The Other Great Space Watch ASTRO - VALENTINA by Marloe

Back to watches today, and one incredible watch I've had my eye on for awhile now has just been radically reduced in price. The ASTRO - VALENTINA by Marloe at the time of writing is now down to £279 from £399.

The hype

The Valentina exudes sophistication. With its subtle combination of gold, champagne and white, it will look right at home at the smartest of social occasions, yet dressed down with a chunkier, colourful strap, it is equally at home at a business meeting or doing the school run. And the pop of blue on the 12 o’clock marker and tip of the second hand injects a subtle element of fun.

Marloe Astro in all of its square glory looks to have a high quality finish. The highlight seems to be the attention to detail around the dial. From the look of the pictures and reviews, it's really layered. The chapter ring in roman numerals steps down from that is the minute track in blue with minute markers in the white around the indices. The radial track on the top surface of the dial references the gold “Voyager” records sent, long after the moon landings, into the universe, featuring sounds and pictures from Earth, in the event that extra-terrestrial beings would find it. There is a honeycomb pattern around the dial in the square part, a nod to 2001 film Space Odyssey, (remember the white tunnel honeycomb scene?).

The crosshairs in each four corners, (+ signs) are a nod to the apollo cameras used on the moon missions. The crosses were for the scientists to calculate distances between objects as they thought things might get distorted on the moon.

The Spec

- Japanese Made Miyota 9039 automatic movement - 38mm diameter x 10.6mm depth
- 100 Meter / 10ATM water resistance
- 2 year warranty

The details we love

A lot of thought and attention in the design phase. The rounded edges on the square are based on the 60s tv's that your parents or grandfathers or perhaps yourself if you're a certain vintage would have watched the moon landing back in 1969. The case back is well done like the dial of the watch. There is a rocket orbiting the globe with 'to the moon and back' inscribed.

Complaints and the word on the street

The lume on the hour and minute hand and a couple of dots by the 12, the lume is by all reports mediocre, not legible after a few hours.

The stainless steel bracelet with polished centre links looks very nasty. The quality of the watch is great but the bracelet is very poor by all accounts. It doesn't do the watch justice. If I were to pull the trigger on a watch like this I'd certainly look into changing the steel bracelet. Perhaps for the white velcro one keeping with the space theme.