German / Quartz
The new Defakto Struktur features almost everything one might expect from an affordable dress watch. Its dial features a very nice layout with ultra-contrast color scheme and visually balanced elements; it comes in a body, which is made by Defakto’s parent company Ickler GmbH: a brand that knows a thing or two about designing cases that are not only elegant, but also quite ergonomic, and very well-built; and it features a price that would put to shame even Japanese brands.
Perhaps, the only real problem of this watch is movement that it is animated by. While the choice of mechanism allows the German watchmaker brand severely cut prices while still maintaining their bottom line, there is still a great number of people who think that in our time a wristwatch is redundant: you don’t really need the device to check time because, until you live in a desert tent, we are constantly surrounded by all sorts of displays that not only tell time, but also give us a lot of other useful information starting from weather forecast and going all the way to your daily physical activity.
For many people, a watch is hardly anything more than an accessory, a luxury item. Like an executive sedan or an expensive suit, it is supposed to be made using the best parts available. We don’t want to buy a premium-priced luxury item that has a single cheap part in it, do we?
Well, for those who actually do, it may be one piece of a nice acquisition for the next year.
As you can see, the choice of movement not only allowed Defakto Struktur to offer this nice-looking timekeeper at a bargain price of €335 to €400 (and, yes, local VAT is already included), but also to make the 40 mm extremely thin measuring just 6.60 millimeters from back to top of the sapphire crystal (which is, by the way of speaking, comes with antireflective treatment: a very rare thing in this price segment).
Being that thin, the watch (especially the one in black steel PVD body and white dial) blends quite organically with the usual formal attire of a modern white collar.
Also, keep in mind that Ronda 715 normtech that animates this gadget (it also powers the last year’s Deep Blue Sea Ram 500 Ceramic Diver) is not your ordinary throw-away quartz movement. It is a repairable mechanism with metal parts that also offers a very long battery life of approximately five years thanks to its power saving technology: if you don’t plan to wear the timekeepers for the next year or so, just pull the stem out and it will use less than 1/3rd of normal power consumption.
Inspired, like many other Defakto models, by Bauhaus movement, the Defakto Struktur offers an easily readable dial with all of its element being contrast enough to be very legible even when lighting is not that good.
Although there are only two base solid colors for the face, you can have it in whole eight varieties with the small seconds indicator coming either in the same or inverted color of the face, so there is actually plenty to choose from.
See also: Orient Dyno Alarm Quartz Chronographs (Refs. FTD09004B and FTD09005W)
Photos: Defakto
WWR preliminary verdict
Originality 5/5
Build quality: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Legibility: 5/5
Value for money: 4.5/5
Defakto Struktur quartz watch specification
Price: €335 – €400 (incl. VAT)
Movement: Quartz, Caliber Ronda 715, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 5
Power reserve: 60 months
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
Case material: Stainless steel
Bezel material: Matches case
Crown material: Matches case
Case shape: Round
Bezel shape: Round
Case size: 40.00 mm
Case height: 6.60 mm
Lug width: No data
Dial: Black / White (eight variations)
Numerals: None
Hour markers: Stick-shaped
Hands: Stick-shaped
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Black soft calf-skin leather strap
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Case back: Solid, screw-down