Szanto Watches Review – Affordable Military Styling

Szanto Watches Review

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szanto watches men's vintage dialEveryone has different interests when it comes to wristwatch features, pricing, and styling and there are probably as many different styles as there are people who like watches.

But certain types of wristwatches seem to be popular with the public, and if you’re going to make a product, you could do worse than to go with something you already know the public will want.

Szanto watches fall into that category.  The California-based company makes watches that have styling that was influenced by the military styling of watches of the early 20th Century.

That’s not to say that they’re military watches, per se, but they do evoke that era of styling, with large faces, dark colors and big dials.

They offer all of that in an accurate timepiece that’s sold at a fairly reasonable price.  I thought I’d take a closer look at Szanto watches and see what they’re about.

Read on for the full Szanto watches review.

Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary

Szanto Watches Build Quality

The build quality of Szanto watches is good, and likely better than average.  The company uses 316L stainless steel in their cases, and hardened mineral crystal to protect the watch face.

That’s not as hard as sapphire crystal, but they’re targeting a price point that’s below the range where you’ll usually find that super-hard material in use.

Most models are rated at 100 meters of water resistance.  That’s not suitable for diving, but it’s good enough that you can get them wet without having to worry about it.

Watches Movements

szanto watches unisex classic roundSzanto watches are available with both automatic (self-winding) mechanical movements and highly reliable quartz electronic movements.  As far as we know, all are sourced from Miyota in Japan.

Miyota is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of watch movement, and they are a division of Citizen, a company that is highly regarded in their own right as a manufacturer of timepieces.

Click here to shop for Szanto watches at Amazon (new window)

Innovation

Given that the pricing of Szanto watches falls into the hundreds of dollars, you’re not going to find a lot of technical innovation in this brand.

Their watches do feature what they call “Swiss SuperLuminova Lume,” which is a way of making the dials luminous so you can read them at night.  This feature recalls the color used on older watches that used paint that contained radium to illuminate the dial.

Radium worked well, but was also radioactive, which made it poorly suited for use in consumer products.  This feature evokes the look and function without the dangers of radioactive paint.

You’ll also find a few complications in Szanto watches, including the date, the day of the week, a small seconds dial, an inset 24 hour subdial and chronograph features in some newer models.

Styling and Features

szanto watches unisex coin cushionThe styling of  Szanto watches has been inspired by early 20th century military watches, so you’re going to find blacks, greens and browns in the color schemes.

Bands are either nylon or brown or black leather.

Dials tend to the larger side, with cases typically running in the 42-46mm range.  These are designed to be large, easy-to-read watches.

All models, both automatic mechanical and quartz electronic, feature analog displays.

We haven’t noticed a time-only model in the product line; all of their models seem to include one of more complications.

At this time, the company doesn’t make any models designed specifically for women, though they do offer a few models that are designated as “unisex.”  These models tend to be a bit smaller, with cases in the 40mm range.

Care and Maintenance

The care and maintenance of Szanto watches is fairly straightforward, especially if you have one of the models with a quartz movement.  For those, you should replace the battery every few years.

Many manufacturers of mechanical watches have a recommended service interval so that the watch can be cleaned and adjusted every few years.  We’re not aware of a recommended service schedule for this brand.

As with all watches, you should store your Szanto watches in a cool, dry place and keep them away from strong magnetic fields and extremes of temperature.

With proper care, your watches should run well for decades.

Szanto Watches Warranty

The warranty offered with Szanto watches is a bit of a disappointment, though it’s not necessarily a bad one.  When you make your purchase, you’ll receive a warranty against defects and craftsmanship for one year from the date of purchase.

This is likely sufficient to cover all manufacturing problems, though the majority of watch manufacturers (probably 90% or more) offer a two year warranty.

As these timepieces are well-tested at the factory, manufacturing defects are likely quite rare.

Prices

szanto watches men's aviatorAs designer timepieces go, Szanto watches are priced relatively affordably.  Models range in price from a low of about $169 to a high of about $450.

That puts them at the lower end of the price range of quality timepieces.  Prices may vary a bit from one retailer to another, so you may want to shop around a bit to find the model you want and the best price.

Where to Buy

You can buy Szanto watches at a few brick and mortar retailers, though the brand is best represented through online sales.

You can purchase them directly from the manufacturer at their own Website.  Also, many larger online retailers, such as Amazon, carry the brand.

Not all retailers will have all models in stock, as models come and go.  The official Website is likely to carry only the currently available models, while other Websites may have those as well as some discontinued models.

Szanto Watches Summary

If you like large dials, subdued colors, and old-school styling, you might find that Szanto watches is a good fit for you.  These watches are big, and their Big Aviator comes in at 46mm, so the watch will command attention when you wear it.

You’re a bit limited in choices if you’re female, as they don’t offer any models specifically for women, though they do have a few unisex models.

They offer well-built watches, with time-tested reliable movements from a reputable source.  There’s a good range of features to suit the whims of most buyers.

And Szanto watches offer affordable pricing and good availability.

If you’re looking for an eye-catching timepiece with military styling, Szanto watches may be a good brand for you.

Click here to shop for Szanto watches at Amazon (new window)