“The kind of watch worn by hairy chested Secret Agents, former SBS types with easy smiles and big….well, we won’t go any further.” When you read a description like this on the company page, you just know you’re in for something special. And special it is, this Cooper Submaster. Modeled after the 80’s watches made according to the British MOD specs, the Submaster is, there’s no getting around it, a homage – but a homage of a whole slew of popular watch brands, most notably the CWC SBS. But considering the fact that CWC is still very much milking the military provenance cash cow, their divers, even the most basic quartz models, are a far cry from affordable.

Which makes the Cooper Submaster an undeniable value proposition and, dare I say, an improvement of the original design. The design won’t win any points for originality, but what a design it is! – I’ve always wondered why more brands haven’t copied this case shape. With a diameter of 42mm and a relatively short lug to lug, this one will wear like a dream on a variety of wrist sizes. The way the case curves down towards the lugs give it a much welcomed retro vibe. The bead-blasted matte finish of the case is one of the ways the Submaster improves on the original design and is much better suited to the hairy-chested purpose of the watch than a polished look would be.

The lume is also surprisingly good – best I’ve seen at the price range, in fact. Another improvement (or a divergence from the original, depending on your views) are the faux-fixed spring bars. The spring bars themselves are encased into solid steel tubes, giving a nod to the military heritage of the original design. The downside of this design being that you’ll only ever be able to wear this one with single pass straps. However, if you ever wish to wear it on a two-piece strap or a bracelet, you can simply pry off or cut the stock spring bars and voila! I’d like to see you try that with soldered bars.

But, as you can expect from a watch costing two figures, it’s not all sunshine and unicorns – trade-offs and corners cut are inevitable at this price. First of all, if you haven’t already guessed – this one is powered by a quartz movement – the Miyota 2115, to be precise. And while this will be a turn off for some, at this price range I actually prefer a Japanese quartz to a Chinese auto. Bonus points for getting that second hand to hit every minute marker. Secondly, the crystal is mineral – and again, of course it is, considering what you’re paying. The bezel action could be better as well – there is some back-play, but nothing too dramatic. Finally, operating the crown leaves a little to be desired – not as tactile and responsive as I’d like, as I wondered on a couple of occasions whether I was in the date or time setting position. Then again, this being a quartz piece, you won’t be using the crown all that often. And that’s pretty much it for the negatives.

Looking at the Submaster from a value perspective, I really don’t think there’s much competition for this watch – the Casio Duro is the obvious contender, but at 44mm it would undoubtedly be too big for some. Not to mention that the design of the Casio is a bit… well, bland. On the other hand, the Cooper Submaster offers a much better and more unique look, solid specs and a whiff of that 80’s nostalgia. Plus, they offer a great customer service – Cooper (the brand owner) went above and beyond to make sure the watch was delivered to me, in spite of the COVID-related shipping restrictions and we’ve chatted about the Submaster and watches in general – which made the shopping experience that much more special. Even though it’s not perfect, the Submaster is a very fun and enjoyable piece – if you’re into the styling and on the lookout for something affordable and different, it’s a piece I definitely recommend checking out.