I have a particular affinity for Straton Watches. Brand founder and designer Kyle Schut is a hardcore gearhead who has successfully channeled his love of fast cars into his watches. While he has explored many different designs, the Straton aesthetic remained a heady brew of 1970s styling cues, bold colors, and modern sports watch sensibility, delivered at an affordable price. Today, I got to take the Daily Driver MKII for a spin.
As you might gather from the name, the Daily Driver is intended to be a solid, everyday watch and as such, it is well equipped for just about anything you are likely to throw at it. The watch is rated for 200m water resistance, has a screw-down crown, and an AR-coated sapphire crystal. You can’t take your kids to school in it or pick up your groceries, but it will handle your day-to-day watch duties without complaint.
This watch is quite sober compared to some of the eye-popping pieces in Straton’s catalog. It measures 44mm wide. Long, arcing lugs extend 50mm end-to-end. It has no bowing at the mid-case and only minimal beveling on the bezel and case back. This gives the watch a tuna can profile that accentuates its 15mm height for a chunky, tool watch attitude, heightened by a businesslike brushed finish that continues on the engraved bezel. It sounds as if it would be a brute to wear, and yet, it is not. I wouldn’t call it small, but it felt right at home on my 6.75” wrist. In fact, I would have sworn it was 42mm until I busted out the calipers to prove myself wrong.
I have often wondered how Straton navigates its fulfillment process as the brand usually offers each new release with a dizzying array of case, color, strap, and movement options. This one is kept simple by Straton’s standards. If you want a wider variety, see the first Daily Driver, which is available in nine different variations, but has a different bezel insert and dial.
You have just the one case, the sole movement is a Miyota 6S21 quartz chronograph, and there are only three colors: black, blue, and the white version pictured here. You may not have a rainbow to choose from, but the dial is every bit as sharp as you would expect from this brand. The black sub-dials are wrapped in a surfboard design – one of my favorite vintage chronograph layouts – and linked by a small white-on-black grid that fills the center. Ok, maybe it’s more of a skateboard given its full shape and squared ends, but it works nonetheless.
The bar markers, 6 o’clock date window frame, and faceted hands are polished, as is the Straton’s “S” logo. The only text on the dial is the “Daily Driver” model name, rendered in a streamlined typeface reminiscent of an automobile’s badging. A finely delineated contrasting chapter index frames it. This is a straightforward layout and quite satisfying. Note the way the date window balances the logo, and the orange of that sweep hand is repeated in the index as well as the sub-dial frames and needles.
The markers and hands are well-lumed, glowing long and strong when the occasion arises.
A brushed stainless steel H-link bracelet is standard, and it’s a rather nice one at that, with solid, fitted end links and a signed, flip-lock, push-button clasp. Of course, any of Straton’s 22mm leather rally straps would do nicely as well, but I think the bracelet best fits the Daily Driver’s toolish bearing.
Straton doesn’t miss a beat with its caseback art. This time, it’s a simple engraving of Kyle’s beloved Alfa Romeo – an ambitious choice for a daily driver if there ever was one.
If you really want Daily Driver MKII in a smaller package, then check out the Classic Driver, which shares the same dial layout in a 40mm case with a different bezel treatment. I’ll admit that as a smaller-wristed guy, I usually opt for smaller cases, but this time, I was perfectly happy with the 44mm. Proportion and presentation are everything, and I found the bigger driver to be perfectly comfortable and by no means outsized. If the 40mm is a mid-sized sedan in literal daily driver terms, then the 44mm is more like a wagon or small SUV, but a trim and stylish one. It’s the Alfa Romeo Stelvio of tool watches, if you will.
Another thing in perfect proportion is the price. You can pick one up direct from Straton for just $279. That is a nice price and it makes Daily Driver MKII an easy recommendation. If you are looking for a solid, all-around watch with a dash of retro flair, I’d encourage you to head over to StratonWC.com and check them out.
