Review and photos by Mike Razak
Before we get to the review of the latest offering from Goodspeed Watches (the Scout), did you know I now own one of the brand’s first model (the Sonoma)? It’s true. I reviewed it for the site back in October of 2019 (do you remember that long ago?). Then for our fifth wedding anniversary, my wife reached out to a friend of mine (also a watch guy) and asked if it would be okay to buy me a wooden watch. Thank god she reached out, because he shot that down and pointed her in the right direction. And so now I have a Goodspeed Sonoma—the very colorway I reviewed (plus wooden-handled bottle opener and ice cream scoops that he made so she’d have something wood to give me, which is apparently the custom for fifth anniversaries).
The Goodspeed Scout is the brand’s second model and will be launching on Kickstarter in a less than two weeks. I got excited for the Scout quite early, when Jeremy (the brand owner) sent me the initial renders. I got even more excited for it when I started seeing the amazing marketing materials, styled after magazine ads from the 1950s, with full-color art and paragraphs of copy. So you won’t be shocked when I tell you I was stoked to finally get my hands on one of them.
The Scout is a go anywhere, do anything watch in its truest form. The 38.5x45mm case features clean brushing along the tops and sides, with exceptionally crisp edges. A fixed polished bezel surrounds a flat sapphire crystal, eschewing the double-domed distortion lenses on other watches in favor of a bit of modern optics. That allows for a thickness of just 10mm. Let me say this here and now: the only reason to choose a domed crystal is for look, never for function.
The Scout’s screwdown crown at 3 o’clock ensures 200m or water resistance. The polishing on the crown is a nice accompaniment to the bezel, and the Goodspeed globe logo is great. One thing I like about this crown (and those like it) is the very short ungrooved section between the grip and the case. It adds not only a bit of length, but an area to get your fingertips in for easier time setting. I still believe the crown could’ve used another .5mm or so in length, as I prefer to have a good grip without having to get the very tips of my fingers involved.
My hope and dreams for the Goodspeed Scout were tied up fully in the dial. The matte circle against the brushed silver was so promising in the renders. I love texture, and even more, I love multiple textures well-balanced.
But it wasn’t meant to be. The dial, in concept and design, is great. In execution, it falls short. The matte black plays too chalky and the brushing is not defined enough. I would’ve sent these back to the manufacturer for another round of prototypes to really dial up that definition and contrast.
Or better yet, amp up the design. Imagine this: sink the center brushed portion and the numerals and hour pips in the black ring; fill the sunken numerals and markers with lume, flush with the black ring (get rid of the tiny outer lume plots); dial up the brushing definition; add an applied logo. Boom. Game over. But that would undoubtedly bump the price of the watch up. So maybe just more pronounced brushing and a truer black.
What’s good about the dial? The proportions are all spot on. I like the numbers and hour plots being brushed and against the black. The dial text is well done. And the new Goodspeed logo is frankly a big improvement over the old one. I didn’t dislike the old one, but this is better. And the ‘Scout’ text reminds me a bit of vintage Seamaster text, with the drop ‘S’.
And huge kudos on the handset. The hands are the perfect size, extending to the interior and exterior borders of the black ring. And the seconds hand features a red tip that is the exact length as the ring’s width. This is how all hands should be—proportion and other elements in the dial should determine the hands size. The initial lume on the hands and the hour pips is also surprisingly even, given the variance in size. But the pips fade faster than the hands.
Flipping the watch over, a screwdown solid caseback displays the Goodspeed logo and the script Scout model name. Around the periphery is some obligatory text, including the movement information. Under the caseback is the microbrand favorite, the Miyota 9039. The go-to no-date movement, this is reliable and will get you 42 hours of power reserve and a smooth-hand 28,800 beats per hour. No complaints here.
The bracelet on the Scout is sturdy, fits well, and features a milled clasp with microadjustments. But it is simply mismatched. I do not expect watch brands to make their own bracelets—its insanely expensive. I also don’t expect every catalog bracelet to match a watch perfectly. But the clash between the bracelet and the case was one of the first things I noticed on the Goodspeed Scout. The issue is the bracelet features a satin brush finishing, and the case is just brushed—no satin. The light plays differently on the two and it’s jarring, at least for me. I just looked down at my wrist and caught it again. No thanks. Also, the foldover tab seems undersized to the rest of the clasp, and has a bit of up-down wiggle (though never came undone).
Gladly, I was able to swap it out for NATOs and other straps with great results. But I also would’ve preferred quick release tabs on the bracelet or at least drilled lugs, one or both of which a few of the Scout’s competitors have.
For me, the Goodspeed Scout was a bit deflating. The excellent marketing materials and the renders really had me excited, and to get a watch that wasn’t executed to its fullest potential was disappointing. The Scout is not a bad watch: it’s decently made with a very likable design. It’s just not as good as it could have or should have been.
At retail, the Goodspeed Scout will be $500, which is a bit off the mark for me. However, Kickstarter will be $360, and if you dig the design and aren’t put off by the bracelet and dial execution, then that’s a solid price. (Pricing will increase in $30 tiers, with 100 watches available in each tier.) The Scout will come in three models, each with a different color dial ring: black, blue and green. A red option is a possible stretch goal. Head over to the Goodspeed Watches website to find out more and sign up for updates so you can grab yours at the lowest price.⬩
Update: Goodspeed has just announced that they will also be offering the Scout in a quartz option, starting at $160 on Kickstarter. My criticisms notwithstanding, that is an incredible, almost irresistible price for a quartz grab-and-go watch of this quality.
