Monta Ocean King V2 Review: It is the King of Microbrands

Ever since the boom of microbrands, I’ve heard about this “King of Microbrands”. It started off with a Monta Triumph, then the Monta Ocean King, which was hailed as the Tudor BB58 rival. Granted, I didn’t really care when Monta first came into the scene as I wasn’t dropping a couple of grand on a microbrand, regardless of it’s reputation. Besides, I was too busy obsessing over affordable watches (i.e., < USD$500). You know, your Seiko’s, Orient’s, Hamilton’s, etc. I was in my “How the Seiko SKX013 is the perfect one watch only” phase.

Fast forward a few years, I’m in my “What’s the best value for under USD$2000 phase”. And let me tell you, the Monta Ocean King V2 is damn well top of that list.

Monta Ocean King V2: What’s the History?

The history behind Monta, as a watch brand, began from failure. In 2015, St. Louis MO-based founders Michael DiMartini and Justin Kraudel began investing in their first luxury wristwatch in Switzerland. In just two years, Monta designed three luxury watch models, and displayed their efforts in a watch trade show in Switzerland. Long story short, it was a complete disaster within the local community.

However, the Monta Triumph caught the attention of international audience, which led to Monta doubling down on their “failures”, which ultimately, led to their “triumph”.

Over the years, Monta has established themselves as a true competitor to the Swiss & German big boys in the sub-$2000 category. Tag Heuer, Oris, Longines, and Sinn. Monta’s line up of robust tool watches with a luxurious fit and finish that simply unheard of from a microbrand. Put simply, a watch brand this young in the industry making watches of Monta’s calibre is ridiculous. You can’t not be a fan of their brand, efforts and journey.

Case & Bezel:

The case on the Monta Ocean King V2 is very reminiscent of the newer 41mm Rolex Submariner with it’s elongated lugs at almost 49mm long. From the side, however, it’s uniqueness begins to shine through. The case profile is relatively flat, and surprisingly thin for a 300m depth rating. The top of the lugs are brushed with polished sides, and a really smooth bevel edge where both ends meet. The lugs do angle down slightly but not so much that it hugs the wrist. By far the most underrated aspect of the Ocean King, the lack of ANY case back protrusion. One of the main reasons why the Monta Ocean King V2 is so damn thin, and why it wears so well.

Aesthetically, the crown guards are a really nice touch to and otherwise rather plain case. I will say given how small the crown is, combined with the relatively thick crown guards, it makes operating the crown annoying. The action of the crown itself is sublime. Winding the Ocean King is smooth as silk (no kidding), and setting the time and date just feels solid.

The bezel is a ceramic 60-click bezel with matching gilt markers. Though I am disappointed that Monta decided not to lume the ceramic bezel insert. A real wasted opportunity for the Ocean King to stand out with similar priced competitors. That being said, the overall quality of the finishing is certainly premium. The fit and finish is up-to-par with luxury watches that I’ve experienced such as Rolex and Tudor. I can only describe it as having the “luxury heft” where it’s heavy, but ‘solid’ heavy.

Dial & Hands

The Monta Ocean King isn’t just another “prioritize built quality and make a submariner-looking diver” microbrand. If you’ve read my reviews you know I prioritize looks over quality. The Ocean King is both.

The dial itself has so much depth, and the positioning and spacing of all the components are perfect. The Ocean King’s canvas starts of with a lacquered black dial. It’s surrounded by applied indices that are raised to different heights. The 12, 3, and 9 hour markers are taller than the rest, with the 12 being the peak. The 6 o’clock has a date cut-out with an applied window that makes it blend in with the rest of the markers. Minute markers which are painted white fill in the gap in between. The Monta text and logo at the 12 o’clock is printed a little larger than your average diver, but I love it given how it’s contrasts with the dial. The red Ocean King text is subtle, yet prominent.

Sword-style hands are used to represent the minutes and hours, with an arrow-tip seconds hand to finish off the time-telling components. Overall the hand set is nothing to write home about but it fits the modern diver aesthetics Monta is trying to put out.

Bracelet

It’s no secret that Monta is extremely proud of their bracelet. I mean they’ve labelled their bracelets as the most comfortable on the planet. Now, that claim cannot be attested without having tried every single bracelet on the planet, though I’d wager Monta would come close. The three-link Oyster-style bracelet hits the sweet spot of being thin but extremely solid. Again, that “luxury heft”. The articulation is also ridiculous, it’s flexible to a point that you’d think it’s broken.

Of course we have to talk about the on-the-fly adjustment mechanism. The quick-adjustment is built on ceramic ball bearings that truly allows you to feel each notch of adjustment. There are six slots in total with 10mm of total adjustability. Just so you know, Tudor didn’t even release their T-Fit clasp until a couple of years back, Monta did this shit in 2018.

All in all, it’s a bracelet that has effort, thoughtfulness and quality poured into it. Forget the brand and just think of a bracelet with: female end-links, on-the-fly quick adjustment, tapering from 20mm to 16mm, solid screw-in links, thin and subtle clasp. What more can you ask?

Comfort & Wearability

This is where the Monta Ocean King V2 loses points for me. However, I will preface that this section is through the lens of someone with 6 inch wrists. So, if your wrists are anything above 6.5 inches, you’ll be sweet.

Comfort wise, it’s difficult to go wrong with a 40.7mm diameter case, unless you have skinny 6 inch wrists like me. Even so, it doesn’t wear unbearably large on me, I just prefer sub 39mm pieces. The thinness makes it extremely easy to grab and go, and not have to worry about it being too thick or heavy for any situation.

Weight distribution, that’s the one thing the Ocean King does so damn well. Yes it’s a hefty piece, but again it’s that “luxury heft”. I feel comfortable taking this every I go, and not have to worry about it being delicate and possibly damaging it. The on-the-fly adjustment is something you try once, and never go back to regular spring bar micro-adjustment. It’s a real life saver when you live in the Aussie climate – winter in the morning and summer at noon.

The Monta Ocean King V2 is a GADA (go anywhere do anything) for those who are into dive watches. You can wear this with a suit, casual with jeans, and take it to the beach with it’s ample 304m water resistance rating. In saying all that, the Ocean King V2 is too big for my 6 inch wrists, more so it sits too flat with its 49mm lug-to-lug and 40.7mm case diameter. If it had a 39mm case, I would be looking at this as my daily driver.

Monta Ocean King V2: Who Is It For?

With a price of just under USD$2000, it’s got tough competition from the Swiss giants like Oris, Longines, and Rado. It’s competing with the likes of the Sinn 104, Marathon MSAR, used Grand Seiko’s, and the list goes on. However, for me, it’s only true competition is the Tudor Black Bay 58, which costs USD$4000, almost double the Ocean King.

It’s hard to consider Monta a microbrand. The design, built quality, and brand identity at this level is not something a microbrand should be able to pull off. Now, I get that it’s one of the most expensive micro’s out there, but it’s entirely worth the money. Sure, you’re missing out on history, but you’re so much bang for buck for return. And in my eyes, what sets Monta apart, is their drive and hunger to continue establishing themselves in the entry-level Swiss luxury market. My opinion? Get one now before they become even more expensive.

Monta Ocean King V2: Closing Thoughts

Aesthetics: It’s nothing special, but it’s got it’s own personality and characteristics. I mean it is a dive watch so can’t blame it for being slightly boring.

Comfort: The combination of 40.7mm case and 49mm lug-to-lug is too large for my 6 inch wrists due to personal preference. However, it’s still an extremely comfortable piece and the bracelet is truly quite remarkable in terms of comfort.

Price: Just shy of USD$2000, if brand history and namesake isn’t a big purchasing factor for you, and you want a Tudor BB58 at half the price? The Monta Ocean King V2 is hard to beat.

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