They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee, which complements neither the committee nor the camel. That always struck me as somewhat unfair. After all, camels and horses live very different lives, and committees can produce excellent work — if you know how to guide them. The Circula ProTrail is a watch designed by a committee of sorts and is nonetheless an unqualified winner. I’ve had this sand dial version on and off my wrist for about a week now, and I will explain its dromedary utility and equine appeal.
I’ll start with the committee, which wasn’t really a committee per see. Instead, the talented team at Circula Uhren had already drawn up an outstanding field watch when they gave some options to their potential customers for a vote. The participants weighed in on the new watch’s size and name. They chose their favorite dial layout, color, and handset. They even got to tweak the case shape and logo placement. Now, the fact of the matter is that there were no bad choices. Circula is a family operation with deep roots in Pforzheim, Germany’s watchmaking industry. As I have noted in my previous reviews (like the Heritage and SuperSport), that experience is evident in their products. You could have drawn any of the survey’s options out of a hat and still walked away with a damn fine watch. But the exercise is still worthwhile for all concerned. Those who voted got personal input into the project, and Circula learned a bit about their customer’s preferences. This is the third Circula model that has relied on crowd-sourced fine-tuning, and given the success of those projects, I suspect it won’t be the last.
I’ll start with the “camel” aspects of this watch. The ProTrail’s 40 x 46 x 12mm stainless steel case (13.4mm including the crystal) houses a Swiss Sellita SW 200-1 elaboré grade automatic (26-jewel, 28.8k bph) tucked into a soft iron cage for antimagnetic shielding to 80k A/m. It has a solid back, anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal, 150m water resistance, and its surface is hardened to 1,200 Vickers. Its screw-down crown is large enough to provide a good grip and no larger.
The dial wears a traditional military layout of large Arabic hours, small 24-hour markers, and a railroad track index. The hands are long, and the lume is strong. Nothing gets in the way of its functionality, not even a date, because what’s the use of all that magnetic shielding if you cut a hole in it?
But it isn’t all humps and broad feet. The ProTrail is also ruggedly handsome and, in many ways, quite pretty. That is the “horse” part; frankly, it’s the aspect of the watch I have most wanted to write about.
The case is roughly barrel-shaped and faceted with angular lugs. Deep recesses cut into the sides show off a rough, blasted texture that starkly contrasts the otherwise satin-finished surface and is further offset by a satin and polished bezel. I would have thought that Circula would pair the ProTrail’s conservative dial with an equally traditional round case, and doubtless, that would have looked just fine, if not terribly distinctive. Instead, this crisp-edged case brings a far more modern look. A short lug-to-lug provides a tidy fit, even on my smallish 6.75″ wrist.
On the back, you will find the usual recitation of specifications and an embossed topographical map.
Lovely as the case may be, it pales in comparison to the dial. Circula offers the watch in Umber, Black, a limited edition Black/Radium Explorer-style dial, and the Sand I sampled for this review. The ProTrail’s Sand is a complex color that ranges from pale gold to a rich buttery yellow, depending on the light. Its two-level surface is wonderfully smooth. You might mistake it for high-quality enamel, but that outer upper level is all Old Radium SuperLuminova. I’ve reviewed many full-lume dials on these pages, and I can confidently say this is the best application I have ever seen.
With all that lume, you would expect it to glow like a torch at night. You won’t be disappointed. Circula even lumed the crown for good measure.
Under most lighting conditions, there is no discernable color difference between the lumed and non-lumed sections of the dial. As the light gets low, and the day lume glow lights up the BGW9 on the hands, you will notice the center of the dial taking on a warm, reddish cast.
All the printing on the dial is black or dark blue and looks beautiful. I particularly like the fine blue circle inside the recessed center that subtly accentuates its depth. Also, note the “Made In Germany” at the bottom of the dial. I hate it when watchmakers break up the “Made In” and the “Germany” parts into asymmetrical sections on either side of the 6. It’s far better all together under the 6 as it is here.
The ProTrail’s handset is another treat. I found myself rotating my wrist so the faceted hands would catch the light to flash that lovely blued surface. The second and minute hands touch the railroad index, and the hour hand grazes the edge of the center dial. This a perfectly luscious dial. Does it inspire the same admiration as an Arabian stallion in full gallop? Maybe. I suppose that depends on whether you are into horses, but it sure isn’t a camel.
In keeping with the ProTrail’s design brief, Circula provides a field-suitable strap, a 3mm thick nylon sailcloth two-piece backed in leather. It measures 70/120mm and tapers from 20mm to 18mm. Commendably, the steel buckle is not only signed and finished to match the case but surface-hardened as well. I found the sailcloth well-made and comfortable right out of the box. There was the odd stray thread, but that is nearly inevitable on a fabric strap. If you prefer rubber or leather, Circula offers an excellent variety in their online shop.
The Circula ProTrail is available for sale now for 755.46€ (about $818.79 US). That buys you a tough, stylish watch with — and I cannot stress this enough — absolutely outstanding execution. I can only speak to the quality of the Sand lume dial, but I have no reason to expect less of any of the other variants. If you would like to learn more or snap up a ProTrail for yourself, visit circulawatches.com.
