Last year I won a wristwatch on ABlogToWatch.com and wrote a review which I sent them (after some time...). I'm not sure they'll publish it as it's not that recent anymore, so I thought I'd post it here, having spent an hour or so writing it Here goes: I’ll start out with a confession: I’m an hopelessly old-fashioned guy, who in normal circumstances would be the last person in the world to review this type of wristwatch. To give an impression of how my tastes run, my car is a slightly underpowered 80s Mercedes, I don’t own a smart phone, I stopped using Facebook eleven months ago and the last piece of clothing I bought was a pair of brown corduroy trousers... Apart from a few digital watches which are handy in my line of work (more on that later) my collection of watches are mostly old Omegas, with a Speedmaster and a Seamaster Professional thrown in the mix - solid classics that doesn’t draw a lot of attention to themselves and all pretty conservative. With thoroughly modern styling, a 43mm black PVD-coated case and red details this is far from my usual fare. State of the collection. I have participated in a number of give-aways on ABTW, but not each and every one. I don’t enter if I can’t see myself wearing the watch, usually due to excessive size (TW Steel, I’m looking at you) or if the styling is too in-your-face (the Wryst Ultimate was a good example). The Torgoen T81 gets a number of details just right. The watch, while large, has a relatively small lug-to-lug distance so wears nicely even on my skinny wrists and the detailing is coherrent and not overwhelming. Compared to the classic aviator style wrist watches, Torgoen successfully updates the concept by using modern fonts, the aforementioned red details (red chapter ring, seconds hand and dial literature), and hands that aren’t throwbacks to the 1930’s, but still looks like they could have been from a (modern) cockpit. It’s a well-proportioned, good-looking design. Out of the box, on the wrist. In the box: With the watch comes a lovely, if somewhat creaky, leather strap. It’s pretty bold, however, so you can choose to use the rubber strap that comes with the package. I did find the choice of a rubber strap to go with an aviator watch somewhat curious and have opted to order a black, 22mm NATO with black PVD hardware from my usual supplier, www.cheapestnatostraps.com, which I have been using almost exclusively - it’s a very good look, and tone the watch somewhat down. The leather strap is of very nice quality and comes with quick-release spring bars, which is a nice touch - but doesn’t free you from needing a tool, since the rubber strap isn’t equipped with these! Very decent packaging. The mechanics: The Torgoen is equipped with a Valanvron 24 movement, which is a ETA 2824 clone and has a rather decent spec sheet. 28,800 BpH, date and hacking seconds and has in my trial run kept impeccable time - measured over a week, the daily deviation didn’t pass +3 seconds and during the seven days it gained 12 seconds, which is lovely. I have a reasonably active lifestyle, so the watch didn’t just lay still for an entire week... The looks: It’s a looker. There’s no denying it, Torgoen really did a great job on putting together the T81, and I have rarely have had as much positive feedback on a watch I wore. It’s a young design and my younger colleagues in particular found it to be interesting. The case wears smaller than you’d think due to the colour (both case and dial) and the short lugs and it’s comfortable on the wrist. The test: I have worn the Torgoen for some weeks on and of, and also on three separate field tests. I’m a Danish Army officer and command a platoon of conscripts, so for eleven days in total I have put it to the test in various field conditions (as well as a lot of days in the office!). For my first field exercise I co-wore it with my usual G-Shock, but after two days I took of the Casio as the Torgoen was much handier. The legibility is VERY good and there have never been a time where the luminant didn’t light up perfectly. The watch has picked a few battle scars, a consequence of PVDing a case with hard edges. An issue which has become apparent is that my watch probably has a defect; it’s near impossible to set the crown to the date correcting setting and winding the movement manually is a right pain. It turns extremely hard and the crown has a shape reminiscent of the 50’s Omega Seamasters clower-style items, making grasping it tightly a chore. On duty, with NATO strap. Overall I’d say that the watch, despite its qualities, probably still isn’t for me, as the styling is just too modern. I can pull it off when in uniform (not dress, though), but when in civilian clothing I found myself changing to the vintage Omegas. It has its quality issues, but for the price I still find it a very decent choice, if the style suits you. Pros: lots of great details (PVD buckle, extra strap, sapphire crystal front and rear), great legibility, consistent design and very wearable. Cons: some quality issues, awkward crown design,