Collins Auto Classic
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In my very first Melbourne Watch Company review, the Burnley Auto Classic, I pointed out that us Melburnians don’t love having our city name mispronounced, so I’m not going to on about that here (oh whoops, just did). It’s great to have another model in my hands from a watch maker based in the city we love, Melbourne.
Today I have a new watch from MWC, the Collins Auto Classic. Once again I may be in the unique position of being the only Melburnian to review the watch, which means I’m well aware of Collins Street in Melbourne. That said, the surname Collins is one of those historical names that seems to show up absolutely everywhere in Australia, much like Bourke. I won’t go into the history of the name and how it relates to English explorers, let’s just concentrate on the Melbourne financial district which is a rather pleasant area of Melbourne. |
Collins street links parliament house in the east to Southern Cross station in the west. Trams run along tram tracks in the middle and you will be able to practice the uniquely Australian hook turns should you be driving. One of my favourite buildings, the, Manchester Unity Building, is located near town hall.
There are also plenty of restaurants and pubs, and yes – quite a few fancy watch stores. Anyway, we’re here to talk wrist watches so let’s do that. I was once again asked if I wanted to borrow a Collins and write a review, but for the record, I’m returning the watch post review and nobody asked me to do anything but, share my opinion of it. Why all the nature photos? The Burnley I photographed all around Collins Street (as it happens) - time for greenery this time. |
My impressions after some time with the watch
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As per my previous MWC experience, the box is really rather nice for what is a low to mid range watch. It’s wood coloured with a cream interior.
There’s a pocket for a instruction booklet and warranty card and plenty of logos. The box is wrapped up in a thick cardboard box. I think this is a great first impression once again. Good quality without going overboard. As reviewers sometimes point out, if you are supplied a super fancy watch box for a mid range watch, then you might suspect that costs have been cut elsewhere. On the other hand, as the old saying goes, you only get one chance at a first impression and I always appreciate great packaging. |
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So let’s say hey to the Collins. Probably the first thing you’ll notice is the moon complication on the dial. This is rather unusual in this price range. It’s achieved by using the Sellita movement SW280-1 which MWC is very upfront about. It’s clearly specified in the spec sheet of what watch which I like. No smoke screens here.
While we’re at it, there’s a brilliant aspect to this moon complication and a ‘just ok’ aspect. Let’s get the 'just ok' out of the way. The moon on the complication is just a white circle. You won’t see any details on closer inspection such as craters etcetera, but honestly, that is ok in this price range. The brilliant part is a lovely print of the southern cross star constellation, which is such an essential part of the Australian identity. It’s on everything from our flags to bumper stickers. This does hold up to close inspection and it’s a beautiful detail. Particularly since generally, watch makers tend to prioritise the northern hemisphere with complications like this. I think this is a great point of difference and a smart move by MWC. If I was selling these in a shop, it’d be the first thing I’d point out. |
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Just above the 6 position we have a minimalistic cursive print outlying the model name of Collins. No more, no less. There are none of the ‘made in…’ nor other text. I’m a fan of this myself. The MWC logo is rather intricate, and we also have a date complication, a large counter balance on the seconds hand and a simple date window. With all this going on, it’s a wise move to minimise unnecessary extra details.
This further extends to the simple silver indices punctuated by a small silver dot at every 5 minute mark on the dial. The 12 o’clock position gets two silver bars. All in all, this is a well balanced and attractive dial. Protecting said dial is a domed sapphire crystal and in addition to offering the excellent scratch resistance you get from this material it’s also thick enough to give you some truly lovely distortions from certain angles. This won’t hinder you from telling the time, it’s just something you might notice as you’re typing away on your laptop. I do wonder about this approach to crystals sometimes. If this was my first watch it might have seemed to me to be almost something that couldn’t be avoided, rather than a conscious design choice. Would it make you think that you should have spent more on another model? I think it’d be a good idea to expand on this choice of crystal on the website but for the record, I love this natural effect and it’s another good feature. |
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Like the case, the bezel is polished and this is where you’ll chase finger prints and desk diving/door knock scratches for the life of the ownership. I heard a story once from a friend of a friend, whenever he bought a new car, he scratched it in a spot that is not visible just to ‘get it over with’. I understand the approach, it’s inevitable so just get it over with and let it be by your own hand. I’m not saying you should scratch your brand new watch, but you should come to terms with the fact that it is simply a question of time before your shiny bezel cops a scratch or two.
Turning the watch over and you get to view the Sellita movement through the case back. To me, the best part here is the signed and modified rotor. It’s a dark, almost royal blue with the MWC logo and it’s a tasteful decoration. |
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Surrounding the movement, there are the usual model numbers and also this is the only spot on the watch that points out its 50 metre water resistance. One small detail worth pointing out, the initial release of this variety of the Collins is limited to 50 pieces worldwide. So the watch we’ve got here is in fact numbered as such with 10/2020. Perhaps it’s 50 first, and then a total of 2020? Or maybe it’s just the year of manufacture? Either way, having an individually numbered watch is always nice for any owner.
The case itself is rounded and polished. It’s your standard dress watch approach with sloping lugs. It’s well made and pretty much what you’d expect. The signed crown is easy to grip and attractive. The bracelet complements the case well with alternating matte and polished surfaces. This makes the fact that the end links meets a polished case with its matte surface less of a concern visually. |
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Perhaps this is a good time to point out that to me, there are a lot of details that are heavily inspired by Grand Seiko. The bracelet for instance is a very similar approach visually to my Grand Seiko Snowflake. Similarly to that, the buckle on this bracelet is small with only two micro adjust points.
This may make it challenging for some to get that ideal fit. I think there are also many aspects of the dial that are inspired by GS, like the sword hands, but honestly, this is nothing to worry about since Grand Seiko makes some of the best and most beautiful watches in the world. The bracelet has a signed buckle with standard double pushers to release, which reveals solid, milled clasps that are a step above your budget bracelets. I think for the money, you’re getting a good deal here. Particularly with end links that fit perfectly with no play at all on my model. Finally, it’s worth pointing out that there is no lume on this dial. If you want to be able to tell the time in the dark, you’ll have to rely on your light catching the high polish hands or (heaven forbid), your phone. 
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Movement
Strap & Bracelet
Case
miscellaneous
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Final Words
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This is a fair bit of watch for the money. You can of course nit-pick and complain about this, that or the other, but keep in mind that at the full asking price of Australian dollars $995, it compares very well to other watches in the range. In addition to fashion watches that would perhaps not have a solid Sellita movement, it’s even hard to get a Seiko at this sort of money anymore. Also, this is not a micro brand anymore. There’s an office and showroom in Melbourne where you can go and meet the people behind the brand and if you’re geographically challenged (ie. Not in Melbourne), the website is excellent and the customer service very good.
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19 cm wrist
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If you’re looking for a dress watch in this price range, with a point of difference or two, I think you should put the Collins Auto Classic on your shortlist.
Thanks for reading, if you liked this or my other reviews, I’d be super appreciative you shared it with your watch loving friends. Cheers, Esbjorn |
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