A Submariner Watch Review. PRS-52 "The Baby".

Let's start out with some nerdy history that will help us understand the about and why when it comes to the Baby Dreadnought. The time was 1963, the what is the newly commissioned HMS Dreadnought. The Royal Navy's first nuclear powered submarine. This will be where the lads at TimeFactors would draw their inspiration for the Dreadnought PRS-2. This model would be released in Aug of 2003 for a whopping 450 British Pounds. These watches are big, coming in at 53mm it's a hard wear for many. Don't fret though as this is just a story of how we got the Baby version.

 Like many mortals I too have "normal" sized wrists. This leads us to the goodness that is the Baby Dreadnought. From what I've been able to find on the web, the Baby Dreadnought was first released in 2020 with a black dial and a matte finish. The change in size is drastically on the opposite spectrum of sizes. In my head I would have put money on them releasing one that was more around the 42mm size. I think that's largely due to the fact that "most" would say that 42mm is a normal sized watch. I myself wear watches in that size zone and I would agree that it certainly is a good size for the majority.

 This particular watch is what I like to refer to as a Slack Slut. If you don't know what Slack is, let me explain briefly. Slack is a private forum where watch nerds can talk watches and whatever else suits their fancy. This also is a place where members buy, sell, and trade their watches and goods. Now why it's a "Slack Slut", this watch had been owned by at least four different Slack members before it made its way to me. Being that it had been sent around the world a couple times I did encounter a hiccup right off the bat that I will mention. Though I do not count this as something that would be a "normal" issue with others. Since this had been beat around in packages for a good couple years. When I received the watch the seconds hand had fallen off and was chilling inside the dial. Nothing a quick trip to my friend Baird at Griffin_Watches couldn't fix.

 After getting that sorted out I haven't had any further issues, knock on wood. I have gotten to spend the last four months with this watch and put it through its paces. Loads of normal activities around the Recon HQ which includes hunting and working cattle. Since I am not SCUBA certified (yet), I've only been able to tickle its water resistance. With dips in the cattle tank and swims in the pool I think the 300m water resistance is more than enough for most.

 Now before we dive into the specs, prices, and my thoughts on the watch itself, I think it should be stated that these watches are pretty difficult to get. TimeFactors online store is not "Open" 24/7 for orders. They open their store every couple of weeks for orders and then close it after the specified time. This may be due to being a smaller operation and not having the time or manpower to run constantly. This however does make it hard to get. Sometimes there may only be a few up for sale and you miss out just by happenstance. As of now the only models for sale on the site are the Black and White dial variants as well as the GMT model.

Now let's get the specs and price out of the way!

Case Dia- 37.5mm (41mm with crown)

Lug to Lug- 45mm

Thickness- 13mm

Lug width- 18mm

Anti-magnetic 20,000 A/m

Water Resistance- 300m

Lume- C3 SuperLuminova

Crystal- Sapphire

Movement- Miyota 9015

Price- $440.00 USD (360Pounds)

 What do these mean in Layman's terms? For starters this watch is extremely wearable for mortal humans. It has just enough wrist presence for you to know it's there but not be a bother. This will be joyful for most with wrists in the 6in to 7.5in range depending on preference obviously. It comes on a very nice bracelet with a standard fold over clasp with push buttons on either side. The finishing on the case and bracelet are a very visually pleasing bead blasted finish. This gives the watch a very sleek tool watch vibe that will help with dings and dents over time.

 

 

 The lume is very nice on this piece, I'll put it up there in comparison with the likes of my EB Holton and CWC SBS. The min hand is a beautiful sword that just gleams when lumed. Like a lightsaber of old. The case has nicely squared off crown guards protecting the signed crown. The shapes of the lugs are nice and angular, setting it apart from others in the field. The case is unique to say the least. Drilled lugs so you have the option to use shoulderless spring bars like I have done.

 

 

The dial on my model is black. With Dreadnought under 12, the dial is very clean and simple. The min/sec track is done with hashes, thicker every 5 mins and a large square at 60. The outside of the track is numbered every 5 up to 60. On the inner part of the track they have opted for bars and circle markers for the hour hand to touch. Date window at the 6 position, the wheel is black with white numbers. This is a huge win for me. Nothing drives me nuts more than a non color matched date wheel. The hand set is finished in three different colors. Minute hand is done in orange. Second hand is done in black. Hour hand is done in white. This gives a very pleasing aesthetic when glancing at the time. When the hands overlap you can clearly see the time with no issues.

 The bezel is a joy to turn. The edge is done in a nicely spaced out coin style with the top section being angled slightly. With the dive timer being engraved and then filled in with black. At 60 there is a nice triangle lume pip to track your time in the dark. The feel when turning the bezel is very crisp. 120 clicks and very tactile while operating. No back play, no sponge. It's spot on.

 

The case back is engraved with the official insignia of the British nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought (S101). Which is a very cool touch. On either side you will see the Anti Magnetic rating and the water resistance rating. Underneath the logo you will see the model number as well as the number in which it came off the factory. The bracelet is a very cool flat link jubilee style. It wears extremely flat. Done correctly with screw in links. The clasp is signed Dreadnought and has six spring bar micro adjustments for a proper fitting.

 

 There are many things on this watch that I have enjoyed which makes it hard for me to hone in on one specific aspect. I'll pin it on the simplicity yet uniqueness of the whole package. Pretty simple. But that's the beauty of this watch for me. It's a tool. This thing is built to go anywhere and do anything.

 Things I would change? Glad you asked. There is literally one thing on this watch I would change and it's not the be all and end all for me. I would opt to add an on the fly adjustment to the clasp. That would be icing on the cake.

Would I buy it again? Yes absolutely I would.

 I have an odd fascination with the world of British horology. They know what they are doing. Lots of very good watches come out of England and it will continue to be a topic of interest for me and my collection.

 This watch is from my personal collection. I will disclaim anytime I write a review of a watch that is on loan. I think this is an important distinction to make as an independent media source.

Thank you again for reading and stopping by.

Justin.