Forscher MKII MoD 0
Forscher’s mission statement – “There’s something powerful and emotional to Forscher’s designs. You know it when you feel it. Forscher’s guiding philosophy of merging timeless design with function to our timepieces.”
Who are Forscher Watches? When COVID-19 hit the world, it swallowed up many businesses and spat them out the other side. However, the pandemic was the birth of the Forscher brand as we know it today. It all started when founder Sam wanted to create just 10 watches, homages to the original Rolex Mil Sub, however it wasn’t long until he was inundated with orders and the Forscher story begins.
Located in the heart of Savannah, Georgia, a group of designers, watchmakers, and engineers came together with a shared vision – to create a bespoke timepiece that is durable, reliable, and built for the rugged-adventurer. With a design specification like that you can see why a watch like the MKII would be something the SBWC would be interested in getting our hands on. It’s further testament to the brand when a majority of their customer base is MIL and LEO, all in need of a reliable time piece.
First Impressions Count
It’s always exciting when you expect a new watch to arrive in the post. We all know that online photos can hide a watches true beauty but can also be used to make cover ups of design flaws or quality control issues. There is always that element of the unknown as to what will turn up with the delivery driver when they make their stop at your door. Leading up to the watch arriving I had been talking with Sam @forscherwatch & Emmet @forscherwatchEU and I certainly received that warm feeling that you are a part of the Forscher Family, which is certainly something a micro brand can give you unlike the more corporate brands.
Packaging of a watch is something that once on the wrist it tends to be forgotten about, it is the first impression of a brand and your new timepiece. So how did Forscher get on? As serving military, when I see a Pelican style container without even opening it, I feel reassured that whatever is inside will be securely in place and has been safe during transit. This was no exception with the MKII fresh from the production bench in Georgia. Forscher designed and engineered everything in accordance with the specifications for the task. Nothing more, nothing less. This principle isn’t applicable for just the watches but filters down to the case, it’s by no means the largest but it serves a purpose housing the MKII, a Forscher cleaning cloth and a few cards with your watches timing and warranty card. The top panel housing the Forscher Watch Co logo finishes it off making it a tidy package.
History lesson
The history behind the MKII MoD 0; from the 1950’s to 1971 the Ministry of Defence ordered tool watches for the special boat service with their specified design parameters, including the famous milsub 5517. Imagine if the Ministry of Defence continued the evolution of tool watch design into the present day, but with Forscher at the helm. The MK2 MoD 0 ref. 9784514 is the embodiment of that vision. Featuring a 41mm 316L stainless steel case with a ceramic insert and 120-click bezel, the MoD 0 preserves the original inspiration from the Ministry of Defence with the Gladio hands a bezel insert marked for the full 60 minutes rather than just the first 15.
Quality Control
Case – The 41mm case is finished with highly polished sides and they have elected to have the upper and lower aspects of the case to have a brush finish. Wearable for those who value both style and functionality, it is a traditional look we have come to know with divers but referring to the old saying “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. Lug to Lug width coming in at 20mm allows you to throw on your favourite strap and dress up or down the MKII as you wish depending on the occasion. Benefitting from a screw down crown featuring the Forscher’s compass rose logo you have that assurance that this tool is fit to dive to its 200m WR rating.
Dial - The smooth dial comes in a stunning deep navy-blue colour, constantly changing its tone depending on the light that strikes it. A very familiar situation that I have with the green Omega Seamaster to which can only be described as a chameleon. Placing the compass rose logo at the 12 o'clock really cleans the dial up, avoiding the congested dials that appear to be ‘on trend’ at the moment. To complement the dial a sword handset with a Superluminova C3 coating was the chosen option for that precise legibility in low light environments. Also utilized for the hour markers and on the bezel the design team really wanted this watch to be usable whether that’s in the depths of the ocean or wild camping on the side of a hill in the highlands.
Bezel – Fitted with a ceramic, 120 click, uni-directional bezel coated in Superluminova C3 it can be relied upon to be set accurately and be read in any conditions. The watch community use Tudors bezel as a benchmark - whilst difficult to explain the balance of movement versus friction is just right, if you know you know. The Forscher sadly can’t compete with that, remember this is a sub $800 watch but with this being my only “real” issue with the watch it certainly wouldn’t put me off. The bezel still has plenty of resistance in it to avoid any accidental rotation, and with the ceramic insert the same colour as the dial it is aesthetically on point.
Strap – A 20mm CWC Grey NATO strap comes paired with the MKII, marked with a broad arrow and NATO Stock Number (NSN) it gives off a military aura about it. The watches design criteria were to be used and abused and the strap option is the perfect way to wear the Forscher and remain comfortable no matter what challenge is thrown its way. With a lug width of 20mm it does open the watch to be used on pretty much whatever strap you like and really tailor it to your style. I have been wearing it with the Watches of Espionage Glomar Explorer in gray for that real “tool” look.
Movement – Powered by a NH38A, Forscher openly admits that they use Japanese movements and that’s not a bad thing, it's even written on the dial. Let’s face it, Japan is one of the market leaders when it comes to reliability, whether that is the movement of the watch on your wrist or Toyota Hilux you drive. Sticking a movement out of a Seiko into your watch is only going to inspire confidence that your watch will keep on ticking. Regulated to +/- 10 sec/day at 21,600bph and a 41 hr power reserve, most customers will never worry about a finer time accuracy, in comparison UN-regulated movements will range between +/-20 – 40 sec/day.
Design and Build
There is always a level of uncertainty when it comes to micro-brands and how much they actually contribute to design and assembly of the watches they sell. Some companies receive pre-manufactured watches in large quantities from China and will resell them. It can cause plenty of problems down the line whether that’s for spares or even repair processes. At Forscher their parts and accessories are contracted to be manufactured with other small businesses and sole proprietors. When it comes to repairs or servicing, they hold their own inventory of their timepieces. The design and engineering of the watches is all done in house, and they build the watch to the criteria that is required. You get everything you need and nothing you don’t. The watch you order is expertly hand-assembled, regulated, pressurized and tested in Savannah by a master horologist.
Conclusion
My overall opinion is that if you want a reliable tool watch that you can do everything with, without breaking the bank, then you shouldn’t overlook the Forscher MKII MoD 0. The dial colour has a Tudor Pelagos look to it, but with that traditional yet evolved milsub case design - that certainly ticks a lot of boxes in a watch for me. The MKII has the versatility of being able to pull off different styles through strap choice, that is something that will appeal to the wider audience, particularly those with limited sized collections. The ability to dress a watch up or down is a characteristic of a well-designed watch.
The guys in Georgia are doing great things and having discussed with Sam they have some very exciting watches and plans coming out later this year rolling into 2025. If you do nothing else, just send the guys a message and have a chat as this is a brand worth getting to know.
Thanks to Forscher for sending us this watch to be able to carry out this review.
As always,
Stay Sketchy
Watch & Country.