Hands On Review of the Ratio SkySurfer

When it comes to affordable watches, the options are endless. Truly, endless. But what enthusiasts often end up with is a highly margined watch in a style they like. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a lack of what you pay for is always disappointing. This is sort of where Ratio comes into play. Ratio has historically made decently specced dive watches at a really reasonable price. Typically less than $200. Ratio has recently released a pilot’s watch that we found interesting, so without further ado, here’s our hands on review of the Ratio Skysurfer.

THE BASICS:

Brand : Ratio

Model : Skysurfer Type A

Case Material : Stainless Steel

Case Size : 40mm

Water Resistance : 200m

Movement : Seiko NH38A

Movement Specs: Automatic, 3-Hz, 40-Hour Power Reserve

Strap Options : Blue Leather, Black Leather, and Blue Nato

I found the Ratio Skysurfer to be quite a charming little piece for less than $200. It’s actually really hard to argue the value proposition if you’re in the market for an affordable Pilot watch.

I found the 40mm case to sit well on the wrist, which isn’t often the case when opening a new watch and “breaking-in” the leather. In fact, many affordable watches tend to slip and slide around the wrist for the first 30-days or so. I didn’t have that with the Skysurfer - a testament to the strap, and the case. The oversized crown felt great and was easy to use. One thing I look for in affordable watches is whether the crown is “crunchy” or not - On many cheap off-the-shelf movements, the crown is smooth and difficult or inconsistent. Since ratio opted to go with the Seiko movement - the crown had the proper amount of Crunch, and it feels high end.

The dial is what will draw enthusiasts to this watch. There’s just something about that sunburst blue that catches in the right light and simply dazzles. The dial configuration isn’t anything particularly original, though I’d make the argument that most Pilot Watches tend to run together in design language - So that’s par for the course. One thing Ratio has done well however is the handset. The Handset features two components, a thicker silver piece, and a lumed sword-shaped extension on top of it. This overlap is really unique, and often found on more high end watches. It was a very pleasant surprise.

The watch comes with 3 straps - A blue leather, a brown leather, and a nato strap. I found that the blue leather strap felt more “broken in” than the brown leather, and since I was limited on my time to review, I wanted to keep it on the blue strap. The strap was very comfortable, I didn’t really have any issues with pulling or twisting. It felt good on the wrist. The brown leather strap was a little stiff, so I didn’t end up utilizing it. The spring bars are quick release, and I was able to swap straps with my fingertips, which is an added bonus and not something you often find on affordable watches.

Overall the Ratio Skysurfer is a solid offering from Ratio. For less than $200, it checks a lot of boxes. In fact, we even added it to our favorite watch list. And for someone looking for a more affordable pilot watch that isn’t just a Seiko or something, Ratio has got quite an offering that looks and feels great, doesn’t break the bank, and punches well above it’s weight class.

So how much is the Ratio Skysurfer?

You can pick up the Ratio Skysurfer here, for a very modest $190 USD.