review – If your idea of a cool watch is a “luxury American watch” with a design inspired by the M4 carbine assault rifle with precision-manufactured components designed in Switzerland, Japan and the United States, then the Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch is the one you should check out .
what is it?
The Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch is a watch tank that focuses on M4 design elements and is assembled in the Heimdall studio in North Carolina.
What’s in the box?
- Prototype Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch 45mm with FKM Rubber Strap
- Stainless Steel Bracelet with Butterfly Buckle
Hardware Specifications
- Dial – 4 layers of stainless steel/various finishes/brush
- Movement – Automatic Miyota 8N40 Skeleton
- Bracelet – Stainless Steel with Butterfly Deployment Clasp, FKM Rubber Strap or White/Black Camo Calfskin Strap
- Glass – Double Dome Sapphire Glass
- Strap Material – Stainless Steel/Calf Leather
- Water Resistance – 100 meters / 10 ATM
- Case Diameter – 45mm without crown
- Case Thickness – 16mm
- Crown – polished/sandblasted
- Back cover – public display with serial number on final product
- World – C1 World
- Pointer – Polished barrel style
- Second Hand – Acog Range Style
- Warranty – 3 years limited
Design and Features
If you read my previous comment Gunhild’s Vegvisir Adventure dive watch, You’ll remember that I’m not any kind of watch expert or luxury watch expert. I’m a regular guy who appreciates pretty much any good machine, and the Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch certainly qualifies in my opinion.
Gunhild has six different watches in its lineup, three of which are Viking-inspired collections currently available on the Heimdall’s Workshop website. V1 M4 watch is the first in their Range Day series. This is a Kickstarter project, fully funded and recently concluded. But don’t worry, for non-backers, it’s available for pre-order. Production of the watch began in May halfway through the project, so backers should start receiving delivery notifications this September.
The Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch I was sent to review is their prototype, however, if you like what you see, there are only a few design changes according to a poll they conducted with Kickstarter backers. The prototype’s bezel matches the current model sold on the website, but the finished V1 M4 will feature a different bezel, case and crown design. It will also have a display case. Here is an artist rendering of what the final product will look like.
You’ll notice the chamfered edges of the case, the octagonal bezel, and the different crown shapes.
The Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch I received came in a small watch-sized case, but the final version should come in a luxurious case like the one in my previous review. Remember, this is a prototype.
It comes with an FKM (Fluoroelastomer) rubber strap, which includes a steel bracelet. Get your first impression of this thing? This is a watch tank. The case is thick and the watch is heavy!
It feels like you can throw it at a brick wall and feel bad for damaging the wall. Does this necessarily equate to well-built? In this case, in my opinion, yes. Yes, it does. Tolerances seem to be very tight.
The FKM strap is also thick and sturdy, so as far as I can tell, don’t worry about tearing it if it gets stuck on something. Of course, you can cut it off if you want, but why would you want to? The steel bracelet is wide and reminds me of tank tracks. Like the FKM, the bracelet is very strong and durable.
Looking at the dial, you can see that the barrel pointer has plenty of Lume that glows in the dark when needed. The hour markers and tick marks on the perimeter received the same treatment. The faces themselves are designed according to the scope reticle, and for aesthetics, they want a perfect fit. The part that shows the seconds has the appearance of an ACOG rifle scope, so you’ll see a little red spin. Below the 12-hour mark, there is the Gunhild logo of the double-bladed battle axe.
Before taking some pictures of the Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch, I didn’t notice a nice little touch, which is just below the 6 and slightly to the right. You can see AR 15. cool. These guys go all out on their highly masculine designs, so if that’s your thing, go check it out.
Behind the dial you can see the automatic Miyota 8N40 Skeleton movement that I admire. I’m the one who’s seen all the “how to make” episodes, so I love seeing how things work. I’m a little disappointed because the one I received didn’t come back with an exhibit. I will be happy to see it. The prototype has a matte black case with a slightly glossy Tomahawk logo. Gunhild lists a power reserve of 42. I’m going to show my ignorance here and say, based on a quick internet search, that means 42 hours.
Wear the Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black Watch and you’ll notice the weight on your wrist. Trust me, you won’t forget you’re wearing it. If you decide to go this route, you will need to choose the correct size bracelet for your wrist. By the way, if you have a small enough screwdriver, you can resize it yourself. The bracelet links are fastened with screws. Thanks, Gunhild! Oh, and because of its size, people with smaller wrists might find it too big for their tastes. However, I’m a big southern boy who eats corn, so don’t worry.
The double-dome sapphire glass is of the same quality as the rest of the product line. Even though I’m clumsy, I haven’t shaved it. Of course, it’s very clear.
This watch seems to stand up to the elements like a champ. This one has been in rain, sand and salt water without any ill effects.
I do have a few small questions I want to share with you. When wearing the FKM strap, the buckle does not lie flat on my wrist. I’m pretty sure this is due to the thickness of the strap itself. No big deal, but I thought I’d mention it.
Next, the butterfly deployment clasp caused me problems when putting on the watch. I’ve never owned a watch with this clasp, so it’s probably my fault. I would grab one side (clamp? connect? connect?) and it pops out when grabbing the other side. I do get it, but rarely the first time. Finally, the buckle seemed to have a few hot spots that would irritate my wrist initially, but after wearing the V1 M4 for a few days, that was no longer an issue – just something to keep in mind.
what do I like
- the design.I love guns so it’s right up my alley
- Premium Components
- solidity of the building
- Visibility of movement
- optional strap
- Easy to adjust the size of the bracelet
- Made in North Carolina
what would i change
- Nothing but buckles that don’t lay flat
final thoughts
I love where the folks at Gunhild are going and can’t wait to see the next watch in their Range Day collection. The Gunhild V1 M4 Carbine Black watch is built to last and looks as humble as Niflheim. I’m very interested to see the finished product, so if anyone gets it, please send pictures! I personally love their designs. I also like that the company is located in North Carolina. Having lived in South Carolina for 20 years, they looked like a bunch of people I wanted to sit down and have a beer.
price: $695
where to buy (this: Heimdallsworkshop.com
resource: Review sample provided by Heimdallsworkshop.com
