[Update 8/9/18: Origin is now offering the Field Watch 2nd Edition on Kickstarter with early bird rewards starting at just $325, 35% off the usual retail price. The campaign ends August 31, 2018.]
Today’s watch hails from Memphis, Tennessee, where self-taught watchmaker Dennis Shirokov assembles the products of the Origin Watch Company. I met Dennis at last year’s DC Microbrand Meetup where he showed prototypes of the Field Watch 2nd Edition in white, black, and gray. Once the watches were in production, he loaned me this gray dial version to review.
Like the first Origin, the 2nd Edition draws upon classic military watches, particularly those made by Elgin, Waltham, Breguet, and Hamilton in the 1950’s, but while the two models share a similar inspiration and layout, the 2nd edition is all new and to my eye, far more refined. The numbers are smaller and printed in pale green lume, which looks particularly fetching against the dark gray background. The polished hands are also lume filled, and the minute hand is long enough for its needle tip to reach the finely delineated minute track. True to filed watch tradition, the Origin has 24-hour markers, but they pushed to the outer edge, beyond the 12-hours. A recessed and sunray finished small seconds dial at 9 o’clock adds a bit of flourish to the otherwise sober face.
I often complain about the text on a watch dial, but when not when it is done properly. There is more than ample room on the Origin’s dial, and the typeface is attractive: a slightly broadened sans-serif for the Origin brand name, and an appropriately old-fashioned, compressed serif with high contrast between its thick and thin strokes.
Keeping with the Origin’s vintage spirit, Dennis chose a SeaGull TY3600 hand winding mechanical. Based on the ETA 6497, this 17 jewel, shock protected unit beats at 21.6k bph and has a 40-hour power reserve when fully wound.
Flip the watch over, and a flat sapphire exhibition window offers a view of its rhodium finish, Geneva stripes, and blued screws. SeaGull says the TY3600 is accurate within +/- 30 seconds a day, but Origin goes the extra mile to calibrate it to +/- 12 seconds per day.
The Origin’s case measures 42mm wide, 50 long, and 14mm thick. Those figures are huge compared to most vintage military pieces, but they are right on target for a modern man’s watch. It is comprised of three parts. The center and lugs are brushed, as are the crown and bezel, while the top and bottom sections are polished. My favorite aspect is the subtle concave curve in the narrow bezel. A domed, AR-coated sapphire crystal tops it off.
Dennis’s first foray into the watch business was Origin Leather, so as you might expect, he has selected top quality straps for the Field Watch. The loaner arrived on a lightly padded, 22mm leather strap with white stitching. Its warm camel color complements the gray and green of the dial. It has curved ends that hug the case and a signed, polished, 20mm flat tang buckle.
The Origin cuts a rather dapper figure. It filled my smallish 6.5” wrist but didn’t overwhelm it, and it slid right under my shirt cuff. A friend called the watch “gentlemanly,” and I think that is an apt description. I had no qualms wearing it to the office with a coat and tie. You might think this field watch is too pretty for the field, but its 100m water resistance rating and bright lume would indicate otherwise.
At $495, the Origin Field Watch 2nd Edition is a solid value that is well within reach of most affordable watch enthusiasts. If you live near Atlanta, Memphis, or Nashville, check out the Origin at Medikow jewelers. The rest of us can order direct from OriginWatchCo.com. ⬩
