Review: Tutima M2 Chronograph – Reborn in Glashütte

I owned the previous M2 Nato chronograph with Lemania 5100 movement, so I was eager to try on the new M2 reborn in Glashütte (Ref.  6450-02).  I had the watch on my wrist for couple of weeks and my first impressions were that it’s still an awesome tool chronograph, however, Tutima should have renamed this watch to M2 XL as the size of this watch is now 46mm.

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When I first noticed the dimensions on paper and in pictures, the M2 appears to be massive at 46mm.  However, when I put it on my average-sized wrist, the 15.5mm case height as well as its lightweight titanium case, makes it very wearable.

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The matte-black dial is highly legible with thick white-lumed hour markers and the same is true for hour and minute hands.  The chronograph 60-second counter, 60-minute counter, 12-hour counter, sweep second and minute counters, and 24-hour display are all well placed on the dial and easy to read.  The date a 3’o clock is also well executed with matching black and white date wheel.  The lume on M2 is just fantastic!  Generous coat of Superluminova is applied on the markers,  the chronograph functions, as well as the hour markers.

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The massive titanium case has silver brushed color, which Tutima calls it as a pearlblasted titanium.  The case has a soft iron inner cage for anti-magnetic protection.  The pushers on current M2 are very similar to the original and probably are my favorite feature of this watch.  I love to engage these integrated pushers made out of neoprene rubber.   I should state that during the two weeks I had this watch, neoprene did pick up tiny bit of dust, similar to my mobile phones case.  The crown is also quiet massive.  It is screwed-down to provide a nice 300 meter diving rating.  The grooves on the crown makes it easier to pull and push the crown into different positions.

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Tutima 521 movement is a modified Valjoux 7750. It is securely housed in a solid case made of pure titanium outfitted with an additional inner core made of mu-metal, a magnetically soft nickel-iron alloy that protects the movement. It is topped off with a strong sapphire crystal with AR coating on both sides.  The chrono function was much smoother with the Lemania 5100 movement, especially the reset function. It is still acceptable with the current modified Valjoux movement.

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I was also impressed with the comfortable, lightweight Kevlar strap Tutima provided with this M2.  The best part is the titanium deployant clasp, which is well thought out with the release pushers on the inside of the deployant, to easily adjust to a different hole on the strap.

This M2 is priced at $5,900 USD, which is priced a bit higher than the M2 I owned previously.  Just to be fair, so is my Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Milgauss, and IWC Ingenieur.

Technical Details:

Movement: Automatic chronograph Caliber Tutima 521. Diameter: 30 mm. Height 7.90 mm. 25 jewels. 28,800 vph (4 Hertz). Power reserve when fully wound 44 hours. Rotor antique grey with 18-karat gold seal. Polished screws.

Functions: Date display. Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds. Chronograph 60 second counter, 60 minute and 12-hour totalizer. Sweep second and minute counters. Permanent 24-hour display.

Case: Pearl-blasted solid pure titanium,. Magnetic field protection. Water-resistant 30 atm. Integrated, large chronograph buttons with neoprene inlay. Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective on both sides. Screw-in crown. Screw-down case back. Diameter 46 mm. Height 15.5 mm.

You can discover the M2 on Tutima’s website.

Photo credit: Scott Sitkiewitz

This content is republished from Watchuseek.com