“Time for an Adventure.”  weBBem Watches’ slogan fairly dares you to travel into your own brand of jungle with one of their well-thought-out timepieces.  Whether urban or Amazonian, the environment will be just fine for this robust watch and strap combination.

Said weBBem founder Alexander Jackson, “I have worked in the watch industry for many years and have always been fascinated by the differences between the manufacturing price and the retail prices of watches.”

“Once distributors, agents, and retailers have their share, the price you pay for an average watch is insane.  So much so, that I decided to start my own small watch company to see if it is possible to offer a well-made product at a reasonable price by selling online, cutting out the middle men, and sharing the savings with the customer,” he concluded.

Jackson wanted to offer a product sold on the Internet directly to the wearer.  He felt that a custom-made paracord strap on a durable military-style field watch would market itself, so to speak.  In addition, the weBBem watch would offer high-end materials and manufacturing.

All weBBem watches have such upscale specs as Sapphire crystals, marine grade 316L stainless steel cases, Super-LumiNova-coated hands, screw down signature crowns, and screw down case backs.  They are water resistant to 100 meters.  Instead of spring bars, the straps are held fast by screw bars for further security.

In keeping with the brand’s moratorium on extraneous overhead, Mr. Jackson kindly sent me a sample weBBem watch to examine for this website.  Though the watch was his, the observations are my own.  I am under no obligation to write about products I do not like.

For styles, weBBEm makes the Traveler, a standard field watch.  Their other watch is the Overlander, which has a day/date window and a more cutting edge appearance.  The Traveler was more my speed.

Miyota internals power the Traveler’s three-handed movement.  The stem unscrews properly and there is no play in it when altering the time.  This movement is hacking, for those of you that like that feature.  It has kept time perfectly since I received the watch.

Mr. Jackson sent me a Traveler with a dial colored “Earl Grey.”  I thought that amusing since it is my preferred hot beverage, of late.  The included paracord strap came in camouflage, while a black NATO strap hid in the bottom of the packaging.

Speaking of which, the weBBem watch arrived in a small red waterproof hardcase.  I thought this was a great touch in ensuring the watch’s protection for the free worldwide shipping that weBBem provides on all their models.

I found that the Earl Grey dial of my Traveler is very interesting in hue.  If I wear something brown, the dial tends to blend in brown, but if I have on a green color, the dial then leans in that direction.  Cool.

At a case diameter of 43mm, excluding crown, the Traveler possesses a moderately large face.  Though I have a small to medium-sized wrist, the watch fits well.  The Traveler’s numerals and indices are easily read.  Its wide hands are a blessing to my aging eyes.

weBBem paracord straps are made with 10 to 12 feet (depending on wrist size) of single-length 550 paracord in a King Cobra weave.  Removing the seven inner strands of the kern from the outer mantle will result in 80 total feet of usable cordage.  This can be employed for emergency tasks limited only by the wearer’s wits.

The paracord strap is closed by a shackle and buckle.  I found that bracing one side of the strap against an fixed object, like the top of a dresser, allowed me to get the shackle’s pin set into the appropriate hole, thus coupling was accomplished.

weBBem’s stainless steel case has its lugs separated at 24mm wide to accommodate six strands of paracord threaded under the screw bars.  By comparison, weBBem’s continuous strand of 12 feet, rather than two separate six-foot lengths, makes for a more useful paracord bracelet.

I have taken my Traveler to work, on several hikes, and, most recently, for a day trip to see the manatees congregating at a local power plant’s warm winter waters.  My preferred band is the NATO version, but I am headed across the country for a hiking trip later in the Summer and the paracord strap would then make a re-appearance.

In my opinion, Mr. Jackson has achieved his goal of making a high quality watch at a competitive price point.  The NATO-banded Traveler has an MSRP of just $129.  That is a low cost for a watch with its many features.  The paracord strap Traveler, with a NATO band included, is $139.  weBBem has a 30 day money back guarantee.

For all the brand’s considerable advantages, buying a weBBem product is an adventure that is worth the expenditure.

by Wilson

Overlander Photo Courtesy weBBem Watches