EDMOND Pole Guardian REVIEW [non-diver]

BACKGROUND Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way with - this is not a divers watch. At the moment EDMOND Watches don't have a dedicated diver in their collection. This, the Pole Guardian, though is absolutely no slouch. It is a proper sports / adventurists watch with one or two cool tricks up its sleeve that would put more than a few dive watches to shame. If you are not yet au-fait with EDMOND Watches, please follow the link embedded, below.



DIAL This is great starting point for the Pole Guardian because it has imho one of the coolest dials I've seen in a mechanical sports watch; particularly at its price point. To start with the Pole Guardian has a really large dial aperture making it nice and visible. And, yes there is a fair amount going on, but for me, this not only puts the "clock" back in clockwork with its impressive open-work elements and show of cogs but offers something unique in a sports watch.



Let's quickly walk through all the features of this special 24hr dial. To start with we have a matte black background with 5 major elements:

1: An outer ring where all the hour markers are - these are 3D polished appliqu� with Swiss C3 lume.
2: A set of 4 cogs, three large cogs with hours: 6/18, 9/21, 12/24 (ED logo) and a small central cog. 

The large 24hr cogs are secured to the dial via a polished strut-brace - engraved with "EDMOND Pole Guardian".

3: An open-work date aperture with a large red anodized indicator above it.
4: An outer re-haut with minutes.



The dial is finished off with a set of polished wide trapezoid hands with Swiss C3 lume and a central sweeping seconds hand with a red tipped arrowhead.

The only other thing to remark about the dial is the "Swiss Made" text proudly showing at 5 and 8 o�clock .

My personal feeling for the dial is that I absolutely love it. I take enormous pleasure from simply setting the time or date and watching all the mechanisms working together - so cool!



CASE Well you can't very well have such an impressive dial without an equally impressive case within which to house it. The Pole Guardian has a generous 44mm 316L Surgical Grade Stainless steel multi-piece case. Its is also available in black PVD.



Mid-Case: This has a satin finish. Its shape is more barrel- like than square but something between the two.

Upper / Lower Case: Two additional pieces are secured to the main case with 8 hex-bolts (4 on top and 4 underneath). These pieces have a high-polished finish.



Bezel: A solid Stainless steel, perfectly round fixed bezel with a satin-finished top and sides.

Crown: Integrated into the mid-section of the case is large semi-circular crown guard with a hinge system that allows the crown to be fully and safely closed. It is opened via a
small lever at its top.



At a glance the whole crown system, the mechanism and its overall design is pretty similar to the one that Panerai use. However and this is important - it is totally different. Edmond's crown locking technology goes one step further by allowing you to completely open the guard and crown with one click. And to close is it - similarly with one push of the lever.



EDMOND Watches have spent a lot of time and effort perfecting their system and I can verify that it works beautifully but not only this, it is also rock solid!

Caseback: Screwdown Stainless steel caseback with Sapphire crystal exhibition window.



CRYSTAL The Pole Guardian is fitted with a high-quality, scratch-resistant flat Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.

LUME The hands and dial markers of the Pole Guardian have been generously applied with Swiss C3 SuperLuminova which has a green hue. I would rate the lume at "very good".

WR The Pole Guardian has a respectable 200 meters of water-resistance.



MOVEMENT The Pole Guardian is powered by a Swiss made Sellita SW200 automatic movement with: 28 800 alt/h 25 rubies, customized with the Edmond "Power Ring", and a power-reserve of 40 hrs.

The Power Ring is another EDMOND innovation: it is customized piece of additional mass that not only provides better automatic winding but adds another dimension to the winding-rotor�s design.



BRACELET The Pole Guardian comes with either an integrated: high-quality black rubber divers strap or (as shown here), really lovely full Stainless steel bracelet with combination polished and satin-finished center-links. It closes via a butterfly clasp.



LUGS The lugs hare held onto the bracelet via a set of dual lug screws. These are very sturdy and give a nice feeling of security. Of hand I can only recall REACTOR Watches who also use this set-up.



BUILD This is a superbly built and very beautifully finished watch. Everything is top-notch. A huge amount of time and effort has been spent on the watch's design and functionality. It looks good - it feels good!



PRICE You can buy the Pole Guardian online from Edmond for 2150CHF. This is unbelievable value for money. You get so much watch for your money. The Pole Guardian is a proper Swiss made watch and feels every bit as good as any Oris or Hamilton (this are pretty fair comparison brands for me).


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OVERALL This is my first non-diver review. Obviously my experience lies within the dive watch sector but I know a good watch when I see one. If you aren't exclusively into divers and want something beautiful and unique that can still stand up to the rigors of daily life and more - then please give EDMOND a go. Imho they are not nearly getting the sort exposure that they should be.

If further down the road they decided to adapt the Pole Guardian with its dial into a proper diver I'd be in touch immediately because that would be a fantastic dive watch. The Pole Guardian as it stands is a fantastic sports watch!