Standard Issue Swiss Quartz Field Navigator – $249.98
Just because your personal tastes may lean more towards the casual and/or outdoorsy doesn’t mean you’re banned by some unspoken societal rule on having aesthetic preferences. And the good thing about these Huckberry exclusive watches, is that you get unique style as well as solid, dependable quality. These watches aren’t sheep in wolves’ clothing, so to speak.
Based on military designs from the 70s, the first two things you notice about this field watch is the shape of the case and the complete lack of branding. That extended, oyster-like case is certainly a throwback, and not something that’s easy to find. They smartly designed it with a matte/brushed finish, that really hammers home the “feel free to get it dirty” look. A chrome case would have really wrecked what they were going for.
The movement is quartz, but it’s a Swiss Rhonda. They’ve also gone with a sapphire crystal, a screw down crown, and a plenty-for-most 100m of water resistance. It is manufactured in China (so was your smartphone and the computer I’m typing this on), but it feels solid. Especially for being a quartz. There’s a nice heft to it, that you don’t always get with quartz watches.
The bezel is omnidirectional (rotates both in the clockwise and counter clockwise direction) with a good snap between each click. That bezel doubles as a way to track a second time zone, and it can also be used as a compass. The hands and indices are painted with C3 Superluminova, which gives off a solid lume in the dark. That helps quite a bit when you’re somewhere unfamiliar and can’t find the light switch… or… there is no light switch to be found. 42mm in diameter, but wears a little bit larger thanks to that 47mm lug-to-lug distance. Lugs are drilled, and 20mm wide.
For plenty of guys, $250 is getting up in terms of price for a quartz. But this one doesn’t feel or act like some rinky-dink wannabe field watch. It’s the real deal, designed specifically by a website that specializes in gear that’s both good looking and highly functional. It’s comfortable on the wrist, feels dependable, and more than a few are gonna like the looks of that case and the plain dial. So while $250 isn’t cheap, it might become the watch you reach for when you head for the hills, and leave your fancier looking automatics on the shelf.
Enter here to win the Standard Issue Instruments Field Navigator from Huckberry. One entry per person. Deadline for entry is 12:59 PM ET on 12/15/15. Many thanks to Huckberry for sending along this watch for review and then a subsequent giveaway.
UPDATE: Congrats to W. Woodworth who won the Field Navigator from Huckberry!
