Taking the opportunity to review this watch for the Amazon Vine program, when I haven't worn a watch for years now, was as much a matter of novelty as anything else.  But it does make sense to me that the romance of gear-and-spring powered mechanical watches is enjoying a revival in the hyper-digital age.

This Sturhling model was made for men, but is similar in styling and surprisingly close in dimensions to several of the women's models. (many of which also run HUGE - e.g.:<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Stuhrling-Original-Women-s-149GL-123P31-Manchester-Ozzie-Automatic-Gold-Tone-Dial-Watch-Set/dp/B00421ETXM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Stuhrling Original Women's 149GL.123P31 Manchester Ozzie Automatic Gold-Tone Dial Watch Set</a>.)  I don't care for overtly feminine styling or dayglo Barbie shades in the first place, so the "look" here is perfect with my casual outfits.

I also tried this watch on my husband - he has a fairly lean wrist, relative to his very TALL and stocky frame, and could barely buckle the watch.  I think most bigger guys will need to look into an XL strap.

Weight:  3+ ounces is surprisingly heavy when concentrated in a stainless steel case measuring about 40 mm (1.5 inches) square by about 1/2 inch thick .  Really not a problem with wearing, and the strap is very comfortable, but it's definitely something I had to get used to.

Brand cachet:  Who cares?  I'd gladly wear something beautiful even if it says "Captain Crunch" on the tag.

Reliability:  This is my one worry, because I am already pretty attached to this watch.  I've read reviews on Amazon and various watch aficionado sites, and it would seem that Stuhrling just has not attained the reputation on par with a Seiko or an Invicta.  The warranty on the Stuhrling is 2 years, during which time you can get factory service for 20 USD and the cost of mailing - more than a few reviewers on Amazon for various models have reported multiple failures, requiring repeated returns.

Past Stuhrling watch releases have been christened with fanciful names such as "Lifestyles Alpine Slalom" or "Sportsman Delphi Adonis".  This watch is just plain old 389.33151, identified as an Automatic Skeleton Square Silvertone Watch from the "Classic" collection.  Insofar as a lot of their watches are sold to collectors, I'm surprised that Stuhrling has (apparently) dropped the non-numerical identifier.

I'm pleased to have finally given in to the Steampunk-y allure of a skeleton watch. Springs and spinning gears and a quiet but steady tick-tick-tick - these things are kind of cool. Timeless. Grounding. Maybe even a bit...hypnotic...