Trafford Watch Co. S.O.E. Roadster

I think saying that a racing-themed chronograph is innovative or unique would be a bit insincere. Given the purpose of a chronograph, the racing theme is arguably the most common one seen on the watch type. It’s been done. To death. Do we need more? Almost definitely not. Are there going to be brands that make them anyway? Almost definitely so. But there are brands that do it purely to make money and then there are brands that do it out of a purer, more organic motivation.

Enter Trafford Watch Co. Founded by Nathan Trafford, a Brit who makes his home in Austin, TX, the brand is bringing its first watch to market, and for me, it’s a winner. The S.O.E. Roadster chronograph brings three of Mr. Trafford’s passions together: watches, racing, and history. The watch celebrates three World War II-era racers (two of which won Le Mans) that faced the oppression of the Germans in one way or another–SOE stands for Special Operations Executive, a clandestine British force charged to “set Europe ablaze” through Nazi sabotage and subterfuge. With three dial options, all matched to the actual paint of vehicles, the S.O.E. Roadster offers a more coherent and plausible link to its inspiration than many other racing chronographs.

This is an immediately engaging watch. The racing stripe, the raised 24-hour disc, the red accents, and the wire lugs all pull you in each time you look at the watch.

The lugs are quite long, but they’ll be shortened up and thickened for the production model. (We get a lot of watches that aren’t near the final product, so a simple lug change is welcome.) The slab sides and domed crystal make for a taller wear, but this is mitigated a bit by the sloped bezel. The watch won’t easily slip under any cuffs, but it also won’t dominate your wrist.

No one told me this, but I’ll just assume that the pump pushers are supposed to resemble some engine component. As ever, I like the contrast between the bead-blasted case and the polished crowns, pushers, and bezel. A note here: the bezel is a 120-click, 12-hour bezel. It turns easily when your hands are dry, but any bit of moisture adds difficulty. As I’ve said in other reviews, on a 12-hour bezel, the grip is less important, as using the bezel is gernerally planned (unlike a dive/timing bezel, which you may use spur of the moment).

The design on the caseback is neat and I like how it ties in the World War II piece. But more so, I like how it takes up the entire caseback. The central design is in relief, but so too are the specs and text at the periphery. The caseback covers a MechaQuartz movement, which provides a smooth sweep for the red chronograph hand.

What a cool dial! The luster on the raised 24-hour disc (a subtle nod to Le Mans) evokes the steel of those old Bugatti Type 35s from which the watch draws part of its inspiration. The handset reminds me of a straightaway, beckoning the driver to go ever faster.

This is my favorite part of the watch, and it’s all down to that ‘Roadster’ font. The red date wheel doesn’t hurt, either. The blue dial option is a tribute to two-time Le Mans winner Jean-Pierre Wimille, who drove a car painted French racing blue (which is apparently a thing).

Dial text is often quite boring, but the arched logo, superscript letters, and script ‘Roadster’ make this a bit special. And those red accents give a bit of pop. Finally, the racing stripe features a matte finish against a glossy background and plays nicely with light–especially sunlight.

There are no lume issues on the S.O.E. Roadster. Perhaps smartly, the two-tone lume is kept simple against the busy dial.

The watch comes on a great racing-style strap that will include quick-release spring bars (my only real criticism of the watch was the combination of wire lugs and standard spring bars, which made strap changes a bit risky). That said, I managed to put this on several straps and think it looked great on them all. But what I’m really excited about is the planned NATO strap (a stretch goal) that will feature stripes to match and line up with the dial.

There’s a lot to love about the Trafford Watch Co. S.O.E. Roadster. It has an incredibly engaging dial and it wears well for the case. It is not my favorite case design, but the dial makes up for it. And there isn’t some fake inspiration story; Nathan Trafford channeled his own passions into this watch, and I think that’s clear. Early bird pricing is just $250 and the watch is already fully-funded (so those awesome NATOs are looking more and more likely). You can head over to the Kickstarter campaign to read all about the different dials, their inspiration, and the multitude of subtle design cues Trafford included.⬩