Zelos Mako Atmos V3 Ice
Fun & Practical
People often think of diver watches as serious, dark-coloured, robust and without many decorations or fancy-coloured dials. Well, looking at the Zelos Mako V3 with the Ice dial, we are glad to realize that there is no such rule whatsoever. The “Ice” is a community given name by brand fans and watch enthusiasts because of its glacial light blue colour. It stands out among diver watches for its excellent dial but also for the great legibility and case design.
Case
The case is engineered to fit a wide variety of wrists, because of its 40mm diameter. Measuring also 46mm lug-to-lug, the Zelos Mako V3 Ice sits comfortably on the wrist without protruding or being bulky. Furthermore, the thickness of 11.5mm measured without the crystal, makes the watch easy to fit under a shirt cuff. Sporting a 20mm lug width, it even offers the possibility of changing through lots of straps, adjusting to any style and outfit. The case is made entirely of 316L stainless steel, with horizontal brushing and high-polished finishing along the lug sides. At 4 o’ clock we find a recessed screw-down, signed and lumed crown, who guarantees the 300m water resistance of this timepiece.
The glass is a box-cased 2.5mm sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. This way it offers great readability for the dial without distortions and shadows. In addition to the crystal shape, a slim bezel allows a wonderful view of the dial. It is a 120-click unidirectional steel one, with rugged edges for better handling. Its action is sturdy and with no back play. Surprisingly, this bezel is lumed with Swiss C3 X1 and has a great legibility in low light conditions. On the case back we find a beautiful relieved design of the Mako Shark. Oddly, this is a bit too sharp on the edges, which could be uncomfortable to some people.
Dial
Where do most people focus when they look at a watch for the first time? Answer is, the dial. Based upon this thought, the Zelos Mako V3 Ice presents one of the most impressive dials I’ve seen in a while. Designed with a whirlpool guilloche pattern and painted with an eye-catching light blue colour, this dial is hard to ignore. Just looking at it from different angles gives a sense of satisfaction to the wearer, because it reflects the light in countless ways.
More specifically, we find applied steel markers, shark tooth-shaped at 3,9 and 12 o’clock and rounded ones for the rest of the hours. The hour hands are sword-tipped and the orange seconds hand has a baton finishing. As expected, all the hour indicators inside the dial are wonderfully lumed with BGW9 and Swiss C3 X1, giving the Mako V3 a stunning luminescence in dark conditions and low light conditions. There is also an applied steel Zelos logo underneath the 12 o’ clock marker and the 300m printed indication over the date window at 6 o’ clock. Sadly, the date window is hard to read, firstly because the internal date disk is of the same colour as the rest of the dial. Secondly, it lacks a steel frame and the date font is very small to read from regular distance.
Movement
The heart of Zelos Mako V3 Ice is the always reliable Miyota 9015. It is a 24-jewel automatic movement, who is also hacking and hand-winding. It beats at 28800 vibrations per hour and has a tolerance of -10/+30 seconds a day. With a 40-hour power reserve, the Mako V3 can lay comfortably off the wrist at the end of the day and still be good to use the next day. Therefore it’s easily understandable that this movement guarantees versatility and accuracy even to the most demanding user.
Strap / Bracelet
The Zelos Mako V3 Ice comes on a black tropic rubber strap and also a waxed Horween leather strap. For underwater activities or situations that require a rugged support, the rubber strap is an excellent. Otherwise the leather attire makes the watch suitable even for a more dressy occasion. In addition to those options, steel bracelets are also available for this specific model, making it one of the most versatile and easy to adapt out there.
Packaging
It comes with a beautiful wooden box and a watch roll, containing also a second strap.
Gallery
SPECIFICATION
- Miyota 9015 self-winding movement
- 24 Jewels
- 28,800 vph
- 42 Hours Power Reserve
- Hacking
- Hand-winding
- Date Complication
- MATERIAL : Stainless Steel
- DIAMETER (mm) : 40
- THICKNESS (mm) : 11.5
- Lug Width: 20mm
- Lug to Lug Length: 46mm
- COLOUR : Stainless Steel
- Crown: Signed Crown with Lume
- BEZEL : Unidirectional 120 Click Ceramic Bezel Insert with Vickers Hardness Brushed & Lume
Crystal Type: Sapphire, Vintage Style 2.5mm Box Crystal
DIAL COLOUR : Textured Dial with C3 X1 and BGW9 Lume
- TYPE : 361L Stainless Steel Bracelet
- COLOUR : Stainless Steel
- BUCKLE : Zelos Custom Buckle
- WIDTH (mm) : 20
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- TYPE : Tropic Rubber Strap
- COLOUR : Black
- BUCKLE : Zelos Custom Buckle
- WIDTH (mm) : 20
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- TYPE : Waxed ‘Vintage’ Effect Haroween Leather
- COLOUR : Stainless Steel
- BUCKLE : Zelos Custom Buckle
- WIDTH (mm) : 20
WATER RESISTANCE : 30 ATM/ 300M
WARRANTY : 1 Year International
- Stunning guilloche dial
- Versatility due to overall size
- Quality of construction
- Value for money
- Low readability of the date function
- Finishing on the case-back as it is sharp to touch but not to wear.
Final Thoughts
After days spent with the Zelos Mako V3 Ice on the wrist, I can easily say it’s the most surprising wristwatch I’ve seen in a while. Its stunning appearance with the guilloche dial, the amazing luminescence and the overall comfortable feeling on the wrist make it a very desirable timepiece. For no other reason it’s already sold out on the Zelos website. It can be worn for a long day at sea as easily as it can be part of a more formal attire. In conclusion, with a price tag around 450USD / £360, it is the definition of “value for money”, because of its versatility and ease of use.