This is a review of the reference CS.SR.S.P.10 from Ice Watches. This watch is from their Classic Solid collection. The breakdown of the model number, CS - Classic Solid, SR - Silver, S – Small, P – Polycarbonate and 10 - year (of manufacture) 10 - 2010.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Function: Hour, minutes and seconds
• Case: Polycarbonate
• Movement: Miyota quartz
• Crystal: Mineral
• Water resistance: 5 ATM
• Dimensions: 35.5 mm bezel, 34.5 mm case, height 11.5 mm, lug width 18 mm, lug to lug 41 mm
• Retail price: $100 USD

CASE

The watch is well made and finished. The design is based on the popular Rolex Submariner. The case is made of gray polycarbonate and has a nice profile. It has a ‘polished’ finish. The mold use must be high quality, as the case finish is very nice looking. The case side is also polished, as is the bezel. The sides are well chamfered and are very uniform across the chamfer as can be seen in the photograph below. There are no rough edges.

The bezel is uni-directional and takes 60 clicks to do a full rotation. The bezel can be turned very easily and there is a slightly loose feel. The bezel insert is polished stainless steel. The 'pearl' at the 12 o'clock position is luminous, and the usual 'divers' markings, rendered in white, are there (i.e. the minute marking for the first 15 minutes). The markings are clear, but I suspect the paint may wear off with daily use. The diver-like design on this watch is great, but since the watch is only rated to 5 ATM, it is obviously not meant for serious diving. The bezel is also 1 mm larger as compared to the case. This detail does not stand out much though.

The polished case back is made of stainless steel. However, do not be fooled into thinking that it comes with a screw-down case back. It does not. The case back is a snap-back case back. It is simply made to look like a screw-down case back.

The markings on the case back: the manufacturer signature, ‘ice-watch’ adorn the center of the case back. Just below it, in very small print, ‘Designed in Belgium’, 'Miyota Japan Movement' and ‘Assembled in China’. Around the center is the company website at 12 o'clock position and 'Stainless Steel Case back' at 6 o'clock.

The crown is also made from stainless steel. It is of the push-pull design. It measures a good 5.5 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. It is signed with the ice-watch logo. The size of the crown makes it a pleasure to use and operate. There is a notch on the back of the case to make using the crown easier. It pulls out to adjust the time.

MOVEMENT

This watch comes fitted with a basic 3 hand Miyota quartz no date movement. I cannot verify this, as I did not remove the case back. This information is based on the dealers website and on the case back. The accuracy for this watch should be good, as good as any quartz movement should be. The movement should be very reliable as Miyota makes it. As with most quartz movements that I have seen, the second hand does not align to the minute markers. The movement 'hacks' as all quartz movement does.

DIAL

The silver dial is not matte or shinny but has a 'sun burst' design and that radiates from the center of the dial. This type of dial does not work well in bright sunlight, as it can be very reflective. Although the design of the watch is based on the Rolex Submariner, the dial is based on the Rolex Explorer. The 12 o'clock position is marked by a huge triangle, and the 3, 6 and 9 marked by Arabic numerals. Baton-type markers mark the rest of the hours. The hour markers are luminous but the luminosity is really faint.

The rest of the dial design makes reading the time very easy, as there is not much in terms of writings. Just below the 12 o'clock marker you have the ice-watch signature. Above the 6 o'clock marker is the water resistance rating '5ATM' and below it 'WATER RESISTANT'. This minimalist approach makes the dial less cluttered.

HANDS

The hands are similar to the ‘Rolex-type’ Mercedes hands design. The luminosity on the hands is better as compared to the dial, but it is really not great. In fact, it lasts about 1 hour at best. The finish of the hands is good for a watch in this price range. The polish finish is even across the hands, as is the luminous material.

The minute hand extends to the minute markers, which is great. This makes reading the exact minute easy. The second hand is rendered in red/orange. It breaks the monotony of the silver on gray design of the watch. It has a luminous dot on it.

CRYSTAL

This watch is fitted with a mineral crystal. The crystal is flat but it does extend about 0.5 mm above the bezel. This makes it prone to chipping. The crystal lacks any AR coating.

BRACELET

The bracelet on the watch is also made from gray polycarbonate. The bracelet is very well made. There is hardly any play on the bracelet. The bracelet is of the 3-piece design. The centerpiece is matte and the pieces at the side are polished.

The end pieces fit the watch case perfectly and there is also no play. There are cutouts at the back of the end pieces to facilitate removal of the bracelet from the watch. The bracelet offers the normal adjustment that you would find on any bracelet of this design. The adjustment pushpins are serrated at the ends to lock it into place in the bracelet pieces.

The clasp is made of gray polycarbonate. It is matte and the exterior is textured to look like the rest of the bracelet. It does offer plenty of fine adjustment. The downside of the clasp is that the tab to unlock is ‘short’. It is difficult to unlock the clasp.

The folding part is made from stainless steel and is marked such. It is matte finished. It is thin, but it works. The workmanship on it could be better though, especially on the ‘stainless steel’ legend. The black-filled legend is already fading.

CONCLUSION

This watch offers great value for money. It comes with a movement from a reliable manufacture. The design is fresh. It is light and not very thick. It does stand out, as it is shiny. It is easy to use and operate. Not having the date function may be a deal breaker for some though. And the bezel could be a tad tighter.