Vintage vibes abound with the Ferro Time Master 70
Time+TideWe can’t get enough of the 1970s and what came out of this decade in terms of horology. Bold designs, unusual case shapes, and most importantly, colours. Brands were daring and tried just about anything, and a lot of what they experimented with had a profound impact on the following decades. So much so, in fact, that many of today’s micro/independent brands fully embrace the 1970s and want to bring back the glory days of horological design, marrying vintage aesthetics with modern technology so that we can have old-school-looking watches, but ones that perform well. And that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss, looking at the Ferro Time Master 70 Silver. (The clue is in the name…)
The case
The main element that distinguishes 70s watch design has to be the case. Back then, watches came in all sorts of shapes and forms; there were no limits as to what was acceptable and what wasn’t. Ferro dipped into this unique characteristic of the 70s when designing the Time Master 70. The case has a profile that sits between the square and the round, and appears to be a polygon due to how the four sides of the bezel appear to peak in their middle.
The bezel is fixed, and its contours are highlighted by a juxtaposition of outward radiating brushed lines on top and mirror-polished sides. A piece of sapphire crystal sits a millimetre above the bezel and is endowed with the same unique shape, giving us a clear view of the dial thanks to a few layers of inner anti-reflective coating. The overall case shape is further emphasised by a preponderance of vertical and horizontal brushed surfaces.
Moreover, this model wears really well on the wrist thanks to having a diameter of 39mm, a lug-to-lug of 47mm, a thickness of 10.4mm, and a lug width of 20mm. (Rather expected dimensions for the modern enthusiast, I would add.) The Time Master has an overall flat profile, which aids with wearing comfort, although the short lugs turn down towards the wrist. On the right-hand side, we find short crown guards which protect the screw-down crown which, paired with a screw-down caseback, endows the Ferro with 100 meters of water resistance.
The dial
The Ferro Time Master 70 comes in four versions – Silver, Orange, Blue and Salmon – and each comes with a certain monochromatism. The Silver (which is the version we had for our review) does so more as there are three colours which dominate the dial: orange for the handset and silver and black on its surface. It’s not a monochromatic dial per se, but appears to be, on account of the three colours and how the dial was laid out.
A radially brushed silver disc frames the whole thing and is traversed by long printed and lumed hour markers, which start on the outer black portions, while long minute hashmarks, printed in various sizes to fit the unique dial shape, frame the silver disc. We find ourselves with a semi-sector design, which gels well with the 1970s theme. In order to preserve the Time Master’s clean look, the centre black disc is only decorated with the brand’s applied logo and the word “Automatic” printed to follow its curve.
But perhaps the one element of the dial that stands out the most is the handset. The hour and minute hands are in the shape of narrow, pointy triangles and composed of two elements: an orange painted surround and orange-colored lume in their middle. So the hands appear to be completely flat, but they aren’t, and their daytime orange appearance is striking and makes the hands easy to read. This slight dimensionality is a nice touch on the otherwise one-dimensional dial.
The seconds hand is also lumed where the white paint is, so at night the hour markers and seconds hand glow ice blue whilst the hour and minute hands glow orange. That’s a unique combination of colours, and this one is unique to the Silver variant. The whole hands + dial combo is complemented by a cap above the pinion, a design element often found on vintage-inspired watches that we don’t see as often today.
The bracelet
The Ferro Time Master 70 comes shipped on a stainless steel bracelet with a hidden three-link construction held together by pins. Yes, hidden. On the outside, the links look very 70s with a monobloc appearance, but the three-link construction means they articulate a bit more than a true single-link bracelet. The clasp has a double-pusher setup and an on-the-fly micro-adjustment mechanism with six positions, which is practical. The perfectly fitted end-links come with quick-release spring bars for additional practicality.
The movement
Inside the Ferro beats a Miyota 9039, which ticks at 4Hz and comes with 42 hours of power reserve. It’s a reliable and common movement that tends to run well out of the box. Lastly, the case-back is decorated with an orange-tinted piece of sapphire, which gives this model an extra 50% in the vintage department.
Ferro Time Master 70 pricing and availability
The Ferro Time Master 70 is available now via Ferro’s website for immediate shipping. Note that at the time of publishing this article, the Blue version is sold out. Price: US$650, A$1,020
| Brand | Ferro |
| Model | Time Master 70 |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 10.4mm (T) x 47mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front, orange-tinted sapphire back |
| Dial | Silver (model tested), Orange, Blue and Salmon |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Stainless steel faux-single link bracelet, deployant clasp, micro-adjustment |
| Movement | Miyota 9039, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Available now |
| Price | US$650 A$1,020 |
Made in partnership with Ferro & Company. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.