Astor+Banks has debuted the long awaited Sea Ranger M2, a watch that brand founder Andrew Perez has been working on, tinkering with, and previewing for over a year. At this weekend’s Windup Watch Fair in Chicago, he finally had production versions on display for all to see, and it was well worth the wait. It’s easily the most refined and well thought out watch in the Astor+Banks catalog, a natural evolution of what came before and a logical extension of the Sea Ranger line.

This is a dual crown diver in four colorways: black, blue, army green, and a rich brown the brand refers to as “tobacco.” As you’d expect, one crown controls the time setting and winding duties, while the other rotates the internal bezel, which is lumed on all four variants. This is a really fun effect and the lume is applied liberally for a bright glow that will be genuinely useful in low light situations. The dials all have a matte finish. 

The case is 40mm in diameter, 12.5mm tall, and 45.5mm lug to lug. On the wrist it feels very well proportioned, and the overall machining quality and finishing is top notch, and feels like a step up from previous Astor+Banks efforts. The bracelet is a match for the case in finishing quality and has a lovely taper from 20mm down to 16mm at the clasp. Astor+Banks, responding to feedback from collectors, is using the NodeX clasp by Nodus on the Sea Ranger M2, which offers easy micro-adjustments up to 10mm. 

The Astor+Banks Sea Ranger M2 has a retail price of $1,395 and is available to order now through the brand’s website. Delivery is expected in August. Watch this space, we plan to get some dedicated hands-on time with the Sea Ranger M2 soon. Astor+Banks