When it come to classy dress watches, you can never go wrong with a Thomas Earnshaw watch. Their detail to attention is impeccable and their design is just outstanding. Each watch has their own unique design and voice. The last time we reviewed a Thomas Earnshaw watch was the Flinders ES-8080. This time around, we will be reviewing the Thomas Earnshaw Longitude ES-8803-04.

The story behind the name

So why call the collection Longitude?

Thomas Earnshaw and his famed chronometers were rewarded and recognised by the Board of Longitude in 1805 for their work in helping to open up the seas to safe and accurate passage around the world. The Longitude watch collection is to pay homage to ingenuity , intelligence and grace in design of the works from Earnshaw.

So that is the story behind the name.

Feature of the Longitude ES-8803

First Impression

It is an absolute stunning watch. The rose-gold and with the blue colour theme really compliment each other and makes the watch stands out. The open heart on the left hand side is a great feature and focal point of the dial. The watch itself is quite big and very much noticeable. So far so good. However let’s find out more about the Thomas Earnshaw Longitude ES-8803-04.

Dial

This is a good place to start. Let talk about the open heart on the left hand side on the watch. We have seen this before with the Beaufort, but that was located near the 6 o’clock position. This open heart is beautifully designed and the colour of the jewels and pieces of the movement has been well chosen to make it really appealing. Next to open heart movement, you also have a 24 hour sub-dial. The sub dial reflects the movement from the hour hand and it is not independent. It is a shame because we would have loved an independent hour sub-dial. On the Beaufort the hour sub-dial was controlled by a little pusher near the crown.

The next feature we want to talk about is the pattern which surrounds the sub-dial and open heart. The scale like pattern reflects well against the light and brings a bit more character to the watch. It does bring it a bit more to life.

An Arabic style index has been used. The way it has been introduced to the dial is very artistic. The numerals have been placed on a rose gold piece of metal. The numerals themselves have a darker colour to help contrast it against the rose gold and for it to be legible. The design and the placement of the numerals have been well thought of and do really look the part. The colour compliment the blue background and it looks amazing. One odd feature in the number 5. It is just alone in rose gold.

Let’s talk about the hands. The design used is Breguet hands. The style does suit the dial of the watch and does make the watch look elegant. However, there is a big issue with them. The hands are not very legible. The hands do get lost with the rose gold piece of metal used for the index. It is sometime hard to spot where the hand is. Another issue is that the hour hand is not legible went it near the open heart movement. The hour hand is lost when it reaches that position, 10 o’clock. The hands do however have a white round tip but still quiet hard to reach. Darker hands or bolder hands would solve this issue.

Case

The case diameter on the Thomas Earnshaw Longitude ES-8803-04 is 42mm and the depth is 13.5mm. The watch does a large space on the wrist but you would want that. The large dial does look great on the wrist. The depth of the wathc is 13.5mm and it does stick out a bit. The dial also seems a bit far from the lens at times.

The case does sit well on the wrist as the lugs are curved, which helps to push the case down. Comfort wise, the case does not get in the way of the wrist or restrict any movement.

The minerals lens used is flat and reflection is minimal. Visibility is great. Would a domed lens improve the watch? Maybe, it would make the watch stand out a bit more but it would also make the dial look further away.

The casing has been given a polished finish and the watch does shine. The name ‘Earnshaw’ has been engraved on the side on the watch and it is a good feature.

Another feature we like is the crown. The crown is round and stripe cut used around it. The crown has a good grip and looks great.

Strap

The strap is made from genuine leather and wraps around the wrist well. There are enough holes for smaller wrist and it does not need breaking into. However the strap is thin. Because of the size of the casing, a thicker strap would have suited the watch. Comfort wise, the strap is great but needs to be thicker.

Movement

The movement used is a Automatic Seiko NH39-TMI, 24 Jewels with 41 hour power reserve. The time accuracy is okay. We measure a  -20 ~ +40 seconds per day, given the watch has been fully wound up. The time accuracy should be better given the price you are expected to pay for this watch.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid?

Let’s talk about the price first. The watch retails for £520/ $650/ €580. It is a lot of money for a watch. The watch for sure is elegant, sophisticated and classy but we are not sure it is worth that price. For this reason we will say to shortlist the watch. We will recommend for you to wait until Thomas Earnshaw offer a discount and purchase this watch. You can also use our code NEW O89 for 30% off any Thomas Earnshaw Watch.

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