The MAALS Jump over the Moon caught our attention from our first glance. We introduced it earlier this month and couldn’t wait to get our hands on one. Now we have spent a week wearing a prototype: read our MAALS Jump Over the Moon review to find out how we got on…
A Week on the Wrist – MAALS Jump Over the Moon Review

MAALS kindly lent us one of the prototypes of the Jump Over the Moon watch. Some of the design and production details will change in the final models, which we note towards the end of this review. Powered by a Miyota 6P24 quartz movement, the watch eschews minute and hour hands and instead shows the time by means of two rotating discs. It’s similar to a vintage jump-hour watch (the precursor to digital watches) and certainly attracts some attention!
The MAALS Jump Over the Moon is available in silver or black
MAALS Jump Over the Moon –*First Impressions

MAALS*made a big deal of their zip-together storage cases. Looking like a pencil case/glasses case combo according to one of our Facebook readers, the watch roll is certainly different to your standard watch box. It’s made here in the UK from*high-quality leather and looks and feels “premium”. There’s not a great deal of padding but it certainly protected the watch well enough on its journey from Warwickshire to East Yorkshire. We prefer to receive watches with a useable case rather than a box that is destined for a drawer so full marks here.
Strap

The watch arrived on a good quality strap with an unbadged Pre-V style buckle. It’s neither the best nor the worst strap we have seen on a microbrand. In its price range, it is a great compliment to say that you won’t need to immediately buy a new strap for your MAALs watch.

Case

There are two variants of this watch: our favourite is the light dial/steel case. We reviewed the black dial/black DLC model. The case is finished in a black coating which is resistant to scratching. It will, however, eventually wear off, but take care and the watch’s good looks should be preserved. The case is a fairly conservative design, just slim enough to be comfortable while maintaining wrist presence and at 42mm it is just the right size for our tastes. We particularly liked the way that the lugs have a gentle sweeping curve. The crown is a bit small for our tastes but works well, and it wears really well. The best part is the case back which has a stunning laser-etched image by*Leamington Spa-based artist*OKSE (Chris Oxenbury).

Dial and Hands

Okay, there is actually only one hand on this watch – a ticking second hand. It’s finished in grey in this colour scheme and we actually found it quite hard to see. Its only real function is to show the watch is working, so that’s not so bad. The red hand on the silver model looks more attractive. You read the time vertically, with hours and minutes shown in the triangular cut-out, along with an AM/PM disc that features the moon and stars (but is not a true moon phase indicator). The dial is printed and so it’s a little flat – which suits the design – but more textures or layers would have made it even better.

The only real criticism we have of this model (which is not replicated in the other colour option) as that black and grey are a little hard to read, and coupled with the inherent difficulty of reading the time from two tiny discs, there is no luminescence to the watch so it’s impossible to see in low light. As a statement piece, it works really well but we would not pick it out as a functional daily wearer – at least not in PVD black.

What we liked about the MAALS Jump Over the Moon

  • This is a beautiful watch – the colours, design and case are really attractive
  • It’s great to see a new design, and not something derivative of the major manufacturers
  • The watch case MAALs supply is a really nice touch

What we didn’t like about the MAALS Jump Over the Moon

  • It doesn’t bother us too much, but many enthusiasts won’t touch quartz watches. An automatic model would be great, and we are sure the demand is there.
  • The dial is hard to read accurately – and in low light because there is no luminescence, it is impossible
  • We’d have preferred more layers or textures on the dial

MAALS Jump Over the Moon – the WRUK Verdict

We love it. For the money, it’s a no-brainer to buy one of these instead of almost anything on the high street. The watch looks unique, is great to wear and you are supporting a small British business.

Changes in the Production versions

Andy from MAALS has advised us that there are some changes in the final version that will make the watch even better:

  • The numbers on the mins and hours discs will be bigger and bolder to make reading the time easier – the disc size will stay the same so the look of the watch won’t change
  • The logo engraving on the crown will be deeper
  • The seconds tick will be more accurate – the prototype hand doesn’t quite hit every dash on the dial face.

Buy a*MAALS Jump Over the Moon watch

For the next few days (until the end of June) you can preorder a MAALS Jump Over the Moon watch for 40% off the RRP of £275 by using the discount code SUPER EARLY at the MAALS website. We suggest you get in quick if you want one as crowdfunded preorder prices and final retail prices will be significantly higher.
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