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WATCH REVIEW - MTM Special Ops Air Stryk II

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#1 · (Edited)
Watch Reviewed: MTM Special Ops Air Stryk II

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Company Information:

MTM | SPECIAL OPS
1225 South Grand Ave.
Los Angeles CA 90015
USA

Website:
http://www.specialopswatch.com
Email: sales@specialopswatch.com.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MTMSpecialopswatches
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtmspecialopswatch/


About from Company Website:

For over 25 years, MTM established itself by creating timepieces for the watch industry. Over those years, MTM team and the company founder and ex-military, kept his ears to the ground and was quick to respond to the needs of his peers still in service. When called upon, MTM developed and engineered watches to withstand extreme conditions, crafted like an instrument, and designed with unparalleled accuracy and with military standard. MTM Special Ops Watches are built for action.

Highly specialized since the beginning, MTM has produced timepieces that incorporate UV light to detect blood unseen to the naked eye, a radiation detection device to chronicle exposure over time and the flagship watch with external and internal light in order to stealthily read maps at night or use as an emergency signal. It is this unique functionality that has carved an indelible niche in the industry. That marked the creation of the Black Hawk models, the first in a series of many highly acclaimed watches within this original brand: MTM Special Ops.

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MTM Special Ops Air Stryk II

Stock Photo:



Description from the company website:

THE GRAY AIR STRYK II is an update of the MTM Air Stryk series. As it’s predecessor, the GRAY AIR STRYK II is not just rugged in its looks and durability and offers an imposing array of valuable and unique functions. Besides bold, easy to read under all conditions, analog hands, the GRAY AIR STRYK II is lightweight titanium and incorporates a global GMT world-time function along with 5 daily digital alarms, a digital compass, chronograph mode, countdown timer and 24 hour time. All displayed in the two electro-luminescent, backlit display windows. The newly redesigned dial incorporates a carbon fiber lower half. Case plating options of DLC black and matte silver are also available…


Video of watch from company website:



Watch Specifications:

- Case Material: Titanium, Grey PVD Coated
- Case Diameter: 45.0mm
- Case Thickness: 16.0mm
- Case Length: 50.0mm (at lug screws)
- Caseback Material: Titanium
- Caseback Style: Screwed-in
- Crystal Material: Sapphire
- Dial Color: Black, Brass With Carbon Fiber Lower Half
- Strap Material: Nylon
- Lug Width: 24.0mm

- Movement: MTM Proprietary Swiss Made Quartz
- Water resistance: 30 ATM / 300 Meters
- Weight - 5.5 Ounces


Price: $1,100

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MTM Special Ops has created the Air Stryk II an update to one of their existing models, the Air Stryk. This model features many of the same features as its predecessor, but with updates made to the dial as well as the functionality of the watch’s unique functions.




In addition to the updates, MTM has incorporated several different options for components so that customers can truly “customize” their watch to their personal preferences. These options range from dial color to strap type and even a choice of case finish color. They have even built a nice, customization area in the “Details” section for the Air Stryk II so that customers can instantly see the results of their “customization”. Here is a link to the Air Stryk II model products page. Take the time to head over to check it out and design your own:
http://www.specialopswatch.com/products-page/titanium/black-air-stryk-ii/



Packaging:

The packaging for the Air Stryk II is a custom “Pelican” style, waterproof case. The case is black with the MTM logo molded into the top lid of the case. The logo is fully painted and has a fantastic appearance. The entire package has a great, tactical feel and has a nice appearance.




The inside of the case is lined with a rigid foam. The foam has a cutout section for the watch as well as the warranty package and strap changing tools.






Below is a closer shot of the changing tools supplied by MTM. The hex head tools include a allen style wrench as well as a straight tool, which is actually very useful when unscrewing the lug bars. I typically do not like using two allen wrenches while removing lug bars because it tends to be a little unwieldy, but his tool helps keep the watch in one place and more secure.




The watch also comes with a MTM keychain, which is designed to look like a military “dog tag”.



Case, Bezel and Crystal:

As I mentioned previously, Air Stryk II is an update to an existing MTM model, the Air Stryk. With this being said the case design has very much the same appearance as the previous model. The overall design of the case has a very “tactical” or “industrial” appearance, with its angular case shape as well as the matte finishing used throughout its surfaces. To accentuate this design theme, the watch case includes the use of matte finishing, darker colors and the use of exposed, hexagonal fasteners.







The watch’s case is constructed of titanium. For the Air Stryk II, MTM has provided its customers with a selection of three different DLC coating options to choose from: Silver, Grey or Black. The watch provided for review has the Grey DLC coating applied, which has a dark grey tone.




Given its fairly large dimensions, you would expect the Air Stryk II to be a fairly heavy and imposing presence on the wrist. However, since the case and caseback are constructed of titanium, the watch is actually fairly light and wears comfortably on the wrist. In fact, since it is mounted on the MTM nylon strap, it really does seem to disappear and feel very light when worn. The watch head alone weighs 90g.




The watch features an oversized crown as well as four individual pushers on the sides of its case. The functionality of the pushers will be discussed a little later in the review.





Below is a closer look at the hex screw head on the lug bars. This is a personal favorite option for me on watches as this style screw head helps to avoid slips and the related scratches.




A close-up of the watch's lug bars. The bars have hex heads as well as a rubber washer to help keep them secure.





The Air Stryk II's titanium, screwdown style caseback is fairly plain in appearance, with a bead blasted finish and the MTM sword logo nicely engraved into its center. The model name as well as a stock number and the watch's technical data are also deeply engraved into the caseback, with the technical data being engraved around its outside perimeter.



The Air Stryk II has an oversized, 9.40mm crown, with a hexagonal cutout at its end. Although the crown would appear large on paper, it blends very nicely with the overall watch design of the watch and seems to provide the practicality being accessible in almost all conditions/situations.



Due to its size, the crown is very easy to manipulate, even while wearing gloves. When setting the time, the crown has a nice feel and action.

Dial and Hands:

One of the updates incorporated into the Air Stryk II from its predecessor’s design is the new dial design. The dial now features a field of carbon fiber on across the entire lower half of the dial. The reflective quality of the carbon fiber adds a nice contrast to the otherwise matte dark grey, almost black, dial.

Towards the center of the dial, the watch features two electro-luminescent, backlit display windows. These “Ani-Digi” windows are used to display the many functions that have been built into the MTM proprietary quartz, which is utilized for this model. The features of this movement will be discussed a bit later in this review.




The dial features a mixture of numeric and applied index style hour markers. The 3, 9 and 12 o’clock positions on the dial feature oversized numeric indices, with index style hour markers completing the remaining positions of the dial. All of the indices, with the exception of the marker at 6 o’clock, are painted with a generous amount of Superluminova paint.

The hands are a customized version of traditional baton style hands. They have light grey painted frame, which have a half skeletonized design towards the center of the dial and Superluminova paint filled tips. The hand finish matches the hour marker surrounds. The white tone of the lume coordinates nicely with the other white features of the dial and provides a great contrast to the black dial.



The index featured at 6 o’clock is quite unique. It is a small version of the MTM company logo. This is quite unusual positioning, but I feel that it looks at home there and the size of the other indices help to balance out the dial.

This marker actually is very nicely executed and has nice detail. However, it does not include any luminous paint applied, which may limit its legibility in lower lit situations.




Below is a close-up of the carbon fiber dial surface as well as the MTM Special Ops name painted on the dial.




The dial features applied hour markers, with Superluminova paint applied. As you can see from the photos, the Superluminova used on the dial and hands have a nice greenish tone. The lume is fairly bright when fully charged and fades slowly over time. As you can see from the photos below, when it is fully charged it glows nicely.







Strap:

The strap options for the Air Stryk II are quite impressive, with a large selection styles, materials and colors to choose from – There are 30 options in all! For this review, the strap that came with the watch is MTM’s “Black GTX Grey Stitching” nylon strap.




The GTX strap comes with a very nice custom buckle. The buckle has a bead blasted finish and MTM engraved into its top surface.

The two bead blasted keepers that come with the strap are fixed and sewn into the GTX. As you can see from the photos, they have the same matte finish as the buckle.





Below is a close-up of the leather details on the GTX strap. The MTM name and USA are embossed into its surface. This detail is a nice touch and adds a bit of interest to the nylon strap and breaks up the lines of the strap at the lugs. In person, this looks great.





Movement:

The MTM Air Stryk II comes with a MTM Propriety Quartz movement. The movement incorporates functions such as: a global GMT world-time along with 5 daily digital alarms, a digital compass, chronograph mode, countdown timer and 24 hour time. Full features from the company website are below.


Movement Features:

• Digital Compass
• Digital Display: AM/PM, Hour, Minute, Seconds
| Date Display: Month-day or Day-month, Alarm, Timer | Preset Time Zones: 58 Cities
• User Defined Time Zones: 52
• Alarm Mode: 5 Daily Alarms, 1 Scheduled Alarm (Date Alarm).
• Chronograph Mode: Measuring Range - 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds, 10 + 1 lap records



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Wrist Shots:

For reference purposes, my wrist is 7.25 inches.

The Air Stryk II measures 45.0mm in diameter and 50.0mm in length. With these dimensions, the watch is definitely a larger watch and has plenty of wrist presence. This is especially true when you take into consideration the watch's fairly large crown as well as it's 18mm case thickness.


With this being said, its titanium construction, combined with the optional GTX strap make it very manageable to wear. Don't get me wrong, this watch is large, but it is purposely built that way to provide a tactical feel and tool watch appearance. This is definitely purpose built as a tool watch and not a dainty dress watch, and it certainly plays the part.









I actually really enjoy wearing this one. If my wrist was a tad larger, I would have a tough time taking it off my wrist.

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Overall impression and final thoughts:

The MTM Special Ops "Air Stryk II" is a rugged looking, tactical driven watch, which is packed with technical functionality. The finishing on the watch is nice and muted, as you would expect for a watch intended for tactical use. The titanium surfaces have a evenly applied matte finish and dark grey DLC finish, which should provide years of durability in all sorts of conditions.


This model is an updated version of an existing MTM model and it is certainly an attractive watch. Its price is fairly expensive for a quartz watch, but you are getting a custom designed watch, which is manufactured in the USA, with a proprietary movement which has tons of capability.

So what do I think? I really like it! Like I said, if I had a 7.5 inch wrist, this watch would live on my wrist when I was in the outdoors!

So, as I do with all of my reviews, while preparing my review and evaluating the watch, I take notes and keep an eye out for features that could be improved or changed to accentuate the look and/or functionality of the watch. I have compiled these points and have listed them below.

· The existing hands on the watch have a very nice, custom design. However, they are a tad small for my taste. I would prefer to have them a little larger. This would help with their legibility in low light situations, which would lend itself to help in tactical situations.

· I really love the hour marker at the 6 o'clock position. It's details are very nice and it ties MTM's branding into the watch's design. However, it does not have any lume. I would like to see luminous paint worked into this marker in some way.

· The nylon strap supplied with the watch has two fixed metal keepers. As it currently is designed, the tail of the strap will hang free for those with larger wrists. As you can see from the photos in the review, it fits my 7.25 inch wrist fine. But if my wrist was a little bigger, the tail would have been loose. This can be easily fixed by having the second metal keeper loose or including a cloth keeper in between the two metal keepers.

Please note, these points are fairly nit-picky and the watch has a great design and quality notwithstanding these three points. With this being said, I really like the Air Stryk II and feel that it is a fantastic tactical styled watch.

Well, that concludes my review …Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments ~
Mark
 
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#7 ·
A great review as ever! The dial, including the numbers and two dot matrix displays, obviously has had a cue from the Breitling Aerospace. I totally agree on the hands, they should be more hefty and longer. Having said that, it's refreshing to see a watch manufacturer really doing their own 'thing'. Watches like these are not my cup of tea but this one is well executed.
 
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