Are you ready for winter? I sure am. I’ve come to detest oppressive D.C. summers and I live for frosty mornings and visible breath. Of course, whether you like it or not, cooler weather is coming and we’ll all need to shift our wardrobes accordingly. It’s time to layer up the leather, corduroy, and wool, and then top it off with an appropriate watch. Granted, aside from oddballs like the Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project, there is really no such thing as a strictly “winter” watch, but why pass up a perfectly good rationalization to add another one to your collection? While you are shopping for gloves and scarves, you should get out there and buy a watch for the winter season too, and I can think of no better candidate than the Tool Watch Co. Arctic Explorer, a prototype of which I’m reviewing today. I mean, really, it’s got cold right in the name. That’s irrefutable logic right there.
Ok, truth be told, there is nothing strictly wintery about the Arctic Explorer except its name and I for that matter, even the north pole has a summer season, so “arctic” need not be synonymous with “frozen” and likely won’t be in the near future. [cough*manmadeglobalwarming*cough]. Still, when I think of the arctic region in any season, it calls to mind untamed wilderness, adventure, and extreme conditions. It is the sort of environment that begs for a tool watch, and the debut model from the aptly named Tool Watch Co. delivers, although it may not be the first thing you imagine when you hear those words. They steered away from the typical diver’s “bigger is better” ethos and steered it closer to the more manageable Rolex Explorer and Smiths DeLuxe field watch aesthetic. The case is 38mm wide, 46.35mm long, and just 11.35mm thick – including a sapphire box crystal. It’s trim, compact, and a lovely fit on my 6.75″ wrist.
Tool Watch says the watch was inspired by lesser-known explorers, specifically Peter Freuchen, a mighty Dane who ditched his medical pursuits in 1906 so he could explore the arctic. For the next 20 years, he lived among the Inuit and learned their ways, survived a polar bear attack, amputated his own gangrenous toes, and hacked his way out of an ice cave with (checks notes) a turd. Not content with this level of badassery, he then fought in the Danish resistance during World War Two and was sentenced to death by the Nazis – only to escape. After writing 30 books, marrying an heiress, and winning an Oscar, I believe he eventually succumbed to an overdose of his own crushing awesomeness. You might say the brand is aiming high.
Unlike some tool watches, the Arctic does not have a dozen functions. There is no timing bezel, no slide rule, not even a date option. It has three hands that tell time. Period. What it does have, is all the right protections to ensure that it will keep fulfilling that essential function anywhere and under any conditions. Its screw-down crown and case back are sealed for 200m water resistance. Grade A BGW9 SuperLuminova lights up the dial. Its movement is the reliable Swiss Sellita SW200 automatic (26 jewels, 28.8k bph, 38-hour power reserve). Its case is titanium, a metal I have long considered to be the ultimate tool watch material for its strength, light weight, and antimagnetic properties. Like all the best titanium cases, it is has been hardened to 1200hv so it should shrug off hits that would scratch or scuff stainless steel.
The 6mm crown is not what I would call oversized, but it is sufficiently substantial, offering up enough of that grippy, gear-toothed surface for easy operation, even with gloves. It is unsigned, so if you need to take in some engraving, you will have to turn your attention to the case back, where a neatly rendered image of a polar bear awaits you.
In true tool watch fashion, the Arctic’s case is clean and simple, yet thoughtfully detailed. The sides are flat and longitudinally brushed. The upper surface arcs downwards to the clipped ends of the lugs, positioning the spring bars just low enough for a comfortable wrap around your wrist. Circular brushing on the flat bezel continues onto the top side of the case, but a bit of bright polish on the bezel’s edge breaks it up just enough to keep things from getting too drab while also providing the added benefit of breaking up the profile for a longer, leaner look. All edges are nicely crisp. It looks solid and businesslike, yet still dapper.
This deft balance of no-nonsense utility and clever detail continues on the dial. Its layout is the familiar dots-and-bars with a triangle at 12 o’clock, but the dots are positioned farther back than you might expect, all the way to the perimeter. This opens things up but leaves a fairly wide gap between them and the tip of the hour hand. The long minute hand has no such issue, its arrowhead reaching right out to graze the index.
It’s a fun handset. Where you might have expected the hands to be brushed or white, Tool Watch instead opted for a glossy black hour hand and pale blue-gray for the minute and second hands. Of course, all are generously lumed. The second hand is a real treat as it is barbed to resemble the sort of hunting tool traditionally used by arctic indigenous people. To my eye, it resembles wind-swept icicles. Either way, it works, reinforces the watch’s theme, and looks fantastic. You may notice a slight mismatch between the lume color of hands and markers. This will be corrected in production.
Perhaps the Arctic’s clearest decoration is the material used for the dial itself: meteorite. These dials are not as rare as they once were but I’d still say any item that fell from space is pretty darn special. I also like the way the rough, striated surface pairs with the minimal dial and no-nonsense case. It’s attractive, but in a wild, rugged way like the ice fields of Northern Greenland. Text is minimal and will be even more so on the production versions as they will delete the “Sellita SW200.” The press sample was a Blue Signature Series. Tool Watch Co. also offers a Black Limited Edition (150 pcs) and a White One of Ten (10 pcs).
Each Arctic Explorer will come with a 20mm leather strap and a tapered, titanium, H-link bracelet with a butterfly clasp, screwed links, and quick-release bars. As the bracelet end links had been revised post-prototype, I did not get to sample it. I did get to appreciate the strap, which is Italian Saffiano leather with quick-release pins, and a signed 18mm buckle. It’s a quality strap and the dark, moody blue color is a perfect complement to the dial.
Finally, we come to the packaging, which I almost never mention and oddly, won’t show you here. There is nothing secretive about it, it’s just that the press loaner came in a box that is similar to, but not the same as, the production box. However, I do know that Tool Watch Co. has made a commitment to the environment so the package will be non-toxic, lightweight, impact-resistant, and 100% recyclable. Its core purpose is to offset the CO2 generated by shipping heavier items of the same size and reducing non-recyclable waste like plastic and bubble wrap. Given my general loathing for wasteful watch boxes, I wholeheartedly support this idea.
The Arctic Explorer pre-order campaign is live on Kickstarter now. I’m afraid the 50% Early Bird deal on the Blue Signature is already gone, but you can still snap one up for $440, which is a nice price and a hefty discount off of the $800 retail. For $500, you can get the Black Limited Edition ($1000 retail), and if you seek the rarest of the rare, then pledge $1500 for the White One of Ten ($3000) retail.
This year has been a crowded one for titanium tool watches, but the Tool Watch Arctic Explorer is one of the best – a tough instrument with just the right amount of understated cool. Check it out at ToolWatchCo.com and the Arctic Explorer Kickstarter page.
