A Look at the Orion Field StandardIt’s always cool to see a dream begin to come to fruition. F
A Look at the Orion Field StandardIt’s always cool to see a dream begin to come to fruition. For Nick Harris of Orion Watches that dream is to produce quality, unique watches that won’t break the bank. I first became aware of Nick through Reddit. He was doing some really interesting mods of Seiko watches, including a rather handsome take on a field watch built on top of a Seiko 5. Dubbed the “Field Standard” it seemed to be pretty popular among the watch nerd sets that lurk around the various social media platforms. From the success of the Seiko-modded Field Standard, Nick started working on his own custom designs and eventually released the Orion 1 watch through his website, watchesbynick.com. Featuring a custom case and a retro big crown design Nick managed to produce a watch that manages to stand on its own without copying, or “paying homage”, to any of the more established watchmakers out there. And that’s a lot harder to do than you think.With the new all-original Field Standard, Nick has managed to take the his Orion and turn it into a gorgeous, retro-inspired field watch. Featuring a domed sapphire crystal, and the rock solid Seiko NH35 movement the Orion will go head-to-head in finish, looks and reliability with any of Hamilton’s field watches in the same price range. And I don’t say that just to blow smoke. I’ve got a Hamilton Khaki King Scuba and the Orion compares very well with even having the added bonus of drilled lugs on the Orion.The integrated leather strap is an absolute joy to wear and gives the watch a sleek look that would be right at home in the office. However, throw it on a NATO strap (how I prefer to wear it) and it’s 100m of water resistance means this thing will take whatever beating you might give it out in the field and come out on the other side. In this day and age when a lot of tool watches are now just glorified pieces of jewelry it’s nice to still see on that you wouldn’t be afraid to wear when you’re doing something like white water rafting. The 38mm dial wears very well on my 6.5” wrists but the slightly longer lugs mean that it won’t be out of place on bigger wrists either. Right now the Field Standard is in the preorder phase (the model I looked at is a prototype.) If you’re looking for something that is unique, classy, and won’t put a huge dent in your bank account it might be work giving this a look. -- source link
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