Fashion Watch or Legitimate Contender?

Today we are going to take a “quick”, relative term, look at the Xeric Evergraph. Xeric is primarially a Kick Starter (KS) brand but most of their watches can still be purchased directly from their website. To recognize their current KS campaign (May 2019) I thought I would buy and look at some of their previous watches to see what I should expect from the future.

Many of these KS brands can be “sensitive” to feedback and I’ve already had some grumpy business owners / employees lash out against my constructive criticism. Even the Rolex Submariner finds aspects to improve upon and it’s a timeless and iconic piece. Unfortunately, many microbrands think they’re mom’s perfect angels.

So, if you’re Xeric I hope you enjoy this feedback from a regular consumer!

Who’s it for? The Evergraph, and Xeric brand watches in general, are for those that want a unique timepiece that makes a fashion statement but isn’t another branded Ali-Express™ junk fashion watch.

TWC Paid:  $265.00 CAD (exchanged from $210.00 USD) Shipped & Taxed

Xeric
Model: Evergraph
Reference: EGA-3017 (leather version)
Origin: USA
Case: 44mm Stainless Steel, Coated Height:14mm Length: 41mm
Lugs: 20mm
Movement: Miyota 82S0, 21J (21,800 BPH), 42 Hour Power Reserve, non-hacking
Crystal: Sapphire-Coated K1 Mineral (old models) Sapphire (new models)
WR: 5 ATM – 5 Bar – 50m
Lume: Yes
Strap: Solid 316L Stainless Steel 5-Link, with double butterfly deployment clasp
MSRP: $499.99 USD + Tax
Website: Xeric.com

The Quick Take…

A very important preface to all of this is that I picked up my example of the Xeric Evergraph on eBay for $210 USD, shipped and taxed (duties). I feel like this is a very appropriate price point for the Evergraph and if I were a regular retail shopper, I think I would be happy picking one of these up, on strap or bracelet, for sub-$300 USD.

While on KS, the Evergraph in leather ran for $279 USD and currently you can purchase one new from Xeric for $299 USD. Want a steel bracelet and you’ll be asked to shell out $500 USD! All the Evergraph models are “on sale” from their ridiculous retail MSRP’s, and what you’ll actually be asked to pay will depend on which model you choose. Some models like the Trapist series can be had for as low as $150 USD, though that series is really more of a novelty watch so…

The Question Today: is the Xeric Evergraph a quality alternative a mainstream watch or is it just another over-priced junk fashion watch?

1. Packaging
   • Sustain: The grey textile finish with burnished brand name is a nice minimalist touch. It’s just $200 worth of packaging
   • Improve: A little book instead of the single card that has the warranty info and how to set the watch would be preferable to a website link. It’s definitely not $3-500 worth of packaging, even if you say you are trying to save the planet by not printing a booklet.

2. Case:
• Sustain: A simple effective design that holds everything together
• Improve: The compass look isn’t for everyone.

3. Bezel & Rehaut:
• Sustain: Bezel is domed and protects the crystal well.
• Improve: the bezel, which takes up half the case width, is a different color / material from the case and looks plasticy. I know on the versions with high polish finishing that this bezel appears to work but here it doesn’t.

4. Lugs:
• Sustain: They look cool, like a Martian lander.
• Improve: They’re sharp! One of the first things my wife noticed was the severe lines these lugs cut!

5. Crown:
• Sustain: The crown is positioned at the 8 o’clock which, especially for the non-enthusiast, should alleviate any potential crown discomfort while on the wrist.
• Improve: I’d like to see the crown sit flush with the case body.

6. Crystal:
• Sustain: Being well recessed and well treated the crystal should wear well over time.
• Improve: The crystal not being sapphire comes off as plastic as soon as you look at it
and once you touch it this appearance is confirmed. I wonder if the Sapphire model looks
like this…

7. Dial:
• Sustain: Seeing as the Xeric is all about presenting the time in a unique fashion I think
that the inside / outside track system here works well and I can, at a glance, easily tell what time it is even if I just check the hour hand. I like the blue v orange; the numbers and dots are legible and simple, and I feel like it all works well together.
• Improve: Initially the dial can be overwhelming and since the packaging is proportional to the overall cost there’s no printed manual, just a link to the website. The giant plastic looking rotor at the 12 o’clock comes off as cheap at first glance but after a few days you actually stop noticing it. On the other versions it appears to work better than it does on this all black model. Like other aspects of the dial the see through window displays the heart of the watch, which is cool, especially for non-enthusiasts; however, my wife, after pointing this out to me, also stated that if you’re going to do this that you should make it more obvious, more fancy, and spice it up a bit to really make this feature shine.

8. Lume:
• Sustain: Everything is lumped which is great to see
• Improve: Despite the above I doubt the lume will keep long enough for it to be of use.
It’s a nice touch but with little practical use outside of looking cool when the lights dim in the bistro.

9. Movement / Functions:
• Sustain: For $200 Xeric has done some work to decorate the movement in the rear
window and what you see there I think is pretty decent, especially if you weren’t an
enthusiast.
• Improve: You have a see-through window on the dial so greater decoration where you
can see it would have been nice.

11. Case Back:
• Sustain: The bubble back style is comfortable, and the rotor shaped half window I think
is very smartly done. Where other watches in this price point include a window just to prove you have an automatic this one does so I feel in order to show off the heart of the watch. In doing so, the Evergraphs inner working are much cleaner than the plastic spacers and empty sections of other watches. Overall the case back is well executed.
• Improve: In black the engravings are difficult to read but that’s no big deal.

12. Strap / Bracelet:
• Sustain / Improve: There’s nothing really wrong with the bracelet… it works but as
this is a $200 watch you get a proportionally equal bracelet, read $20. It reminds me of the aftermarket bracelet I bought off Amazon for my Garmin Fore Runner which was around $20. After day one I threw on a rubber IsoFrane dive strap on it which has been much better but at around a $100 retail it’s half the cost of the watch itself! If you decide to get this for yourself or as a gift, do everyone a favor and get a $30 rubber strap off Amazon, you’ll be much happier in the end!

13. Gravitas / On the Wrist:
• Sustain: I don’t know where it gets its weight from but for something that feels like
plastic it’s got some heft behind it. considering its size and weight I found the Evergraph to be comfortable to wear with out on rubber. If you’re not a watch person this will definitely stand out; it’s modern and unique and has an engineering flair to it. Out and about in the urban night is where the Evergraph belongs. And if you care, which you might since it’s a fashion watch, the bulk of these that you find second hand are “limited” to 999 of each style.
• Improve: It’s a fashion watch when you boil it down so adults outside of the bar /
software development office will likely scoff at you…

14. Wife:
• Improve: It took seconds for her to conclude that this is a kid’s watch… she is a more
classic timeless look person so bold moves like this don’t jive for her.

Final Impressions…

In the end I agree with the boss that this blacked out version comes off as very plasticy when you first handle it. However, if you give it a chance however, you’ll find that it is a solid piece that gives you the time in an easy to read manner but displayed in a unique interpretation to the traditional analog display. I feel like many of the quibbles above are likely not issues in the other colors available, but the blacked-out version is the one I have. I like this watch, much more than I expected I would, and it’s for the sole reason that I think the method used to display the time is really intuitive.

At the end of the week however, I don’t fashion watch, and this is far too much on the fashion side of the spectrum; therefore, this will be a catchand release for me.

I feel that the Xeric Evergraph would be a superb choice for the non-enthusiast and a great alternative to the usual recommendations you get from others, AKA the pilot/diver/chrono in lower end ETA. For those foolishly looking at watch subscriptions and junk fashion watches, the Xeric Evergraph is a phenomenal value when found in the $2-300 range that you won’t regret.

My Question to You:
What would you prefer:
• A final score associated with with each review like out of 100?
• A pass / fail all or nothing?
• A buy hold, pass?
• Or keep it as is with no score?

Let me know through one of our online comment sections.