BOLDR Supply Company is now taking orders for their latest creation, the Venture, a classic field watch in a tough titanium case. I had the opportunity to test a prototype and came away impressed.
At first glance, you might mistake the Venture for a Vietnam War era US Serviceman’s field watch. It has the traditional 12/24 hour dial, compact size, and stealthy matte case finish; however, closer inspection reveals a host of thoroughly modern upgrades like Superlume on the dial and syringe hands, and a nearly scratch-proof flat sapphire crystal with an inner anti-reflective coating.
The case has a similar feel to that of the old mil-spec watches but angular lugs and a signed 4:00 crown give the Venture more personality than the older watches. Like the originals, the Venture is on the smaller side for a man’s watch but where US government-issues models were a mere 34mm, the BOLDR is 38mm wide, 11mm thick, and 45mm long. It’s still small to mid-sized, yet not unfashionably so. The biggest difference is its durability. Those steel monocoque 1960’s and 70’s field watches were only minimally water resistant by today’s standards. On the other hand, the Venture’s two-piece titanium case is sealed to 100m and is tough as nails, despite feeling almost unnaturally light. It is worth noting, however, that the matte titanium marks just as easily as at matte stainless steel.
Both the BOLDR and the vintage watches use Swiss movements, but where the old GI watches had 17-jewel hand-wound units, the Venture has an ETA 802.102 quartz movement. I know many will bemoan the use of a “soulless” quartz, but you cannot deny its superior accuracy and resistance to both shock and magnetism.
Of course, a filed watch needs a field strap. In this case, a 20mm ballistic nylon NATO in your choice of Jungle Green, Adventure Khaki, or Carbon Black. I was pleased to see that the strap is fitted with titanium hardware to watch the case.
For this watch, BOLDR has rolled out a new “Tough Enough Lifetime Warranty.” No matter how you damage your Venture, they will accept your exchange and replace the watch for a $70 flat fee, including shipping.
This watch is a tremendous value at the full $143.81 USD retail, but an absurd bargain at the current $97.56 USD pre-sale price. If you are looking for a no-nonsense beater that can take a literal beating, the BOLDR Venture may be the watch for you. Move quickly though, that discount only lasts a month. See BOLDRSupply.co for more. ⬩
