A few months ago, I reviewed the Locman Mare 300 MT watch on aBlogtoWatch here. Today, I look at another of the Italian company’s modern diver’s-style watches with the Locman Stealth 300 MT. Locman is a prime example of an Italian entry-level luxury watch brand that takes a decidedly fashion industry-style approach to the timepiece market. It attempts to be as original and affordable as possible, aiming for a consumer who isn’t likely to ever get a Rolex but is nevertheless a watch enthusiast and wants something distinctive on his or her wrist. This is a huge and diverse market that is currently on the rise.
Mind you, this isn’t a resurgence of the fashion watch market from the 1990s, which put sub-$300 fashion-branded watches in department stores. Rather, we are talking about the legions of mainstream folks out there who spot luxury watches in popular media and fancy themselves wearing a high-end watch, too. Maybe they first learned about luxury watches because of a footballer wearing an exotic tourbillon, but in their own life, their maximum budget for any one watch is under $1,000. Locman is one of a growing number of brands (both new and established) that are catering to this emerging consumer audience.
The Stealth 300 MT collection is one of a few dive-style watches sold by the brand, and this version makes use of a lightweight, mostly carbon, case that has a grade 2 titanium caseback. The dial is made from carbon fiber, and the uni-directional rotating bezel is produced from ABS plastic. Attached to the 300-meter water-resistant case is a silicone strap. That is an impressive variety of materials sure to tie in to the larger context of even more high-end watches that use many of these same materials (though the Locman Stealth 300 MT is still an affordable timepiece, by design). It also makes for a good gift when you want to get someone a distinctive and fun wristwatch but aren’t in the mood to spend thousands.
In terms of performance and materials, there is nothing outstanding about the Stealth 300 MT. It’s a solid sports watch with a comfortable wearing experience and a visual style that is really where the attraction is. The people who purchase a watch like the Stealth 300 MT do so because they like how it looks and feels on the wrist. No one is getting this watch because of tech specs, alone. I also think that it might cost a bit too much more than the Mare 300 MT for reasons I don’t totally understand. That said, at the right price, the Stealth 300 MT watches (and Locman does produce them with a robust amount of stylistic variety) are really enjoyable timepieces for emerging watch enthusiasts.
Personally, I like the large design proportions and very readable face of the Stealth 300 MT. I find some of the dial text gimmicky and the silicone strap a bit too lint-prone, but overall, this is a totally decent watch and one that fits in very well in many of the Italian cities surrounding where it is made. Over the dial is a mineral crystal (not great), but it is one that has a hard sapphire coating on it (better). The crystal also has a Rolex-style “cyclops” magnifier that not everyone will want. The dial’s hands and hour markers could be finished to be slightly less shiny, in my opinion, as that will help give the watch more of a professional-instrument look that consumers tend to prefer. But the overall visual design of the dial is entirely competent and better than a lot of other watches at this price point, for sure.
The 46mm-wide case size (14mm-thick) is intentional, and this product is meant to be worn large on the wrist. There is also a quartz chronograph version that Locman produced, and as I said above, a bevy of dial and accent colors are available. Inside the watches, Locman uses the Japanese Miyota automatic movement. The brand’s website does not specify which movement, and I am guessing it is one of the 8000 series, so a 3Hz automatic with about two days of power reserve.
The Stealth 300 MT watch is lower in cost with a steel case, and I encourage interested people to browse the larger collection (the reviewed model was not even listed on the brand’s website at the time of writing). With the carbon and titanium case and carbon fiber dial, the retail price for this Locman reference 0216V4-CBCB5N0S2K watch is $1,385 USD. Learn more at the Locman watches website here.
