A Week on the Wrist with the Detrash Au.M.G. – a dive watch that turns rubbish into gold

The wonderful world of watches is a magical place to be sometimes. For every six-figure dream machine with a fancy French name and artistry throughout, there's a solid, reliable and – perhaps most crucially – affordable option. The lower end of the market has had a proper resurgence in recent years, with a multitude of small brands offering meaningful value.

It's something we see a lot of in the British watch industry, and that's exactly where Detrash fits in. The brand has been around for a little while now, offering high quality dive watches that are wallet-friendly and do some genuine good for the planet.

Buy the Detrash Au.M.G. on the Detrash website

I was thoroughly impressed with the Detrash Midnight Sky I tested prior to this, which offered a seriously impressive spec sheet and charmingly good looks. Now, the brand has unveiled another new model called the Detrash Au.M.G. – and I've been getting familiar with it.

Detrash Au.M.G. key specs

If you're familiar with other models in the Detrash catalogue, the spec sheet shouldn't be too much of a departure here. The brand keeps things pretty consistent between models, instead opting for design changes to separate them,

Here, you'll get a 41mm case diameter with a lug-to-lug width of 47mm. That case is crafted from stainless steel, with 80% of the construction coming from recycled sources. Here, that steel is covered with a yellow gold PVD, in a first for the brand.

Inside, a Seiko NH35 movement is used to power the piece. That offers around 41 seconds of power reserve with a 3Hz beat rate. Accuracy of -20/+40 seconds per day isn't exactly setting the world alight, but it's more than enough for most users, and Seiko tends to undersell and overperform in that regard anyway.

The strap is made from #tide recycled ocean bound plastic, too. That's an initiative which takes plastic destined to pollute the ocean and turns it into fabric.

Other noteworthy specs include 200m of water resistance, a screw-down crown and Super-LumiNova on the indices.

What is the Detrash Au.M.G. like to wear?

On the wrist, the wearing experience is pretty much perfect. The 41mm case diameter is tidy enough to fit most wrists perfectly – especially when you factor in the 47mm lug-to-lug width.

The case height – 12.9mm tall – is a little more cumbersome, but it's certainly not going to be overly problematic. For this sort of cash, you really couldn't ask for much more.

The gold tone is really striking here, too. From the first moment when you pull it from its pouch, you'll be dazzled by the bright yellow gold hue on the case and bezel. I can't say it's something I'd usually gravitate towards – my tastes are much more in the steel and silver realm – but for the right taste, it's perfect!

I really have enjoyed how the hands match the colour of the case so well, too. It makes it really easy to read the time, with all of the deep blue dial falling away into the background.

If I had to make one change, it'd be the strap. There's nothing wrong with it – give it a quick twist to break it in and it's lovely and supple – but the clasp it just a hair to chunky for my liking. I'd prefer something that was just a smidge slimmer there. It's also worth noting that my wrist is only catered for by the very last hole on the strap, so those with really slim wrists may find themselves unstuck.

Is the Detrash Au.M.G. worth the money?

Priced at just £375 / €442.95 / US$521 / AU$781, it's hard to really criticise the Detrash watches at all. They represent fantastic value for money, offering a serious amount of spec for the cash.

Whether this is the model for you or not will all come down to the styling. If you go for yellow gold tones, there's a lot to love here, and if you don't the other models in the brand's range will probably be a better fit for you.