watch review_ prometheus recon 5 – a modern interpretation of the pilot watch _ chronometry

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Watch Review: Prometheus Recon 5 – a modern interpretation of the pilot watchPosted on July 13, 2010 by Danny Tam

Background

Prometheus Watch Company , a boutique manufacturer based in Portugal, was founded by Carlos Carvalho in

2008. Mr. Carvalho is a watch enthusiast who decided to turn his passion into a business venture, much to our

delight. In Greek mythology Prometheus was the Titan who brought mankind out of the stone age by stealing

fire from the Greek Gods and giving it to us mortals. Similarly Prometheus, the watch company, has used its

diligence and ingenuity to design, engineer and build Swiss made watches of uncompromising quality and

made it available to the market at very affordable price levels. Mr. Carvalho has brought Swiss made watches

out of the realms of the Horological Gods and placed them within reach of us everyday watch enthusiasts.

Prometheus watches are made in the Swiss Jura mountains, the traditional home of the Swiss watch making

industry. Being based in Portugal, Mr. Carvalho uses the internet to communicate with his Swiss suppliers and

manufacturers. He also utilizes web based forum technology to constantly communicate with his customers,

soliciting valuable input and feedback to improve on Prometheus’s product offering. In fact the successful

Ocean Diver collection is a direct result of a design competition sponsored by Prometheus on Watchuseek

Forum. It is this unique blend of savvy internet marketing and fiery passion that has differentiated Mr.

Carvalho’s Prometheus brand from the many other small independent watch brands which have sprung up inthe past few years. Prometheus watches are truly designed by collectors for collectors.

Prometheus Recon 5

The Recon 5 is the latest collection from Prometheus. It is described as a modern interpretation of the ever

popular fliegeruhr or pilot watch. True to its aviator roots, the name Recon 5 was chosen to pay tribute to the

5th Reconnaissance Squadron of the US Air Force.

ChronometryIt's a bout time……. pieces.

27/12/2010 Watch Review: Prometheus Recon 5 – a …

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A close up of the watch emphasizing the clean look of the dial.

The Recon 5 is a modern pilot watch, clearly inspired by aviation history. It has a minimalist dial design, one

which emphasizes legibility. Reflecting the trend in large sized watches, the Recon 5 measures 44mm in

diameter without crown. The large diamond sized crown easily adds another 6mm to its dimensions. As the

Recon 5 is a manual wind watch, the oversized crown is a real plus in facilitating watch winding by hand.

Watch specifications (Taken from Prometheus Web Site):

1. Case diameter: 44 mm

2. Case height: 10.5 mm

3. Super Luminous dial and hands

4. 2 Years Warranty

5. Sapphire Crystal on dial and case back

6. Swiss Made





7. Brown Leather Strap

Movement

The engine behind the Recon 5 is the venerable Unitas 6497-1, one the most popular and reliable manual wind

calibers in the market. The 6497-1 can be found in many prestigious Swiss watches, such as the Panerai

Historical Base models, costing multiples of the price of the Recon 5.

Unitas 6497-1 Specifications:

1. Brand:ETA

2. Model: Caliber Unitas 6497-1

3. Description: Mechanical movement with lever escapement, manual winding

4. 18000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz)

5. 16 1/2 ligne

6. 17 jewels

7. Diameter: 36.60 mm

8. Thickness: 4.50 mm9. Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds

10. Index assembly: ETACHRON with fine rating adjustment

11. Power reserve: 46 hours

The Unitas 6497, originally a pocket watch caliber, has been successfully adapted for use in mechanical wrist

watches, particularly in large sized models. It has an excellent reputation as a reliable workhorse movement,

and can be found ticking away in many quality wrist watches, including the Panerai Historical Base models

and the Sinn Regulateur 6100.

As the photos below show, the movement finishing in the Recon 5 is nicely done. The plates and bridges are

decorated with Geneva waves or Cote de Geneve decoration. Blued screws are used in the movement,

enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal.





A close up of the display back showing the elegantly finished Unitas 6497-1 movement.





A close up of the balance cock and the Incabloc shock protection mechanism.

A close up of the winding wheels with blued screws.

Case

The Recon 5′s watch case is 44mm in diameter and 10.5mm thick. Lug end to lug end the watch measures

approximately 51mm. It is made of surgical stainless steel (SS316L) with a matt brushed finish. The screwed-

in case back comes with a display crystal which gives a clear view of the Unitas 6497-1 movement. The watch is

rated to 5 ATM water resistance.

Frontal view of the watch face.





Recon 5 inside its travelling watch case.

Crystals

The Recon 5 is equipped with scratch resistant sapphire crystals on both front and back. Sapphire crystals arenormally found only on higher grade watches and are much more durable than the lower cost mineral glass.

Also a common way for the watch manufacturer to reduce cost is to provide mineral glass for the display back.

Credit must be given to Prometheus for providing full sapphire sandwich crystals for the Recon 5. Although the

sapphire crystals are without AR coating it is hardly unreasonable given the Recon 5’s value proposition.

Dial & Hands

The Recon 5’s large minimalist dial is matt black and legibly printed with arabic numeral hour markers (less

the numbers 12 and 9). At the edge of the dial is a border ring lined with minute markers. At the twelve o’clock

position is printed a large luminous triangle, clearly depicting the military lineage of the watch. The subsidiary

seconds dial is placed at the nine o’clock position, neatly positioned between the 8 and 10 o’clock markers. It is

definitely a plus point that the size of the subsidiary seconds dial is correctly proportioned so as to leave the

two adjacent hourly markers unscathed.





Recon 5 with its minimalist dial design.

Above the six o’clock marker is printed the name “Recon 5” and below the same marker, at the edge of the dial,

is the finely printed “Swiss Made” label – clearly certifying the watches to have been made in Switzerland . The

hour, minute and seconds hands are sword shaped in traditional military style. The hands and indices are all

coated in Super Luminous material, providing the dial with exceptional legibility during low light conditions.





Lume shot of the Recon 5.





Aviator style sword hands of the Recon 5.

Crown

The Recon 5 is equipped with a large diamond shape crown, following its aviator theme. Traditionally pilot

watches are provided with these large diamond shaped crowns to allow hand winding with gloved hands. The

unsigned crown is non screw down type and is nicely knurled. A common problem with these large diamond

shaped crowns is the sharp edges poking against one’s wrist. Prometheus’s solution is to smooth out the sharp

edges on the crown. This alleviates the irritation, even if one wears the watch all the way down the wrist.

Large diamond shape crown on the Recon 5.

Strap

The Recon 5 comes with a brown leather strap with white contrast stitching. The buckle is the tang type and issigned with the label “PWC” which stands for Prometheus Watch Company.

Signed polished buckle.





Lugs

The lugs curve gently down from the watch case and are brush finished with no sharp edges. The lug width

accommodate 22mm size straps which are attached using screwed bars.

Recon 5 comes with threaded lug bars to facilitate strap change.

Packaging and Warranty

The Recon 5 comes delivered in a neat simulated leather case which also serves as a travelling watch case. The

watch is guaranteed for 2 years against manufacturer’s defects. The 2 year warranty is testament to

Prometheus’s faith in the quality of its products.

Prometheus logo on the watch case. Note the flame symbol.





Watch case secured with elastic strap.

Watch instruction manual and warranty certificate.

Conclusion

Swiss Made – symbol of quality watches.

The Recon 5 is the latest member of the Prometheus watch family and it has inherited the important qualities

which we have come to expect from Prometheus, namely excellent quality at a very reasonable price point.

Anyone shopping for a good quality (Swiss made) and affordable flieger style watch need look no further than





the Prometheus Recon 5.

Resources:

i) Prometheus Watch Company website

ii) Official Prometheus Watch Forum

iii) Prometheus Watch Review at ABlogtoRead

iv) Interview with Carlos Carvalho

This entry was posted in Watch Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.

12 Responses to Watch Review: Prometheus Recon 5 – a modern interpretation of the pilot watch

duniajam says:

July 13, 2010 at 11:01 pm

Nice review bro. A good looking watch & good shot man!

Reply

Danny Ta m says:

July 14, 2010 at 12:03 am

Thanks duniajam. Glad you like it.

Reply

AV De Jesus I I says:

July 27, 2010 at 11:29 am

Glad to have discovered y our site…plus the fact that you’ve featured my dream watch! I love this Recon 5 Prometheus

model. I don’t have one yet..but I’d always like to think that I’m going to get it soon:)

Reply

Danny Ta m says:

July 27, 2010 at 10:12 pm

Glad you dropped by the blog. The Prometheus Recon 5 is a great timepiece. Excellent value for money. What are you

waiting for?

Reply

Simon Gray says:

September 13, 2010 at 10:39 pm

Really good review , great shots of the watch .

Very enjoyable .

Reply

Danny Ta m says:September 14, 2010 at 12:18 am

Thanks Simon. Glad you like the rev iew.

Reply



watch review_ prometheus recon 5 – a modern interpretation of the pilot watch _ chronometry

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