When reviewing items for anglers, it’s not unusual to use the word ‘practical’. It is, however, strange to use the word ‘stylish’. The opportunity to use both in one review comes once in a blue moon, which seems rather apt for this product!
At the base level, you have here an extremely smart looking accurate watch. One that you would gladly wear in a ‘non-angling’ environment. There are a variety of watch and strap colours available, as you will see on the TideMaster website. With a guaranteed working depth of 300ft, however, you know that this watch will not give up at the first sign of a bit of water, unlike many of its High Street counterparts! It also has scratch resistant glass, which shows that this is no toy!
Setting the moonphase is simple enough, just like setting the time. Most tide tables or diaries will tell you what stage the moon is at.
The easy-to-follow instructions then tell you how to set the outside bezel. Once done, you have what the manufacturers call, “a horoligical first, giving the most comprehensive Solar, Lunar and Tidal information clearly, simply and elegantly in a beautiful watch.” It would be hard to argue with that statement!
Once set, the graphical representation will show the rise and fall of the tide with navigational accuracy for 12 hours. It takes into account the effect of both the moon and sun, rather than just guessing somewhere in the middle!
Prices for the Moonphase start at £84.95 and boat anglers would be hard pressed to find a more stylish, useful watch available elsewhere. Of course, it’s not just available to boat anglers. As the picture here shows, it looks good. Fullstop.
To find out more about the Tidemaster watches, please visit www.TideMaster.co.uk
Elton Murphy – January, 2005
