Ratio Skysurfer: Aviation Watch That's Dive-Ready As Well!
Ratio’s Skysurfer range is the sort of kit we dreamt of back when school runs between Cork and Clonmel were timed by whatever plastic digital the local petrol station flogged. Here’s a watch that looks perfectly at home in the flight deck of a Ryanair 737 climbing out of Dublin but won’t flinch when you cannon-ball off the pier at Salthill an hour later. That dual personality — cockpit clarity married to seaside toughness — is why the Skysurfer has quietly become our favourite bit of wrist-gear for weekends that don’t stick to a single plan.
Aviation-Inspired Design:
At first glance the design is pure pilot: big Arabic numerals, an instrument-style minute track and generous sword hands you could read in a Donegal squall. The case is stainless steel (38 mm across, about 46 mm lug-to-lug), sized small enough to slip under a bomber-jacket cuff yet broad enough for quick time checks when you’re wrestling luggage into an overhead bin. Sapphire crystal up top takes the knocks of airport trays and Galway cobbles, and the anti-reflective coating keeps the dial legible in those rare bursts of Irish sun that bounce off Shannon’s tarmac.
One of Ratio’s smartest spec moves is the omission of an external rotating bezel. That keeps the profile slim and avoids the “diver clone” look while still providing water integrity via a robust midcase and substantial gaskets. Besides, pilots track elapsed time on chronographs or cockpit clocks; for everything else, a crisp minute hand does the job. The net result is a cleaner silhouette, the sort that slips under a tweed sleeve at a Galway wedding without snagging.
One small caveat: at 38 mm the watch may look petite if your usual is a chunky diver. But that dimension is historically correct for WWII pilot pieces, sits beautifully on most wrists, and wears larger thanks to a wide dial aperture. Beside a pint of plain the Skysurfer holds presence without shouting — very Irish in that respect.
Full Lume Models:
Ratio sweetens the deal with full-lume variants – the white-dial models charge up like a glowing road sign on the N7 and stay readable long after last orders. They’re not gimmicks either; reviewers clock runtimes north of eight hours before the lume fully fades, which is handy if you’re sat on a red-eye from New York or doing a night dive off the Skelligs.
The dial choices deserve a quick mention because Ratio clearly had fun. There’s matte black if you favour stealth, a textured blue sunray that catches low winter light like the Liffey at 4 p.m., and the full-lume white that looks like the face of Hook Lighthouse after dark. All share bold syringe hands and a stark minute track, meaning you can set estimated time of arrival on approach to Cork Airport without squinting.
200m Water Resistance Pressure-Tested:
Then there’s the obvious eyebrow-raiser: 200-metre pressure testing. Plenty of pilot watches advertise “splash proof” but turn gelatinous once they meet the Atlantic. Not this lad. The Skysurfer’s screw-down crown and gaskets have been bench-tested for real depth, so you can swap headset for snorkel without changing watches. “200M water resistance” sounds clinical on a spec sheet; in real life it means the piece shrugged off a weekend of cliff jumps at Dún Chaoin, a pool session in Limerick, and a rinse in Galway Bay for good measure. It is, simply, a bona-fide 200M waterproof watch.
Japanese Automatic Movement:
Inside beats Seiko’s NH38A — twenty-four jewels, 21,600 vph, hacking, hand-winding and a 40-plus hour reserve. It’s basically the no-date cousin of the famous NH35, which means no annoying “phantom” crown position and a reliability record as long as the Greenway. Ratio regulates it to run comfortably within Seiko’s published tolerance (+20 s/day), though owners often report better once the movement beds in. Service intervals are relaxed; any competent Irish watchmaker who handles Seiko parts can do a clean and oil. If you’re new to mechanicals, this calibre is the kind of friendly workhorse that makes affordable automatic watches a sensible upgrade from quartz.
Let’s talk accuracy in the field. On a recent loop from Dublin to Keflavík and back, mine gained nine seconds over four days. That’s bang on for an NH38A fresh out of the box. Temperature swings from cabin to cockpit door had no visible effect, nor did the jolts of Ryanair’s famously soft (ahem) landings. Underwater, the crown remained locked, the lume performed, and the bezel’s simple minute track let us log bottom time easily. It isn’t ISO-certified as a diver, but we’d happily trust it for recreational depths that PADI signs off — say, forty metres on a nitrox mix off Baltimore.
Engraved Crown and Caseback:
Flip the case and you’ll find a laser-etched skysurfer — a wingsuit pilot arcing across a stylised sky. Also, the unique ‘Ratio’ brand logo is etched on the crown. Sure, nobody will see it once the watch is on, but knowing that bit of art is there feels very Ratio: cheeky humour, zero fluff, and a nod to adventure that makes us smile every time we swap straps. Speaking of which, the factory leather is soft from the get-go and punched to fit slender Irish wrists as well as burly farmer forearms. Prefer NATO? The drilled lugs make swaps a cinch. It’s the little quality-of-life touches that show these folks actually wear their own designs.
Crafted For Adventure Above And Below:
Price remains the killer hook. Ratio retails the Skysurfer around €150–€170, comfortably south of the €200 mark even with customs, putting it among the genuinely High-quality watches under €200 that don’t feel like compromises. We paid less than a decent night out in Temple Bar yet got hardware that’s been to 20 ATM and back. Bargain? Absolutely — and much better craic than another black plastic smart-thing that needs a charger every day.
Because the Skysurfer doesn’t pretend to be haute horology, it sidesteps the awkwardness that dogs luxury kit. You won’t baby it at a GAA match, nor fret when the cousin borrows it for a surfing lesson in Lahinch. It’s a Ratio watch for outdoor enthusiasts who bounce between hill walks in Wicklow and paddle-boarding on Lough Gill, and it’s equal parts tool and talisman: rugged enough to trust, handsome enough to admire.
Wrapping It Up
How does it compare with bigger-name pilot offerings? Hamilton’s Khaki Pilot Pioneer costs roughly five times more and offers similar specs minus the 200-metre rating. Seiko’s own Pilot Prospex is larger, pricer, and generally quartz. Citizen’s Promaster line touches 200 m but foregoes mechanical soul for solar quartz. By contrast, the Skysurfer dives deeper, runs mechanically, and asks only the price of a weekend in Killarney when the Euro is behaving.
If you’re counting grams for travel, the watch head is about 70 g on leather – lighter than most dive pieces yet solid enough to feel present. And the simple screw-down crown (signed with Ratio’s stylised “R”) is easy to grip with wet fingers, even in three-mil gloves. The threads start clean every time, a small but vital quality marker.
Let’s not forget the fun factor. Watches, like pubs, are about stories. The Skysurfer brings together dreams of cloud-surfing over the Irish Sea and plunging beneath it without switching gear. It’s equal parts Spitfire romanticism and Wild Atlantic Way practicality. Stick one on, plot a course from Galway to Valentia, charter a Cessna, land on the grass strip for a seafood chowder, then don fins and explore the 1916 U-Boat wreck off the coast. One watch, no worries.
Of course we’d be remiss not to highlight value for early collectors. If you’re a student in Limerick eyeing your first mechanical, the Skysurfer nails the brief. It is, without hyperbole, one of the most Affordable automatic watches that doesn’t feel corner-cut. Aluminium chapter ring? Nope, it’s metal. Mineral glass? Not here – sapphire only. Push-pull crown? Try again – screw-down for real sealing. That stack of hardwearing choices is what makes the Skysurfer a slick graduation gift or birthday treat that can stay in the family.
And sure, if you end up climbing Carrantuohill or diving in Killary Fjord, the Skysurfer’s combination of pilot legibility and diver durability means you won’t leave it in the gear bag. That’s exactly the point: a Ratio watch for outdoor enthusiasts should encourage action, not anxiety.
The Skysurfer gives you authentic pilot aesthetics, bulletproof dive-worthy construction, a proven Japanese heart, and a price tag that leaves room in the budget for a ticket to Lisbon or a dry-suit certification course. It doesn’t beg for Instagram likes; it quietly gets the job done with a wink and a bit of cheek. Slán agus beannacht.
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