In 2022, TimeConcepts launched its new ProTek brand with a trio of tool watches. This year, they have followed up on that success with a new edition of their popular forged carbon diver. The aptly named ProTek 1200 Series USMC Automatic honors the United States Marine Corps and features a Seiko NH movement. I sampled a Red PT1212 and a Desert PT1216.
The ProTek USMC Series Automatic is similar to the ProTek 1000 Series Dive I reviewed in 2022. It shares the same forged carbon fiber case design, layout, and tritium tube illumination but swaps the 1000’s Miyota quartz for a 24-jewel Seiko automatic. While there is a strong argument to be made that quartz units are better suited to extreme use than automatics, one cannot deny the durability of the Seiko NH series. Also, while I quite liked the 1000 and try hard not to be a movement snob, I must admit that when given the choice between a mainspring and battery, I’ll choose the spring every time.
To my eye, the USMC’s multifaceted forged carbon case is its most striking feature. It measures 42mm across the bezel, but that figure is closer to 49mm if you count the guarded crown and its equivalently-sized bulge on the left of the case. The length is 49mm, and when measured from the case back to the bezel, it is just over 16mm thick. Those figures make this watch sound like a brute, but it really isn’t. It wears like a typical 42mm case, and the composite case is remarkably light (84.65g).
On my 6.75″ wrist, it had the kind of burly presence one might expect from a tool watch, but it was hardly overwhelming.
For a synthetic material, the ProTek’s forged carbon is not plasticky or cheap. It has a solid, purposeful feel with clean corners and crisp edges. For a real treat, flip the watch over and take in the richly detailed Marine Corps insignia stamped in high relief into the stainless steel case back.
The watch is good for 300m water resistance, the crown screws down, and it is topped with an AR-coated sapphire crystal, so whether you are diving or just banging it around in the mud, the ProTek will likely soak up the abuse with aplomb. It is certainly possible to damage forged carbon, but you have to work pretty hard to do so.
A series of raised blocks on the bezel provide a solid grip, as it moves smartly through its 60-click rotation, requiring only light pressure and exhibiting no back play.
The USMC dial is similar to that of previous 1000 series models, showing 12- and 24-hour markers in a classic field watch style. Tritium tubes in the chapter index top the hour markers and are also present on the flat, semi-skeletonized hands and bezel pip. I like the subtle treadplate texture on the USMC’s dial, although I miss the recessed logo of the 1000 series watches.
In addition to the dials shown here, ProTek also offers the USMC in black and green. Each one carries the dial color to the barrel of the crown. This is not exactly an eye-catcher on the black model, but a nice treat on the others.
ProTek chose tritium tubes for illumination. Conventional photoluminescent materials, like Super-LumiNova, absorb and emit light, producing a strong glow that begins fading as soon as its light source is removed. Tritium tubes, on the other hand, contain radioactive gas and phosphorescent material. The electrons shed by the tritium as it decays bounce off that phosphor layer, generating a steady glow that lasts for decades. It may not have the initial burst of light you get with a phosphorescent, but it is more than ample and doesn’t peter out before dawn.
The USMC shares its 22mm strap with the other ProTek Divers. It is natural rubber with a distinctive chevron pattern, molded ProTek logo, and signed buckle. While it looks great and is perfectly appropriate for an outdoor adventure watch, I do wish it were made of softer material such as FKM or silicone. If you want to switch things up, the brand sells the rubber strap in a range of colors for $50 and has a small selection of leather straps as well.
Overall, I found the ProTek USMC Automatic to be a handsome, functional watch built with the high level of quality and detail that I have come to expect from all Time Concepts’s products, regardless of price. They really sweat the details, and it shows.
The ProTek 1200 Series USMC Automatic sells for $695. For more information or to order your own, visit protekwatch.com, and get 20% off with code TB.
