# Ginault ocean rover



## Quartermain

Hello, All! New member from USA here. Just wondering if anyone has heard of the Ginault ocean rover. Hand made in America or at least hand assembled. What say you? I know it doesn't belong in the Swiss category, but it sure isn't Japanese or Chinese. A lot of buzz on WUS but nothing anywhere else.


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## richy176

Have heard about it now. Basically another Sub homage costing around £1200 - £1400 in the UK at RRP plus shipping and VAT.

From comments on other forums it seems to use an ETA clone movement which may have been modified by the manufacturer/assembler.

The dial seems to be trying to copy the Rolex format - lots of writing. Have to assume that `Kinetic Continuous' is a brief way of saying `Automatic' and have no idea what `Submersable Maritime Precision Chronometer' means.

As for "a lot of buzz on WUS but nothing anywhere else" that is probably because the people behind this have posted on various watch forums to get some publicity/buzz as there are so many of these micro brands springing up although apparently this one took 7 years to come up with their homage!


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## Quartermain

I agree with your statement. If you go to their website wwwginault.com you will see a LOT of marketing hyperbole, but I have to admit I kinda like it. They make no bones about copying the Sub as a homage, but simply want to show just how good an homage can be made. I don't buy everything they say, but I did buy the watch (due in today). I will be reviewing soon.


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## relaxer7

Think I'd stick to a Stienhart if I wanted a Sub homage - look forward to your review though


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## Quartermain

I also have the Steinhart Ocean One and Ocean 44. Great watches. Will be interesting to compare the two.


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## Tomh1982

Nice looking watch but the amount of writing on the face may put me off a bit!


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## richy176

Quartermain said:


> I agree with your statement. If you go to their website wwwginault.com you will see a LOT of marketing hyperbole, but I have to admit I kinda like it. They make no bones about copying the Sub as a homage, but simply want to show just how good an homage can be made. I don't buy everything they say, but I did buy the watch (due in today). I will be reviewing soon.


 Hope you got a good discount as they are offering 55% if you use code `openbox55' where you agree to do a review or 60% with code `compare60' if you do a comparative review against a sub or sub homage. With shipping and VAT that would make it about £600 so not bad if it is far better than a Steinhart. Look forward to reading your review.


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## Quartermain

This is a fantastic watch. I must refer everyone interested to the Ginault Web site for pictures as my cheap flip phone could never do the watch justice. Also you can read of the development of the watch and the obvious thought that went into it. Whether you buy into all the claims or not is up to you, but to the layman the phrases used denote the obvious passion of the company.

The watch arrived in 2 days from across the country USPS Priority mail. Inside was a well protected white cardboard sleeve surounding a brown faux leather box with the word Ginault embossed on top. Inside was the watch, a quality screwdriver for the bracelet links, a timing sheet and a beige nylon Nato band.

Initial impressions: plan on a good 10 minutes removing the plastic wrapping, including tiny pieces covering the sides of the case and the clasp. The watch has excellent heft and simply exudes quality. The sand colored lume on the markers to me reminds me of the 5517 Submariner mil-sub more than the 11660 it copies. Good company to be in.

Bezel: aluminum insert, perfect markings, nice tight feel. Smooth, audible clicks with no backlash.

Crown: 7mm, Ginault logo, easy to grasp. Smooth, firm winding action and very easy to rethread once time is set.

Crystal and dial: Beautiful domed sapphire crystal covering a gorgeous black enamel dial that under a loupe appeared to be almost liquid in its entirety. The wording on the dial to some is a turn-off, but I personally love it. If Rolex can brag about their "perpetual and superlative", which they are, then Ginault saying "submersible maritime precision chronometer" is another way of stating the same thing. To me, the dial wording is what drew me to the Sub looks initially anyway. To,each his own.

Hands,markers,lume: perfectly designed sword hands with a red second hand. The raised markers are flawless,with the 12, 3, 6, and 9 corners extremely sharp and exact from one to the other. The sand lume material completely fills all the areas perfectly, with no dips or flaws. And let me say that this thing is a Torch! The initial brightness is actually enough to read something held a foot away from It! This fades of course, but eight hours later it still clearly shows the time.

Bracelet: very tight SEL, brushed finish on the top with polished sides. The clasp is the Rolex Glide lock, which is very smooth in use and latches very securely. The fold over safety is also very secure. No sharps edges anywhere. Here again, very high quality.

Movement: Ginault uses their own version of what appears to be a design similar to the Eta 2824-2. They call it a 7275 Calibre and it seems many of the components are built in house. It is a high beat 28800 movement with an extremely smooth sweep of the second hand which denotes very high attention to gear smoothness and very careful hand fitting. The watch also comes with a regulation sheet showing the different test positions and the final settings. Mine seems to be holding +2s a day so far.

Final thoughts: this is a truly high quality timepiece that I will never sell. I recently compared it directly to a new Sub at my local AD, and I can honestly state if you held one in each hand, eyes closed, you cannot tell the difference in feel, fit, or smoothness of bracelet operation. Even my AD was impressed, as he had not heard of this brand. Whether this watch is worth $1300 or not is up to the buyer. I can say that I read recently someone saying "Rolex makes a good thousand dollar watch that thanks to,their marketing happens to sell for 8 thousand."Adding in all the prestige and everything that comes with owning a Rolex, only the owners can answer that. I can say that Ginault makes a truly quality timepiece that is a true homage to the Sub in every way, and is priced at $1300.

And worth every penny.


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## 40ignatz

Okay, I've got one.

Reading the reviews (and the oft-lamented marketing material) I became interested in the Ocean Rover as a daily-wear diver for after work and weekends (sorry, my Speedmaster Reduced owns the office) - I was looking for something nice, but that I wouldn't have to worry about if it got bumped around a bit. After clearing some room in the budget, I contacted Ginault to inquire about availability.

Much of what follows is stand-alone observation of the OR, with some comparison (Steinhart Ocean 1 Vintage Red, 2nd edition & Squale 20 Atmos Maxi) against other members of the genre I have owned thrown in for good measure. Truth in advertising: I loved the Steiny, but got rid of it because it was just too clunky. I never was able to bond with the Squale, largely for reasons I'll discuss as we go.

To the watch. I'm not a watch geek by any stretch (sorry, no measuring of dimensions, no gauging accuracy against atomic clocks, yada yada yada), so please take this as a layman's set of observations in a relatively limited timeframe (have had the OR for 6 days) - this thing is nice. Fit and finish are well beyond any other watches I've owned in this price range (~40 different makes & models over the last few years). While overall I am pleased and find the OR well worth the money at full ask, there are areas I don't care for that may just be driven by my own preferences.

The bracelet on the OR is well made with screws offering easy sizing without messing with pins, etc. The links move well without squeaking. The tolerances here are very tight (meant in a positive way - no binding) and the end links are breathtaking. This was one of the areas that drove me crazy about the Squale as the Atmos' end links were rounded off and did not appear to have been much more than an afterthought. The Steinhart's bracelet was well made, but the tolerances were not quite as tight and overall the bracelet felt heavy when compared to the Ocean Rover. The OR has a very well made Glide-lock clone (unbranded - a logo would have been a nice touch) that works very well. Adjusting sizing with the swelling of my wrist throughout the day has been quick and easy - every watch should have this feature.

The Ocean Rover case is well executed with a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. In comparison, the Squale seemed not to be quite as well refined, while the Steinhart just seemed LARGE. The back of the case on the OR is tastefully restrained - no complaints there at all. The Squale was disappointing overall in quality and lack of finish, by comparison. As an aside: The Steinhart's case back was a work of art. If you haven't seen one, you should take a look.

The Ginault stem action is solid - no play at all and the threads line up easily. Interesting that where others have lauded the Ginault's raised logo on the crown, I preferred the negative relief of the Steinhart's engraved crown. Personal preference, but then all of this is…

The Rover bezel is aluminum and is well made, with a readable font and a nicely-embedded pip. My bezel moves easily, but without concern that it might move on its own. I've seen other Ginault owners comment that their bezels seemed to stick, but I've had no issues at all. The bezel action is smooth and reliable, unlike the Squale, which was loose and did not inspire confidence in the overall build quality. The bezel size is appropriate for the watch, which was one of the Steinhart downchecks (that bezel was just huge!).

The OR crystal is slightly domed and is exceptionally clear, though I have to say I preferred the Steinhart execution. It isn't something I think about often when I'm looking at the OR, but the curvature and beveled edge on the Steinhart spoke to me in a way the Ginault does not.

The face of the Ocean Rover has elements that normally I just don't care for on a Sub homage, but darned if they don't work well together. I prefer a matte finish on a diver's dial and no metallic surrounds at the hour markers (and so my earlier Squale purchase), I'm also not a fan of sword hands normally, but again, the mix of design elements Ginault has chosen just works. The enameled dial is a deep black with no flaws that I've been able find. There are many schools of thought with respect to lines of text (is 2 enough? 4 too many?) on the dial, but in the flesh, the 4 line format chosen by Ginault works unobtrusively well. The lume is a high point here as well, with the material (Sand? Maybe?) applied flawlessly to the hour markers and hour and minute hands. This is very tight, detailed work. The red second hand is a nice touch and moves very smoothly around the dial.

Speaking of that movement, I've purposefully stayed away from discussion of the Ocean Rover's movement (where it was made, how it was made, whatever)… Refer to my watch geek comment earlier. I want a watch that will keep time and the OR does that just fine. I don't feel the rotor moving in the case, nor do I hear it when I'm moving the watch around (I've had others that were LOUD) - whether it was manufactured by Ginault, a modified movement built by someone else or what have you, it just doesn't matter to me. The watch does what a watch should do as its primary function - it keeps good time. I have yet to adjust it since setting it when I pulled it out of the box.

So, where are we? Well, the Ocean Rover is a solid effort that should scratch the itch for someone interested in a Sub Style model - the quality/cost equation works well (again, purely subjective, but this always will be a subjective equation) and I could easily see the OR being a primary wear piece for someone interested in a quality sport/dive-focused watch. What about me? Will I keep it? Maybe, but despite being very good, it probably isn't compelling enough to keep me from moving on… I've got the flipping bug and despite telling myself over and over that the next one will be the last, my eye does wander…


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## coachbh

Just received my Ginault Ocean Rover and having owned a 2-tone Rolex GMT in the 80's (sold in the 90's when I needed cash), and most recently a Submariner (no date) 114060, I can tell you that I love this watch. Someone once said that Rolex makes a fantastic $1,000 watch that sells of $8,000 because of incredibly effective marketing, and to them I say "Well done!"

This watch feels just like my 114060. Except... wait for it... I like it better. I seriously do. For me it's like wine; It doesn't need to be the right brand or the most expensive if I like it. I just don't care. The sand lume on this model 181070GSLN is just perfect. Such a buttery, warm contrast with the deep black, glossy face. The fact that the markers and hands are reminiscent of the 5517 is spot on, and the gridlock bracelet is my favorite feature on my 114060. I live in Southern California, and the temperature can vary 40 degrees (f) in day, so these micro adjustments are very helpful.

I wrote to Ginault and received a discounted price of $790 USD in exchange for a YouTube review which I will gladly do.

In short, I love this watch and am seriously considering selling my Rolex. (I hate the big lugs on this most recent model).

*tried, unsuccessfully to include an image. Sorry.


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