One might expect a watch from an outfit called “Primitive Haus” to be some sort of German sundial, but one would be wrong. The actual German sundial is made by Nomos (Really! It’s so cool.), and Primitive Haus is neither German nor primitive. Rather, the brand produces inexpensive automatic watches with a refreshing dash of color, like the Timekeeper Type-A I am reviewing today.
If Primitive Haus is not immediately familiar, you may recall their original monicker, James & Muriel, and the original quartz Timekeeper I reviewed here. It was a nice enough watch, if a bit safe in its overall concept. What stood out for me was their playful navy and orange color scheme. That same Horizon Blue combination is present in the brand’s new line of automatic field watches, along with White Dawn (with red and sky blue accents), Dreamer’s Black (with pink), an unnamed sunray Red, and the lovely Green Smoke that sampled for this review.
In a way, the ombré green dial with its mustard accents is the most conservative variant in the collection, but that does not make the watch any less appealing. Rather, the lush color displays a fantastic shift under different lighting conditions while providing a foundation for some of the less conventional aspects of the Timekeeper’s layout.
You’ll find a double zero in place of a 12 and a field watch style 24-hour index instead of the usual 5-increment 60-minute/second index. This happens to be a far more logical layout for military time as there is no hour 24, midnight resets to 0 hours, and pushing the p.m. hours outside of the 12-hour index instead of inside eliminates the problem of the small seconds dial cutting off hours 17-19. Large Arabic numbers, long hands, a small seconds dial, and 15 layers of BGW9 Super-LumiNova complete the field watch design brief. Legibility is excellent, day or night.
The Timekeeper’s case is a modest yet stout 38mm wide, 44mm long, and 12.3mm thick. As such, it fit neatly on my 6.75″ wrist. Its flat, brushed sides and grippy 4 o’clock crown exude a purposeful tool watch aesthetic dressed up by a smooth bezel and polished upper surface.
It’s an excellent everyday sports watch that is, perhaps, overly prepared for what that day might bring. Modern seals and a screw-down crown help keep the water out to 200m, and the crystal is sapphire, of course. It isn’t a dive watch, per se, but there is no reason you couldn’t wear it on a dive. I’d more likely wear it to a dive bar, but a little extra protection couldn’t hurt there, either.
Around the back, you will find a solid case back that is simply but nicely engraved with a sunburst decoration. Behind it beats a Miyota 82S5. Some watch nerds look down on these 8200-series automatics because their 21.6k bph doesn’t deliver the sexy sweep of the higher-spec 9000-series, but they are sturdy movements, they hack, have a power reserve of 42 hours, and are less expensive. Honestly, there is not much to complain about, particularly if you are assembling a tool watch.
Primitive Haus supplies the Timekeeper with three 20mm quick-release straps: a brushed and polished 3-link bracelet, a two-piece military in heavy nylon, and vintage tropic-style rubber. The bracelet is appropriately finished with a sleek, locking clasp. I appreciated its low profile and easy, tool-free adjustment.
I don’t often mention packaging, but I must give props to the handy leather watch roll in which the Timekeeper was delivered, tucked into a simple cardboard box. When compared to a traditional display box, Primitive Haus wins on lower shipping weight, recyclable and biodegradable materials, and a practical traveling companion shipped with minimal plastic padding.
I was impressed by what Primitive Haus delivered for just $329. The Timekeeper Type-A is fun, sturdy, sensible, and affordable. Add the leather roll and strap assortment, and it’s starting to look like a bargain. The watches ship from Texas, so mine arrived in Virginia in a flash.
If you are looking for a solid everyday watch, are not afraid of color, and crave something just a little bit different from the norm, I recommend you take a good look at the Privative Haus Timekeeper Type-A. See more at primitivehaus.com.
