Daniel Gorman Mars Ball Bearing Watch

Disclaimer: I received this watch free from the manufacturer in exchange for this review. I will review this watch the same as I would approach any other piece in my collection; the review below is not influenced by the manufacturer and represents my honest assessment of the watch.

When I think about attributes that describe my tastes, “traditional” is not one I would not think is very apt - and yet, the vast majority of my collection is good, old fashioned three handed watches. The display of time on the face of a watch can take many forms - jump hour watches seem to be increasing in popularity, and some companies, such as Mr. Jones Watches, have carved out niches for themselves with their whimsical representations of time telling. Whimsy. That is a word that suits me far more than traditional, so clearly the contents of my watch box were in need of some adjustment. 

As fates would have it, I was able to connect with Daniel Gorman Watches, who had some very interesting watches they were in need of reviewing. Daniel Gorman Watches, aka Shenzhen Gorman Trading Company was founded in 2016 and offers an absolutely dizzying amount of watches ranging from quartz fashion pieces to high end skeletonized automatics. The watch in need of reviewing was part of Daniel Gorman’s new “Gravity Series” line - they all feature a futuristic, space/sci-fi design and displayed the time with magnetic balls or rotating discs.

Off the bat, The “Mars” watch from the Daniel Gorman Gravity Series is completely unlike any other watch in my collection. I don't mean this in a “Oh, this watch is dressy and all of my other watches are rugged tool watches” way - this watch looks utterly alien next to anything else in my collection.  I suppose that is by design, as the whole watch oozes space exploration vibes. Time is told on this watch with the minutes being displayed on the window on the inside of the watch face, while the hours are denoted by the magnetic ball on the outer ring. The hour track is open to air, so the magnetic ball can be fidgeted with. It's definitely satisfying to give it a good flick, see it fly around the face of the watch, and then snap into place at the correct time. The watch has a gunmetal finish which is accented by pops of orange. In the middle of what could be called the dial here is a glass orb that resembles Mars - a really cool touch that emphasizes the space exploration and galactic feel of the watch.

By the numbers, the watch is 43mm in diameter, has a lug to lug of 52mm, and is 12mm thick. The case is copper with a stainless steel case back, and has 5 ATM water resistance. The watch is powered by a quartz VX32E movement which I will admit I am completely unfamiliar with, but it does its job silently with no hitches. The hour track and minute wheel are lumed but it isn't particularly strong. The design of the minute wheel prevents light exposure to the entire disc, so after 15 minutes has passed the freshly revealed section will have no glow. Glow-all-night lume is always my preference, but in this instance it's more of a nitpick and isn't critical to the overall design impact of the watch.

The watch wears much smaller than the numbers would suggest - the angling and faceting of the case combined with the way the lugs sweep down and hug the wrist make the watch feel planted on the wrist. The case of the watch has a strong 90’s science fiction spaceship aesthetic, and the octagonal bezel that caps the watch gives the watch some subtle royal oak vibes that ties the whole piece together cohesively. The strap is a textured grey silicone strap with bead blasted hardware that matches the case. I like the strap - it feels very “space navy uniform” to me.

Telling time on the Daniel Gorman Mars watch is a very different experience than a traditional three handed watch. Instead of my eyes being drawn to where the hands are located, on the Mars watch I first locate the magnetic ball and depending on how close it is to an hour marker, I may or may not look at the display window for minutes. It's a slower, less precise method of telling time but it's not worse, it's just different. In the right setting it can be perfect; when I want to wear something that acknowledges the passing of time visually without having to be caught up in the second to second minute to minute precision, it's a great option. It also goes without saying that a watch this unique is absolutely a conversation starter; I could see this being a great watch to wear to conventions or Dungeons & Dragons night.

Since the Daniel Gorman Mars watch is so different from traditional watches, the usual rules don't apply when evaluating it; I've seen other magnetic ball watches before but none that ooze a unique theme like this one. The ball bearing and disc combined with all of the sci-fi design elements create a truly unique piece. There really isn't anything comparable on the market, so if this sort of design aesthetic appeals to you, Daniel Gorman offers several designs in the Gravity Series that are worth checking out.