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Watch Review: James McCabe The BELFAST JM-1010-03

12K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  Spaceview 
#1 · (Edited)


Web site: http://mccabewatches.com/

Contact Information: hello@mccabewatches.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mccabewatches

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mccabewatches

About James McCabe (from web site):

James McCabe born in 1748 was the son of Patrick McCabe, himself a notable watchmaker from County Lurgan in Ireland. James McCabe immigrated to London in 1775 where he established his own business in Bells Building, Fleet Street.


On 2nd April 1781, James McCabe, was made an Honorary Freeman of the Clockmakers Company. He progressed to the Livery in April 1787, Junior Warden in January 1809, Renter Warden in October 1809 and Senior Warden on 8th July 1811.Shortly after his appointment to Senior Warden, James McCabe passed away and his company now situated at 97 Cornhill Royal Exchange, was passed on to his sons Thomas, Robert and James Jnr and formally taken over by Robert McCabe in 1833 until it closed for the last time in 1879.


This illustrious watchmaking house, one of Britain’s finest and most illustrious produced in its 100 year history - 50,000 watches, 7,000 clocks and 500 marine chronometers.


The House of McCabe was renowned for the sheer variety of its designs and the creativity and prestige of manufacture was celebrated and revered by owners worldwide. These pieces remain highly collectable today and fetch increasingly higher prices at auction houses worldwide.


Stock Photo:



Model tested: THE BELFAST JM-1010-03
Reviewer: Marc (Spaceview)
This watch was donated for review.

Retail price: $327.37USD (205 British Pound Sterling)
Zalore: 168.00 SGD = 131.39 USD

http://www.zalora.sg/The-Belfast-Au...james-mccabe_JA210AC01GGCSG&utm_term=triggit#.

Other variations of this model:



Specifications:

Automatic Skeleton Movement

Stainless Steel Rose Gold Case

Black Dial with Rose Gold Index

Brown Leather Strap

5 ATM

Case diameter with crown: 46mm



Case diameter without crown: 44mm



Lug Distance: 20mm



Buckle Taper: 18mm



First Impression: This reminded me of several Bulova open heart watches that I've seen in the past. I like the open heart look so that you can see the beat of the watch. My first impression is that this is a very nice looking rose gold dress watch on a leather strap.

Outer Box: Nothing special here. Just a simple white cardboard box.



Inner Box Nice inner box. I like that it is small. I store these boxes and don't use them until I give away, sell, or trade the watch. The small box takes up less storage space than some of the monster boxes other watches come in. The inner box contains only what you need; the watch on a pillow, the owners manual, warranty card and the hang tag.



Owners Manual and Warranty Card



Dial, Bezel, and Hands: This bezel allows for a large dial making this watch very easy to read. It uses numbers at the 12 and 6 position and indices at all the other hour markers. The hands are thin. I would prefer a little thicker hour and minute hand. The hour and minute hands are filled with lume material and are the only lumed part of the dial. The dial is very clean. Only the company logo on the dial and the open heart, no day or date window. Nothing else on the dial to distract from the open heart, so your eye is immediately drawn to the opening. I like the way they did that.



Crown: Stamped crown is easy to grab for a small crown. It does not screw down so the water resistance rating reflects this by being only 5 ATM. The stem seems sturdy and solid. The watch winds smoothly.



Case Back: This is really the highlight of this watch. It is a beautiful movement revealed behind a large exhibition case back. They felt the need to place the company name on the exhibition window. I don't think that was necessary. In fact, I think it distracts from the beautiful movement.



Strap and Buckle: Nice quality genuine leather strap. Plenty long enough for larger wrists. I have 4 holes left after strapping this watch around my 8.25 inch wrist. The strap is 20mm at the lugs and tapers to 18mm at the buckle.



The buckle has the logo on it. One fixed and one floating keeper are provided.



Wrist Shot: Very comfortable on the wrist. I measure the lug-to-lug distance to be 49.5mm.




Side-By-Side Comparison: Compared against a CCCP HERITAGE CP-7020-03

Full review of the CCCP HERITAGE CP-7020-03:
http://www.watchfreeks.com/121-watch-review/135345-watch-review-cccp-heritage-cp-7020-03-a.html

I think this is a very fair comparison. Both of these watches are dress automatics and are about the same diameter and thickness. The CCCP is a 43mm case so the McCabe is a little bit larger at 44mm. The McCabe is 13mm thick as compared to the 14mm thickness of the CCCP.

These both wear almost identically.



Both are dress watches and would easily slip under the sleeve of a dress shirt.



Luminosity: Regular non-flash photography



Using UV flash photography:





Summary:

This is a very nice dress automatic. You need to be a fan of rose gold to really get on board with this watch. The open heart is really the stellar feature of this piece. It is highly visible on the dial. If you like this feature then you should like this execution of the open heart. The dial is very clean and the open heart really stands out. The size of this watch should appeal to many wearers as it really lands in the sweet spot for many buyers at 44mm.

Pros:
1) Adequate strap length for larger wrists.
2) Nicely decorated movement. Available for viewing through the opening on the front of the dial and through the exhibition crystal on the back of the watch.
3) 44mm case is right in the sweet spot for many buyers.

Cons:
1) Low water resistance at 5ATM. I would be careful around water and I would not wear this watch swimming.
2) Poor choice of placing the company name on the rear exhibition crystal. Obstructs the view of the movement only a little but a little more than necessary.
 
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#3 ·
Nice review, thanks. My other half is a McCabe with Irish ancestry. I may have to invest in one of their Watches at some point.
 
#7 ·
Who is Frank?
 
#9 ·
Fine review, as always. What utterly destroys the moment for me is the faux tourbillion window. I just hate this on watches, be it with a real tourbillion or not. The shape of the hands, the Omega dial, it all clicks. Only to ruin it all with that hole in the dial.
 
#10 ·
Marc, these are very very nice looking ! :) :) Seems like the perfect dress automatic really, and the skeletonized dial with the open heart is exceptional here. Reminds you of those Bulovas you mentioned, and maybe some of the cooler classy Hamiltons with the nice skeletonization too. Just seems like it would be a great go to fress watch, and has a ton of terrific touches with the dial, but also the case-back as you said with the careful detailing. Beautiful dial, finish, decoration, and of course strap. Guess the hands could be thicker as you said, but really liking the job McCabe did, and thank you for telling us the history like this about them. Very much appreciate it, and the phenomenal review as always ! :smileyface_hand_cla Thank you !!!
 
#11 ·
 
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