manual is generic to all their watches, at time of writing the information on this specific watch needs to be more detailed.After unwrapping the protective plastic film I resized the bracelet for my 71/2 inch wrist, I had to take one link out, my Deep Sea Diver had to have two links taken out so somebody with a larger wrist could well have problems here.Once on my wrist I was immediately struck by the lightness and comfort of the bracelet, it is highly polished and the deployment is secure. Perhaps not as high a quality as a Seiko but it certainly doesn't feel cheap and tinny. I like the laser etched Jiusko logo on the clasp, small details perhaps but they add up.The face is a joy, clear and uncluttered, as much as a chronograph can be. I did think the lovely sword hands might be a little lost in all that whiteness but in practice it is not a problem.Possibly the lume could be sacrificed and have solid silver hands as lume is not essential on this type of watch and in any case the lume is not that bright when compared to some of the other manufacturers offerings.The hands are amongst the best I have seen in this type of watch, restrained, classic design. I particularly like the blue chronograph hands and the simple tachymeter scale, classy. In fact, my wife commented on how distinctive and elegant it looks, especially compared to the brutalist Deep Sea Diver. It certainly has a sophistication that would look great at work or at leisure where the Diver is more butch and workmanlike. Horses for courses as they say!The screw-in crown is protected by a crown guard and the push buttons have a very firm action requiring a positive push to actuate, this is fine as it stops accidental activation. The screw in crown I found fiddly to turn (the guards are the same thickness) and a little slippy when trying to screw it down where the crown diameter is not as big and easy to use as say a Rolex Daytona.The end links are solid and add to the feeling of quality, just like my Deep Sea Divers though these links do not appear to be laser welded.The movement is a Seiko Epson Caliber YM64A, a dependable workhorse and one that works very well. The sweep chronograph second hand moves in 1/5 second increments and should you need to fine tune adjust to line up at 12 o'clock, you have the facility to do it, I didn't need to.There is a 24hr dial which you need to synchronise with the main watch, a running second hand that hacks when setting the time, a 60min timer, a tachymeter scale around the fixed bezel, and a separate alarm at the 6 o'clock position. This alarm can be used as another time zone, very useful for travellers. The alarm is a quite high pitched single pulsed tone and easily cancelled with a push of a button, it continues for 20 secs before turning itself off. This is a useful function to remind you of an important event though it is not loud enough to wake me up and is discreet enough not to be a problem in meetings or in quiet public places.Everything functions as it should and it represents good value for the features it has together with classic design, good engineering, sapphire crystal, and relative exclusivity. The Jiusko brand is new to the UK but with its exciting model line up, distinctive styling and value for money it shouldn't be long before the word gets out and people like me take that leap of faith and break with the established brands.The bottom line is, given the choice, would I buy the Jiusko 108 Chronograph again and would I buy a different model for myself, family or friends. Well, as somebody that collects and appreciates watches from Citizen to Rolex, the answer has to be yes.At this price point (£289), I believe this brand is one to watch. The sports chronograph models with a silicone strap in a selection of colours are very tempting, mind you, so is the JIUSKO Deep Sea Black Silicone Dive Watch, then there is the Ltd Edition Tourbillon. Decisions,decisions...........!