DeLorean Motor Company – Alpha DMC Silver

 

I had to.

 

As a child of the 1980’s, I grew up watching the Back to the Future (BTTF) series and have continued to watch it from time-to-time throughout my adult life. BTTF is a personal favorite. Of course I own the trilogy and a couple “collectors items.”

No doubt you know that the DeLorean automobile, the DMC-12, featured as the vessel for time travel in the series, with the help of the flux capacitor. In terms of history, the DeLorean Motor Company was a total failure, in the UK and the US. But the car remains an icon, both in popular culture and history.

Although the original company folded many years ago, a new iteration lives on in Texas, USA as a parts company for the original cars and licenses many other products. When I came across DMC Watches | DeLorean Watches, I had to get one. Ironically, the watches ship from the UK, just like the original DMC-12.

I have written about nostalgia before regarding childhood and Casio watches, and this watch strikes the same memories.

The details:

• Watch: Alpha DMC Silver
• Diameter: 44mm
• Height: 11.5mm
• Weight: ~81g
• Movement: Japanese Miyota 2315
• Battery: SR626SW
• Battery Life: ~3 years
• Jewels: None (0)
• Lume: N/A
• Accuracy: +-20 seconds/month
• Crystal: Hardened mineral
• Case: Stainless Steel, brushed and polished combo, black bezel and crown
• Water Resistance: 100m/300ft
• Strap: Leather, black w/silver stitching, 22mm
• Retail Cost: $149

The review video: [https://youtu.be/sBNgRwEO_XA]

The review:

Overall, the packaging was just fine for a watch in this price range. (By the way I used a discount code to get about $30 off list price.) It shipped and arrived quickly from the UK, less than a week.

The black faux leather-ish watch box was protected by a white cardboard square, which when removed gives a couple nice surprises: the DMC logo on top and a gull-wing doors-open DeLorean. The box also has some nice texturing and silver stitching that wonderfully matches the stitching on the strap, a subtle but excellent touch that I did not pick up on until writing the text of this review and looking back at the pictures.

Upon opening the box, the Delorean text greets you along with the star of this review, the Alpha DMC. The interior of the box is a black felt-like material and the case is protected front and back with plastic coverings per the usual.

Before I get to dial details, let’s take a look at the case back. We all need reminded that this is an “Officially Licensed Product” of the “DeLorean Motor Company” yeah? Actually, I think what I would have preferred instead of the licensed text is the model of the car “DMC-12” and maybe something from the movie akin to “Top Speed of 88mph,” you know…something fun. Still, the DMC-12 etching in the center is great.

I have to mention at this point, the strap is actually quite good. It is sturdy and has suitable textures on both sides: a more natural leather look and feel skin-side and a smooth surface air-side.

The strap stitching adds a wonderful touch to the overall look. Again, it matches the silver stitching on the box.

The crown has a nice twisted look, black against the stainless and angled cuts to give a turbine sort of feel. A slight shame it’s not a hand-winder because this crown is made for turning in size and feel.

Yes, this is another dimension where the reviewer gives strap and crown details before a bunch of dial pictures 😀 . I should also mention I like the circular bolts in the corners, which does give a nice automotive feel to the watch, along with the contrasting black and stainless colors.

OK OK here you go…

The hands have a nice and unique shape, but no there is no lume. However, the orange second hand adds a nice pop of color and adds to the automotive feels. Something also a little out of the ordinary for this “category” of watch is that it has a 10ATM depth rating. Am I going to test that out? No, but it does leave me worrying less about contact with water as I go about my day.

Look at it…just look at it! Ok I’m having fun, and why shouldn’t we? The designers of this watch got a lot right, and I mean that sincerely. The watch feels and looks like the DeLorean. The layers of the dial are excellent. The half-and-half look with the grill at the top and the sunburst at the bottom. The white-tipped black indices dovetailed into the scooped minute track. The full company name semi-opposite the extended date window.

The DeLorean DMC-12 was meant to have a futuristic feel about it and is likely one reason it was chosen as the car in BTTF. So, even though I prefer hand-wound movements, this is quartz and the battery operated movement feels correct. The movement is the Japanese Miyota 2315, which is a perfectly adequate movement, but what I really really like about it…the large date and the font. This date wheel beats out other options much higher and lower on the price scale. The well-designed date window helps to accentuate the feature, which almost looks enamel due to the color contrasts going on along with the font.

As I mention in the video, I have another watch (Christopher Ward C8 Power Reserve) that hints at the pre and post dates, but this is one takes it further. Actually, I do not recall seeing another watch that shows two+ days before and after the present. I do not believe such an open date wheel would look good on most watches, but on this one it works for two reasons: the other layered elements of the dial and the notion of time relative to the present. It truly strikes a BTTF chord.

The case transitions between polished and brushed at every level. The bezel is polished black, the cushioned case from the top is brushed, chamfered edges polished, sides brushed, and then the case back transition back to polished. It sounds like a crazy thing to do, as does using a DeLorean as a time machine, but hey there have been weirder ideas. It takes a little getting used to, but again it seems to work in this scenario.

So how does it look on the wrist? Heavy? (I hope you get the pun.) It is 44mm diameter, so it is on the larger size, but I am ok with it. The Alpha DMC matches my CW C8 as the largest diameter in my box, so it is not breaking any precedent. And and sits short, which hopefully shows well in the pictures.

As for any issues with the watch, there are a couple which I point out up-close in the video. On mine, just left of the 60 minute marker at 12, is a dent in the dial edge and the white paint on the 2o’clock marker is a little uneven, details you can only see up close. Again, I do point those out in the video. Is it worth me returning the watch? Nah. In this case I’ll call it character. It’s hard to tell what this DMC has been through, space and/or time.

Do I like it? I do. The Alpha DMC Silver adds a nice nostalgic option to my collection. It will serve well as a conversation starter and satisfy my mind when watching BTTF or nerding out in some other way.

As mentioned earlier, the strap and buckle are a nice surprise with this purchase and it all feels quite well-made. Do keep in mind if you see pictures online of the logo on the buckle, that, at least in this case, the buckle is not marked.

Ok, I gotta go, I’m…