Hands-On With The Vertex M36
Vertex is a brand with a storied past. It was one of the watchmakers that provided watches to the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) during World War II. The watch we are looking at today, the Vertex M36, pays homage to that watch from the 1940s. Let’s take a look.
Recently, I spent several weeks with a watch from the British brand Vertex. Founded in 1916 by Mr. Claude Lyons in Hatton Gardens, Vertex also had production facilities in the La Chaux-de-Fonds region of Switzerland. Mr. Lyons’ son worked with the company from 1938 and went on to serve in WWII. From fairly early on, then, there was a connection between Vertex and the military.
Vertex and a connection to the British military
This connection would be further solidified by the brand’s contribution to a British MoD request for tough, hardy field watches for servicemen in the war. Twelve brands would contribute to this call-out, and these would become known in the watch world as the Dirty Dozen. My colleague Thomas wrote a wonderful feature exploring the Dirty Dozen here on Fratello.
To briefly summarize, the 12 brands that contributed were Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex. The specified requirements included a “waterproof” (a term that was still in use then) case, a black dial, a sub-dial for the seconds, lume, and an acrylic crystal. The watches were labeled “W.W.W.” for “Wrist Watch Waterproof.” The specification meant that many of the watches had a similar look. IWC’s contribution to the Dirty Dozen would be a foundational model for the brand that would influence the designs of its pilot’s watches.
The role of the Vertex M36 today
Over time, IWC’s design language for this line of watches changed considerably. If you look at an IWC Mark XV next to an IWC Dirty Dozen watch, you can see a lot of similarities. However, the difference between a modern Mark XX and that original watch is far more significant. Unlike IWC, a reinvigorated Vertex has decided to honor the original W.W.W. watch with a reasonably faithful rendition. The modern M36, unlike the brand’s 40mm M100 models, has a historically accurate 36mm diameter. This makes for an interesting size proposition in the field-watch market, where many options are on the larger side. In terms of natural competition, we can look at watches from brands like Timor or, perhaps, something more modern in aesthetic from Hamilton.
But today, we’re highlighting the Vertex M36. As mentioned, it offers a 36mm diameter as well as a 46.5mm lug-to-lug and an 11mm profile. Some of the thickness is made up by the sapphire crystal, but it isn’t as exaggerated as options from other brands, like Timor. I prefer this slightly slimmer design since, sometimes, the Plexiglass effect with an extra-thick sapphire crystal looks a bit overdone.
The Vertex M36 houses a Sellita SW260-1. This is an automatic caliber with a 41-hour power reserve and sub-seconds. Vertex says it’s an Elaboré grade with a Nivaflex hairspring. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. Although you can’t see it because of the all-steel case back, the caliber has blued screws and a custom Vertex rotor.
The Vertex M36 shows great attention to detail
The dial is where Vertex has paid particularly close attention to detail. Vertex was one of the first brands I could think of to use molded Super-LumiNova on its dials. This creates an incredibly good performer in low-light conditions. Other brands, like Tudor with its Black Bay Pro, have also used this technique (notably after Vertex, though). Therefore, I can happily report that the Vertex M36 is a great watch to consider if low-light visibility is important to you. Additionally, the screw-down crown and screw-in case back help provide water resistance to 100 meters. This means the M36 should be more than capable of handling your daily adventures without worry, as it should.
Coming back to the dial, one thing that I would like to applaud Vertex for is the use of a specific font for the Arabic numerals. The font used replicates the one from the original Dirty Dozen watch. The beautiful 7 and 9, for example, showcase how cool older fonts like this were. Too few brands nowadays pay much attention to dial fonts. I think Vertex should get a pat on the back for the attention to detail here! The other thing I quite like about the Vertex M36 is the simple syringe-style handset design.
Pricing in a competitive segment
Now, I don’t think a 1:1 comparison with an IWC Mark XX is fair since these two watches inhabit different price segments. However, I would say that the Vertex M36 has several things going for it over the IWC, the first of which is the font used on the dial. In addition, the fully luminous 3D Arabic numerals and the truer-to-history size are great. Finally, the handset just looks more elegant than the sword hands in the IWC. For a Swiss-made watch that costs far less than the Mark XX but still feels incredibly robust, I think this Vertex is an attractive proposition.
Long story short, I think the Vertex M36 is a handsome and compelling option in the market. When we discuss price, this is where there is some contention online. The M36 retails for £2,150 (including VAT) for UK residents or €2,162.95 / US$2,492 (excluding taxes and duties) for those living elsewhere. This is not an inconsiderable sum for a 36mm watch with a Sellita automatic caliber. What I would say, however, is that Vertex is a brand with genuine heritage, and this particular watch has several features that help it stand apart from the crowd.
Concluding thoughts
If I were shopping for a watch similar to the Vertex M36, natural competitors would include the Timor Heritage Field WWW, which I have reviewed before, or, for something a little different, the Hamilton Pilot Pioneer, which also has a 36mm case. In fact, there are heaps of options, as my colleague Vincent has noted. Long story short, though, the Vertex is a step above in manufacturing quality and attention to detail. While I am not in the market for one (since I own an IWC Mark XV), I can see the attraction of this Vertex model.
While brands like IWC continue to refuse to bring out closer renditions of their historic watches in regular production, this offering from Vertex is a good mix of quality and aesthetics. For those of you not familiar with the brand, I encourage you to take a look at its offerings.
