MARS Earth Edition Black Automatic Watch, ST1652

The MARS Earth Edition is black on black on black: a 40 mm black 316L stainless steel case, a black multi-display dial, and a black genuine leather band. Inside is a Seagull ST1652 automatic, so it winds itself off your wrist and never needs a battery. The dial is branded MARS at the top and EARTH EDITION below.

Why It Stands Out

• The Seagull ST1652 is a real automatic movement, not a quartz module dressed up to look like one. Wear it regularly and it stays wound.
• 9 mm thick is genuinely slim for a self-winding watch. Most automatics this size run a couple of millimetres taller and catch on a cuff.
• Sapphire crystal instead of mineral glass. The crystal is the part of a watch you scratch first, and sapphire is the reason this one still looks new in a year.
• Rated to 100 m, which is far more than a leather-strapped watch usually gets. The band is the limiting factor, not the case, so rain and a soaked sleeve are a non-event.
• The blackout treatment runs through the case as well as the dial and band, so nothing on it flashes.
• 20 mm band width is a standard size, so swapping the leather for nylon or rubber is easy and cheap.

Watch Details

• Movement: Seagull ST1652 automatic
• Case: 40 mm black 316L stainless steel
• Case thickness: 9 mm
• Crystal: Sapphire
• Dial: Black multi-display, branded MARS and EARTH EDITION
• Band: Black genuine leather, 20 mm width
• Water resistance: 100 m (10 ATM), manufacturer-rated — swimming and snorkelling, not scuba

Fit and Wear

40 mm across and 9 mm thick puts this in the middle of the range: big enough to read at a glance, flat enough to disappear under a shirt sleeve. The leather band is soft from day one, and the single black colourway means it works with a suit as easily as it works with a jacket and jeans. On a smaller wrist the slim case matters more here than the diameter does.

Colin's Take

Blacked-out automatics usually cost you something. Either the movement is anonymous, or the crystal is mineral glass that hazes over, or the case is 13 mm thick and rides up your sleeve. This one gives you a named Seagull movement, sapphire, and a 9 mm case. Buy it if you want one watch that reads dressy in low light and tough in daylight. Skip it if you need to read the time across a dim room, because black on black is exactly as legible as it sounds.