STERNGLAS Merion Review

One of the most fulfilling things about running Hourstriker is getting to discover watch brands that otherwise I probably wouldn’t have come across. One such brand is the German brand STERNGLAS.

STERNGLAS is a relatively young brand only being founded in October of 2016 by Dustin Fontaine. When Dustin was 16 years old, he took a job at a local watch manufactory in Munster Germany where he did mundane jobs but ended up becoming obsessed with watches.

When Dustin was 21 years old he had an epiphany realizing that there should be a watch brand that a student such as himself could afford pieces from that still were crafted out of top notch materials. Dustin's vision was to create a brand that had sleek Bauhaus designs that would be accessible to everyone via a low price entry point.



In 2016 Dustin was working as a web developer and not feeling at all fulfilled by the profession. It was at this time he decided to dump all of his energy and savings into creating his own brand, STERNGLAS. October 2016 was the date that Dustin launched his first watch on Kickstarted and was successful in getting enough backers to move forward with the project. In the years since Sternglas has become a globally known brand and even has their watches in over 450 retail locations around the world.

I find Dustin's story pretty similar to my own, also being a web developer around 21 when I got tired of not being able to afford four and five figure watches. Instead of starting my own brand, I ended up building one of the largest resale watch sites out there. That experience led me to creating Hourstiker almost two decades later to focus more on the entire watch world instead of just sales.

Since I'm mostly drawn to sports, dive and pilot's watches when I saw the press release for the upcoming STERNGLAS Merion dive watch, I instantly reached out to STERNGLAS to see if they would be willing to send us one to review. Luckily STERNGLAS agreed and we picked the black and red variant to be sent to us.



It's always fun to me when a brand steps out of their comfort zone and delivers a watch that doesn't fit in their core DNA. STERNGLAS isn't known for making dive watches and for their first attempt I believe they knocked it out of the park. The design of the Merion harkens back to the 1960s compressor style watches but still looks modern. To me it reminds me of the second generation IWC Aquatimers with the inner rotating dive bezel, which is a great thing seeing I've owned many Aquatimers.

When the Merion showed up, the first thing I noticed was the size of the watch. The watch has a 41 mm case diameter with a 48.2 mm lug to lug length. It seems today that everyone keeps releasing smaller and smaller watches including divers. The main purpose of a dive watch is to feature great legibility, so they should be larger watches. It is refreshing to see STERNGLAS resist the urge to shrink the watch and keep the dimensions where they should be.

The second thing I noticed about the watch was how nice the included Tropic rubber strap is. I'm not sure why, but recently I've found myself really liking Tropic rubber straps. The one included with the Merion might be one of the nicest I've come across as well. The strap is super supple and conforms extremely nice to the wrist. Really one of the most comfortable rubber straps I've ever worn.



The last thing that I noticed and really loved during my initial time with the STERNGLAS Merion was a very small detail. When you unscrew the crowns there is a small red ring visible around the bottom of the crown. This is a very small thing, but it shows somebody about to enter the water that the crown isn't screwed in and in turn could let water into the case if submerged. For being the first diver from STERNGLAS it's extremely impressive that they added such a small detail. Some of the most expensive and established dive watches don't even have this safety feature in place. Even my nearly $30,000 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms doesn't have this small safety feature!

Now that we've gone over my initial thoughts on the STERNGLAS Merion, let's take some time to look at the technical specifications of the watch. The watch has a case diameter of 41 mm and a lug to lug length of 48.2 mm. The Merion is 14.1 mm thick and weighs in at 108 grams on the rubber strap. The case is crafted out of 316L stainless steel that is brushed and polished.

The STERNGLAS Merion features a double domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. Under the crystal clear sapphire is the stunning textured black dial. The dial isn't jet black, but more of a very dark grayish black with a sand like texture. The applied stick hour markers along with the hours, minutes and tip of the seconds hand are coated with bright green Luminova. The triangle of the inner rotating dive bezel is also coated with lume.



The "STERNGLAS Zeitmesser" text can be found at 12 o'clock with the "AUTOMATIK 200M / 660FT" text found at 6. Also at 6 o'clock is the red back date window which is an uncommon round shape. The red backing of the date window also matches the red running seconds hand as well as the smaller red hour markers above the lumed markers.

Around the outside of the dial is the inner rotating dive bezel with a 60 minute scale. Each 10 minute interval is marked with an Arabic numeral and each 5 minute interval is marked with a stick marker while each remaining minute is represented by a dot. The contrast between the black dial and the white/lumed dial markers and hands is very high, making the watch an excellent choice for low visibility situations such as diving.

The dial surround of the Merion is brushed as are the sides of the case. The lugs and side of the bezel are polished which makes the watch visually interesting as opposed to just being fully brushed. The right hand side of the watch features two crowns with one at 2 o'clock and the other at 4. The upper 2 o'clock crown is used to control the dive bezel while the bottom crown sets the time and date as well as winds the watch manually. Both crowns are nicely scalloped and should be easy to operate even with dive gloves on.



The upper crown features a red arrow on it representing turning the inner bezel while the bottom crown has the STERNGLAS logo on it. Both crowns screw down to ensure 200 meters of water resistance. Once the top crown is un-screwed you can then rotate the inner bezel bi-directionally. Since screwing down the crown locks the bezel in place, STERNGLAS allows bi-directional adjustments since there is no need to only allow uni-directional setting for safety concerns. The crown pushes in easily and is a breeze to screw back in.

Unscrewing the bottom crown allows you to manually wind the Merion in its initial position. Pulling the crown out to position one lets you set the date and pulling the crown out to position two lets you set the date. Position two also stops the running seconds hand so that you can set the exact time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minutes hand and the crown screws back in with minimal effort. The STERNGLAS Merion has a screwed down solid case back with an engraving of two flying fish. STERNGLAS picked the flying fish since they defy limits and soar above the surface of the water effectively breaking the laws of physics. Also here you also find all the pertinent information about the watch engraved around the outside of the case back such as water resistance and movement details.



Speaking of the movement, for the Merion STERNGLAS picked the Seiko TMI NH35 automatic movement. The TMI NH35 winds in both directions and uses the Magic Lever System that increases the efficiency of winding. The Diashock system also drastically improves the shock resistance of the movement, which is something super important for a sports or dive watch.

The TMI NH35 has a power reserve of 41 hours, which is more than enough to get you over the hump of not wearing the watch for a day and still having it running the next day. It isn't enough of a power reserve to get you through an entire weekend of not wearing the watch though. Seiko quotes an accuracy of -20/+40 seconds a day. On our timegrapher the TMI NH35 recorded readings from -1 to +1 seconds per day of accuracy in different positions. This is extremely accurate with some positions even recording 0 seconds per day. I guess Seiko just needs to be extremely conservative when quoting accuracy of their movements.



Another thing I love that STERNGLAS did with the Merion is ship the watch with both a stainless steel bracelet as well as a Tropic rubber strap. Personally I'm not that into bracelets, I credit this to having to go through hot Texas summers with older bracelets that didn't have micro-adjustments and just hating how tight the watches became. Also I really prefer lightweight watches like titanium, carbon and ceramic, so adding all the bulk of a bracelet isn't something I'm a fan of.

For the stainless steel bracelet STERNGLAS uses an integrated design that fits nicely into the case. The bracelet uses an ingenious system that allows you to remove links from the bracelet without any tools. The system easily allows you to pull up on the removable links and then slip out the link you want to remove. Also the clasp features three micro adjustment points where you can size the bracelet to have an exact fit. The bracelet features a very secure fliplock style clasp as well. The bracelet can also be easily removed with quick release pins where the bracelet meets the case.



The lug width of the STERNGLAS Merion is 20 mm and that makes the watch a pure strap monster being able to accommodate literally thousands of aftermarket straps. The Tropic rubber strap included with the Merion is top tier though. Being a fan of Tropic rubber straps, the included strap is one of the nicest and most comfortable Tropic rubber straps I've worn. The strap tapers down from 20 mm at the lugs down to 18 mm at the polished pin buckle featuring STERNGLAS branding. The strap also features quick release pins to make swapping between the bracelet and strap a snap. The back of the strap is nicely grooved with a diamond pattern that helps the watch stay put on your wrist.

We had the STERNGLAS Merion for a few weeks and I was able to wear the watch fairly frequently. The watch fit my 7.25" wrist with a 55 mm flat area rather well. I do tend to typically prefer watches with an over 50 mm lug to lug length, but the Merion is close enough. The watch wears a bit smaller on the rubber strap than it does on the bracelet which has a bit of flare to it. Even though the watch isn't in my preferred titanium, ceramic or carbon the watch was never top heavy or gave me wrist fatigue. The rubber strap did a great job of keeping the watch centered on my wrist and it also didn't favor one side over the other, which is a pet peeve of mine.



During the still hot Texas days the rubber strap was a treat to wear and did well with wrist swelling. The pin holes are around 6.8 mm apart so it was fairly easy to resize the strap when needed and have the watch still not feel too tight or loose. The black dial and strap helped the Merion fit in perfectly with my typical daily dress of black t-shirts, shorts and sneakers. Basically it's just a great casual or warm weather watch on a rubber strap. Wearing the watch on the bracelet would probably allow the Merion to do better in more semi formal and formal settings as well.

The Merion is really a great daily wearer, which was tested out while running my mundane errands and going out to dinner and drinks. For the most part the Merion disappears on wrist during wear and when needed is just a glance away. The high contrast between the dial and markers made telling the time quick and easy, even while driving. The case is large enough to have some presence but not too large where the watch is always present on your mind.

The Merion didn't get noticed much while wearing it out, it did get some looks but I didn't get questioned about the watch. This is pretty much normal for me unless I'm wearing something like a hyped up sports watch or a crazy watch like a Ulysse Nardin Freak that just looks like a spaceship on the wrist. The friends I did show the watch to liked it a lot and even asked if it came on a bracelet. Most people tended to pick the standout feature to be the textured black dial. Also many commented on how affordable the watch was and were surprised by its price.



Speaking about the price, the STERNGLAS Merion retails for $749 which includes both the stainless steel bracelet and the Tropic rubber strap. The watch is a great value especially when you factor in its good looks, 200 meters of water resistance and super accurate automatic movement. We should also take a look at some other divers to see how the Merion stacks up in the genre.

First up we have the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto which is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 43 mm. The Khaki Navy Scuba does up the water resistance to 300 meters and almost twice the power reserve at 80 hours from the in-group ETA based automatic movement. The Hamilton does cost decently more than the STERNGLAS at $1,075 which does not include a rubber strap just a stainless steel bracelet.

Next up we have the Longines Hydroconquest which measures in at 41 mm and is also crafted out of stainless steel. Like the Hamilton the Longines also offers 300 meters of water resistance, 100 more than the STERNGLAS. The Longines also uses an ETA automatic movement with 72 hours of power reserve. The Longines comes in at even more than the Hamilton at $1,375 and also doesn't include an extra rubber strap.



Moving on we have the Squale 1521 which is 42 mm and is crafted out of stainless steel. The Squale ups the water resistance to 500 meter and uses an off the shelf Sellita SW 200-1 automatic movement with less power reserve at 38 hours. The Squale also has a vintage style case with the crown at 4 o'clock with might be divisive to some buyers. Like the Hamilton and Longines, the Squale comes in quite a bit higher than the STERNGLAS at $1,305.

Finally there is the Formex Reef 42 mm once again in stainless steel. Like the Longines and Hamilton the Formex has a depth rating of 300 meters, 100 meters more than the STERNGLAS. The Reef runs on a chronometer certified Swiss Made Sellita SW300-1, which is a higher end version of the movement found in the Squale. Like the other three watches, the Formex comes in a lot more expensive than the STERNGLAS at $1,960 and also doesn't include an extra rubber strap.



Looking at the three watches I compared the STERNGLAS Merion to it's easy to see its value. Although the other three watches offered at least 100 meters more of water resistance, 200 meters is still way more than any normal human or even professional diver will ever experience. The Sellita and ETA movements can be seen as superior movements to the Seiko found in the STERNGLAS, but with the accuracy we observed that's a mute point.

So in the end is the STERNGLAS Merion for me? Honestly given the price of the watch and its size and included straps, I'd say it is. Sure I'd prefer that STERNGLAS offered a model in titanium to help make the watch even lighter and might prefer the case to be a mm or so larger and approach the 50 mm lug to lug size, but that's really splitting hairs. The Merion just makes a great everyday watch that you can throw just about anything at and it'll be just fine.



Naturally then I'd highly recommend the STERNGLAS Merion to anyone looking for an affordable yet high quality diver. The movement is rock solid, easy to service and deadly accurate all while being housed in a watch that can even be used for serious diving. The black and red color scheme of the watch is fetching and the textured black dial is a super nice bonus as opposed to a dial with no pattern. The $749 price tag is pretty much unbeatable, especially considering STERNGLAS is a small independent and not part of a massive watch group that has lower production costs.

The Merion was a great introduction to STERNGLAS for me. Even more so, it's extremely impressive how great of a diver they came out with on their first attempt. The little touches like the red indicators that tell you the crowns aren't closed are something even established divers don't have. I walked away from my time with the Merion with a lot of respect for what STERNGLAS has done in such a short amount of time. I really can't wait to see what's next for the brand and I'm eager to review another watch from them sooner than later.



For more information about the Merion please visit : STERNGLAS

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: S02-ME03-SET

Retail Price: $749

Case Size: 41 mm

Lug to Lug: 48.2 mm

Thickness: 14.1 mm

Weight: 108 Grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Inner Rotating Dive

Strap: Stainless Steel with Deployant Clasp / Tropic Rubber with Pin Buckle

Movement: Seiko TMI NH35 Japanese Automatic

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Power Reserve: 41 Hours

Water Resistance: 200 Meters