Islander
Four years ago — November 26, 2021, to be exact — I paid $275 for this Islander ISL-18. The reason was simple: I wanted that Rolex Yacht Master look without spending Rolex money. The dial, the bezel, the overall profile — it was hitting the right notes at a fraction of the price.
The big question, after five years of wearing it: was it just a cheap homage, or is it actually a great watch?
The dial is a deep blue that goes almost purple depending on the light, with a sunray finish that shifts as you move your wrist. It looks classy — not cheap, not too flashy. That combination has let me wear this watch to the beach, to church, to everyday errands. It genuinely goes with almost anything.
The lume is C3 Super-LumiNova across the hands and markers, and the Islander logo itself is also lumed — a nice touch. One thing worth noting: the lume photographs blue but reads green in real life. The camera lies on this one.
I have big wrists — eight and a quarter inches — and 43mm wears perfectly on me. After five years, the case shows light scratches, nothing terrible, nothing that bothers me. It’s a daily beater. That’s expected.
The double-domed sapphire crystal has held up completely. No visible scratches after five years of use including ocean swimming. The screw-down crown at the 4:00 position — same as the SKX — has kept water out without any drama. 200m water resistance, and I’ve tested it in practice.
The NH36 has run without any service needed. Accuracy is steady, and having both a hack and hand-wind function matters for a dive watch. The bezel action is still good, though it felt crisper when the watch was new.
I checked the accuracy again recently, side by side with my ISL-44: the ISL-18 is currently running at roughly -4 seconds a day. That’s comfortably inside the NH36’s -20/+40 factory spec, and honestly better than I’d expect from a movement that’s never been regulated or serviced in five years. It’s not quite as tight as the ISL-44’s +1 second a day, but both numbers are the kind of result that would be a good outcome even on a watch fresh from the factory.
It’s worth putting that -4 seconds a day number in context, because “no service needed” gets thrown around loosely in watch reviews. Most watchmakers recommend servicing an automatic movement every 3 to 5 years regardless of how it’s performing, mainly to replace degraded lubricants before they cause wear, not because the watch has necessarily started running poorly. The NH36 is a mass-produced, inexpensive movement, which cuts both ways here: parts and full movement swaps are cheap if something does eventually go wrong, but there’s also less incentive for Islander or a repair shop to nurse a specific unit back to health rather than just replace it outright.
Five years in without a service and still inside spec is a genuinely good outcome, not a guarantee that the next five will look the same. I’d treat this as a data point in the ISL-18’s favor rather than proof the NH36 never needs attention — it’s more that when it does eventually need it, the fix is cheap and straightforward compared to a Swiss in-house caliber.
Two things. First, the 14mm thickness. It wears tall on the wrist — if it were closer to 12mm, this watch would be significantly more comfortable and more versatile. It’s the one spec that holds it back.
Second, the bracelet doesn’t have micro-adjusters. Resizing requires a tool. At this price that’s understandable, and the bracelet itself is genuinely good quality — it flexes and hugs the wrist well — but it’s a convenience miss.
One number that rarely gets discussed in watch reviews: total cost over time. I paid $275 for the ISL-18 in November 2021. Over five years of daily-to-frequent wear, it has needed zero servicing, zero repairs, and zero replacement parts. That works out to roughly $55 a year, or about 15 cents a day, for a watch that’s been to the beach, worn to church, and used as a genuine daily driver throughout.
Compare that to the Rolex Yacht-Master this watch is styled after — tens of thousands of dollars upfront, plus service costs every 5 to 10 years that can run into the hundreds or low thousands. That’s not a knock on Rolex; it’s a different product built around different priorities. But if what you actually want is the aesthetic language of a Yacht-Master — the bezel styling, the sporty-dressy dial, the case proportions — without the ownership cost, the ISL-18 delivers that specific thing extremely well, and the five-year track record here backs it up.
I’ve now owned three different Islander references, which puts me in a decent position to compare them directly rather than just this one in isolation.
The ISL-18 and the ISL-44 Emerald Islander are effectively the same watch in different colorways — identical 43mm case, identical NH36 movement, identical 200m water resistance, identical Jubilee-style bracelet. The ISL-18’s blue sunray dial and standard bezel lean toward the classic Seiko SKX tool-watch formula; the ISL-44’s emerald green dial and raised gray ceramic bezel borrow more from Rolex Hulk and Yacht-Master styling. Buy on color preference alone — the underlying hardware and five-year track record are essentially identical. The catch: the ISL-44 has since been discontinued, so the ISL-18 is now the only one of the two you can still buy new.
The Northport ISL-155 is a different proposition entirely. At 39mm it’s noticeably smaller and more wearable for medium wrists, it runs a hi-beat 28,800 bph movement instead of the NH36’s 21,600 bph, and the seafoam green ripple dial is a statement piece rather than a Yacht-Master homage. At $429 it’s also the most expensive of the three. If your wrist runs under 7 inches, or you want a dial that doesn’t reference an existing Rolex design language, the Northport is the one to look at instead.
The price has moved a fair amount since I bought mine. I paid $275 in November 2021; Long Island Watch lists it at $369 today, a roughly 34% increase over five years — in line with general price inflation across the affordable mechanical watch category, not specific to this model. It’s still in stock and still a reasonable buy at that price given what you get: sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel insert, a screw-down crown, and 200m water resistance.
If you’re comparing it to the now-discontinued ISL-44, that’s worth knowing before you decide which one to chase: the ISL-18 you can order today, brand new, with a warranty. The ISL-44 you can only find secondhand, at whatever price the seller sets. Unless the emerald green dial specifically is what you’re after, buying the ISL-18 new is the lower-friction option.
I have big wrists — eight and a quarter inches — and the ISL-18’s 43mm case with a 46mm lug-to-lug fills that out without looking oversized. This is genuinely a large watch, though, and the numbers matter more here than on most reviews I write. At 14mm thick, it’s noticeably taller than a typical 40mm diver, and that thickness is the dimension that determines whether this watch works on your wrist more than the 43mm diameter does.
If your wrist runs in the 7-to-8.5-inch range, this sizing is a non-issue — it wears proportionate and comfortable. Below 6.5 inches, I’d think twice, or at minimum try it on in person first; the case will likely overhang and the 14mm height will feel more pronounced on a narrower wrist. The 22mm lug width also limits strap options somewhat compared to the more common 20mm standard, though 22mm aftermarket straps are still widely available.
The screw-down crown’s offset position at 4 o’clock — mimicking the Seiko SKX layout — keeps it from digging into the back of your hand, which matters more than you’d think on a case this size.
One thing worth planning for if you’re buying: the 22mm lug width is a step up from the more common 20mm standard, and while 22mm straps are still widely available, the selection is meaningfully smaller than what you’d find for a 20mm lug. If you’re the type who swaps straps seasonally — a NATO for summer, leather for winter — budget a bit more time to find options you actually like rather than assuming every strap you’ve seen online comes in 22mm.
Worth being direct about who this watch isn’t for:
For everyone else — especially larger-wristed buyers who want a Yacht Master-inspired look with real dive-watch specs and proven long-term durability — the ISL-18 remains one of the smarter buys under $400. If you want a similarly capable Islander in a different colorway and a slightly smaller footprint, the Northport ISL-155 in Seafoam Green is worth a look too. And if you want the same case and movement with a bolder, Hulk-inspired dial, I’ve also owned the ISL-44 Emerald Islander since 2021.
The price has moved since I bought it. At $275 in 2021, this was an extraordinary deal. At $369 today, it’s still a strong value proposition for what you’re getting: sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel insert, 200m water resistance, NH36 movement, and a dial that earns compliments from people who know nothing about watches.
Is it a cheap homage? No. After five years, I’d say it’s actually a great watch.
Verdict
After owning it since November 2021 — swimming in the ocean, wearing it to church, putting it through daily life — the ISL-18 has proven it's not just a cheap homage. It's actually a great watch. The deep blue sunray dial with that Yacht Master-like bezel still turns heads, the NH36 has never skipped a beat, and the build quality has held up far better than you'd expect at this price. If you have larger wrists and love the Yacht Master look but not the Yacht Master price, this is a compelling alternative.
Yes, with one caveat: the 43mm case and 14mm thickness run large, so it suits medium-to-large wrists better than smaller ones. If sizing checks out, the NH36 movement, sapphire crystal, and 200m water resistance make it a durable, low-maintenance starting point.
The Seiko NH36, a 24-jewel automatic with a 21,600 bph beat rate, hacking seconds, and hand-winding capability. Factory accuracy spec is -20/+40 seconds per day, though most individual watches run tighter than the spec's outer limits.
Completely intact mechanically — no service needed, the sapphire crystal has zero visible scratches, and the ceramic bezel insert hasn't faded. The case shows light cosmetic wear consistent with daily use, including ocean swimming, but nothing that affects function.
At 43mm wide, 14mm thick, and 46mm lug-to-lug, it wears large. It's well suited to wrists in the 7-to-8.5-inch range; if your wrist runs under 6.5 inches, try it on first or consider a smaller Islander reference instead.
No — resizing requires removing links with a tool, and there's no on-the-fly ratchet or micro-adjust clasp. Budget for a one-time proper fit rather than expecting daily flexibility.
Same case, same NH36 movement, same 200m water resistance — the difference is entirely dial and bezel color. The ISL-18's blue sunray dial leans toward the classic Seiko SKX tool-watch formula, while the ISL-44's emerald green dial and raised ceramic bezel lean into Rolex Hulk and Yacht-Master styling. Both have proven equally durable across five years of ownership.
Yes — unlike the discontinued ISL-44, the ISL-18 remains in stock through Long Island Watch at $369 as of this review, up from the $275 I paid in November 2021.
Reviewed by
Five Minute Watch Reviews
Independent watch reviewer covering affordable mechanical watches. Every watch covered has been worn personally — purchased, gifted, or borrowed and disclosed. Review scores reflect genuine hands-on experience only. See our editorial policy.
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I bought the Islander ISL-44 — the Emerald Islander — in September 2021 for $299 because it combined a Rolex Hulk dial, a Yacht-Master-style bezel, and Seiko dive-watch DNA in one package. Five years later, it's still running at +1 second a day. Here's the honest long-term verdict.
The Islander Northport ISL-155 in Seafoam Green is one of the most visually striking dive watches you can buy under $500 — a hi-beat automatic with serious summer character and the specs to back it up.