The Melbooorne Watch Company
I’ve lived in Melbourne since the late 90’s and one thing that us Melbournians are keen to point out to visitors is that it’s pronounced Mel-burn, not Mel-boooorne. The success of the Melbourne Watch Company (MWC from now) has brought this to life once again. There are many YouTubers & watch dealers out there guilty of this heinous mispronunciation crime. But I’m not intending to go on about the many reasons as to why Melbourne is one of the world’s best cities here, let’s talk about the watch company shall we?
I’m not a religious person but it’s mentioned in some scripture that ‘no prophet is accepted in his home town’. There’s a lot of truth in that. I often think of every strong & influential woman or man in our world and how there is likely someone that still remembers changing their nappies and telling them to go to bed on time. Is MWC a bit of a victim of this? I tend to think so. It’s far easier to find videos and reviews from international reviewers, often very complimentary, on any of their releases than it is to find enthusiastic Australian reviews. |
This is a shame since they have released a number of interesting watches. All are competitively priced, automatic and mostly on the dressier side. Personally, I’ve waited for the release that would really speak to me and it’s here. The Burnley Auto Classic.
First, a word on the name. MWC name all their watches after locations in or near Melbourne. Burnley is a suburb near Richmond, an affluent area with loads of bars and cafes. Whilst Burnley is an attractive suburb, it’s impossible not to associate it with a 3.4 km long tunnel (the Burnley Tunnel) that was completed in 2000 and built to connect traffic east/west of Melbourne. Often the cause of extreme frustration since peak periods can mean you're stuck in said tunnel for an infuriatingly long amount of time (sometimes when feeling extra sadistic, they close a lane in busy times). I think it’s safe to say that the name will not have positive connotations to many of us locals. Never mind that, on to the watch! |
My impressions wearing the watch.
This is a very elegant watch and it starts with the packaging. The effort that’s gone into the packaging is absolutely exemplary. A branded, black cardboard box and inside a wood like box that feels very solid. The watch is safely mounted to a cushion, with the usual hang tag attached. Within the lid of the box, we have a colour brochure that is specific to the Burnley with pictures of the MWC office, and more printed & embossed logos. Reminder, this is an AUD850 watch, not a $8000 Swiss watch. This is way better than anything I’ve had anywhere near this price range. Well done.
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Next, the watch itself. This is a classic design language that we’ve seen out of Switzerland. An angular watch case with a round bezel & integrated bracelet. Putting it on, the proportions are perfect, particularly since it’s such a thin watch at only 10mm. This absolutely adds to the desired effect of elegance and it’s achieved by using one of the better Miyota movements (more later).
This is one of the first watches I’ve experienced where I feel like it could easily be worn by my wife also. Sure, at a 42mm diameter it would still be on the larger side but the slimness makes up for it. You don’t feel like you’re walking around with a weight attached to your wrist. We’ve got a flat crystal that appears to be treated with an anti-reflective coating since it has the trademark blue-ish colour shade when viewed on an angle. The crystal protrudes ever so slightly from the case, you can feel the edge with your fingertip. Unlike other watches, the crystal here is not a feature of the Burnley. It’s there to cover the dial and it does a reasonable job at eliminating reflections. End of crystal story. |
The dial however is much more interesting! This model is available in green, blue, black and finally the ‘classic’ which is what I am writing about here. It’s a light metallic grey, almost white with a few features that are unique to this colour, being blued hands and a grain like dial texture.
I like the grain, it’s a metallic almost stripy grain that adds some depth to what may have been a slightly too bright combination of the metal bracelet and stark white. This won’t blind you at the wrong angle. Going with blued hands here was the right decision, it adds some colour and fun to the overall look. I’m guessing that at this price point, it’s a painted blue and not heat treated and that’s fine in my opinion. One of the signatures of MWC is the large ‘M’ counterweight to the seconds hand. This could be a divisive little feature. Everyone I’ve shown it to has liked it, and it’s quite cool to have the ‘M’ reflected on the dial in the right light. It is very prominent though so you want to be all in with the brand to not have this become TOO prominent over time, if you know what I mean. The logo & Burnley Automatic is printed on the dial, subtle but nicely done. We have applied indices at every 5 min interval with slightly thicker ones at 12,3,6,9. Finally a silver framed date window. I’ve noticed that the date numbers go all the way to the very edge of that date window. Perhaps a little too close if I was to nitpick. |
Unlike many dress watches, there is lume. I question whether they should have bothered. It’s weak at best and barely visible at worst. It’s also an area where you can see the odd flaw. Busting out the loupe, you can tell that the lume on the 6 o’clock is not centred and is tad uneven. I want to be very clear here. No normal person would do this and it’s only visible under extreme magnification. I would have been totally ok with lume on the hands only, or not at all. But I know people that do not buy dress watches due to no lume. So my opinion, is just that.
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The crown is signed, in fact embossed, with the M logo. That part of the logo is quite intricate so the fact that they have embossed all the details in the crown is so good to see. There are Seikos at double the price here where all you get is a blank reflective surface. It’s also grippy and easy to wind despite the crownguards.
Turning the watch over we get a good look at the Miyota 9015 movement. Friends in the know sometimes turn up their nose at Miyota. There have been some odd stuttering issues with some of the Miyota movements but this has all been fixed in the 9015 and there’s no reason to complain here. The customer rotor is salmon coloured, signed with the M logo and Automatic + 24 Jewels. I don’t love the colour choice myself but I’m sure plenty others would. You can hear the rotor spin if you hold it close to your ear but I would never call this a noisy rotor, this sometimes comes up with Miyota movements. |
The bracelet, this is often where watches that are NOT in the thousands of dollars fail. Not so here. It’s an integrated bracelet, so it would be difficult at the very least to find another bracelet if you don’t like it.
Good news though, there is no reason to change this bracelet. It feels very solid and the H links suit the overall watch design perfectly. Normally, I don’t love scissor clasps but it is the right choice here. I don’t think it’d make sense to have a fat clasp when the watch case is so thin. I’m also wearing the watch whilst typing this and in no way is it uncomfortably banging against the desk. Removing links to make it fit (which you will need to, it seems to have enough links to fit a silverback gorilla) reveals the presence of screw links. They are not easy to remove so I took mine to get adjusted to ensure no scratches. Since this is the sort of thing you’d probably only do once, peace of mind that the other screwed in links will stay put, is great. It’s an all brushed finish which should hold up well to desk diving and whatever else one may accidentally slam the wrist into. I’m not a ‘bracelet guy’ but I really like this. One small thing, there is no ‘on the fly’ adjustment so if you have one of these wrists that change thickness significantly with the weather, you might want to adjust it to wear loose. |
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Final Words
The Melbourne Watch Company makes excellent watches for the money, this is an accepted fact. They now also have a watch that will attract those of us with tastes that have leaned more towards other corners of the world. This is a very elegant watch at excellent value for money. It’s a nicely adapted design that has drawn interest from my watch friends from the most Rolexy / AP /A.Lange of camps. It has one of Miyota’s best movement in it. Yes you can hear that rotor move if you put the watch up to your ear but you know what. You’ll be able to hear component in almost any mechanical device if you’re close enough.
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The watch case is so skinny that it’s allowed the perfect combination of thinness and that lovely sweep of the seconds hand that you only get on an automatic watch.
There is no reason for Melburnians to not be proud of this local brand’s effort. We have very few watch makers in Australia and we should look after the ones we have. Doing the sums, I could buy 48 of these watches or one second hand AP Royal Oak. That’s one for every family member on both sides and quite a few friends, perhaps even a neighbour or two. Perspective can be a beautiful thing. Go buy your Burnley Automatic now. But stay clear of that stupid tunnel in rush hour. |
The Melbourne Watch Company kindly sent this watch to me to review. It's not paid for, my opinions are my own and the watch will be returned.
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