A few months ago I started to search for the best “all around” summer watch.
I wanted something that I can just put on my wrist and don’t have to worry about when I jump into water on a holiday and I also don’t need to worry about getting it damaged while I do hiking on a mountain or any other fun summer activities.
I use to wear my Omega Planet Ocean, but I wanted something more affordable that wasn’t a G-Shock.
Spending hours and hours searching the Internet I came across a new and upcoming brand Northgate.
The LXRYSPRT range immediately caught my attention! The design is an excellent amalgamation of the Gérard Genta integrated bracelet design and the crisp and popular dial colours of 2022. Reading the specs sheet it comes with a Swiss Ronda Quartz movement that has a 10 years of battery life, BWG9 Swiss Superluminova that glows blue at night, 40mm case size made of 316L stainless steel, sapphire crystal glass with anti reflective coating. The water resistance of 10 ATM (100 metres) with a screw down crown and a case thickness (or thinness) of 7mm! All this at a really attractive price of €349!! There was just one question left to be answered. Could this watch be the perfect one for the summer?
I received my Northgate Vesper Green about 2 weeks ago and I have been wearing the watch day and night ever since. I also received 2 rubber straps with it. A black and a green one.
Starting with the unboxing the watch comes in a really handy travel case instead of a big wooden box that you would not use again. ( Yeah, I have a few of these big boxes collecting dust in the house.) Inside of it there is a watch adjusting tool that is really easy to use and some spare links in case you need some. The bracelet actually comes in a size that fits the most common wrist size of 17.5 cm.
Trying it on for the first time, it felt really comfortable with no sharp edges and that crisp green dial really had the wow effect! I knew that the case was only 7mm but I was still surprised at how thin this is especially when we consider that the watch has a 100m water resistance rating!
The first test I had to do (obviously) was the lume test. I do not like to look at my phone screen at night when I wake up, so I always sleep with my watch on. The lume in this is super bright and makes it really easy to tell the time in the dark for first glance!
I always preferred brushed bracelets and cases as they show less scratches and thankfully it is all brushed here apart from the side of the bezel that makes it stand out a bit more when the light catches it.
Second test was everyday wear. I do not need to worry about this watch when it is on my wrist. Comfortable, legible, strong and makes me think “yeah, cool watch” when I check the time on it. The bracelet has an easy to change system so you can change from the metal to the rubber in minutes. So in my opinion that is a very easy pass. It is a great everyday watch!
Finally the big question, can this watch be the perfect one for the summer?
- It has a screw down crown, so it makes me feel confident when I jump into water.
- Legible and easy to read the time.
- Well made, good use of high grade materials. (sapphire crystal glass, 316L stainless steel, BWG9 superluminova)
- Easy to change the metal bracelet to a rubber one.
- Fun dial colour options
To sum it all up, I think that the Northgate LXRYSPRT is the perfect summer watch thanks to all the points that I made earlier. I can confidently and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to get a high quality, colourful timepiece. I am sure that you will have the same reaction as I had when I first tried my watch on. “WOW IT IS BETTER THAN I EXPECTED”