Mike M.

Mike M. is the hands-on owner behind Iron Mako Media, the independent portfolio of gear sites that Bezel & Bearing belongs to. He ranks watches on what the maker publishes (battery hours by mode, glass, case, water rating) and labels every pick with how it was researched.

How Mike ranks watches

Every pick on Bezel & Bearing is labeled "Researched." That means Mike read the maker's operation guide or battery table and the usage assumptions behind it, read the specification page or press release for the lens, case and water rating, checked whether the maker itself uses a MIL-STD-810 line and in what words, and scored the result on the public rubric at How We Rate. It does not mean he owns, wore or field-tested the watch, and no page on this site says otherwise.

If a specific watch is worn or used for a page, that page will say exactly what was done and for how long, with original photos. Until then, "Researched" is the honest label.

What you won't find here

• Credentials or job titles he doesn't hold.
• Claims that he has worn, dropped or drowned a watch he hasn't.
• A lifespan in years for any watch. The makers don't publish one, and neither does he.
• Rankings paid for by a brand. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick.

Contact

Questions and corrections go to mike@blackironathletics.com. Mike reads every message. More about the publisher is at Iron Mako Media.