The Utility 40 Establishes the Ethos for Ontic Watches

Ontic Watches isn’t messing around when it comes to the purpose and design of their foray into watchmaking. The brand, whose very name references a philosophical concept of the “real” and “tangible”, rests on the idea of a grounded reality rather than an invented heritage or marketing fluff. Ontic was founded by former Mountain Rescuer volunteer John Hickling and shares the same function-first vision as its founder. The Utility 40, the British brand’s first full-fledged model, is as no-nonsense as its name suggests. With an eye towards, well, utility, and a focus on British quality (each watch is designed, assembled, and quality-tested in Britain), Ontic aims to establish a strong identity with its debut collection.

What better place upon which to build a foundation than a dive watch? Ontic Watches takes the legendary format and turns the dials towards extreme practicality in every sense. The Utility 40 is broadly split into several sub-variants – Core, Dive, Duty, and Tribute – that share a common baseline. Each watch is machined from hardened titanium with a diamond-like carbon surface layer, making the case 40% lighter than steel with four times the hardness. Case dimensions measure a tidy 40mm x 46mm x 12mm with 20mm lugs to accommodate a wide selection of straps and bracelets (Ontic also offers its own proprietary titanium bracelet). These are about as universally wearable as measurements come and ensure that the Utility 40 fits a wide range of wrists. All collections share the same legible dial layout with bold, lume-filled hands, a date at six o’clock, and a subtly-textured dial. They also feature rotatable bezels in several colors depending on the sub-collection. Water resistance is rated to 300m/1000 ft.

The Utility 40 gets motivation from a Swiss-made Ronda Solartech 215, which charges from light and runs for up to eight months in darkness. Accuracy is rated at better than plus or minus one second per day under normal temperatures, and the movement is designed to handle shocks and magnetic fields. Thanks to its simple and durable construction, there are no battery changes and no required servicing under typical use – exactly what Ontic Watches expects from a watch that should simply work under all circumstances. With four themes to choose from, the Utility 40 offers distinct takes: Core represents the ideal everyday watch with its clean titanium finish and understated colors. Dive is tuned for depth with bold clarity and high contrast, Duty features blacked-out titanium for discreet, low-reflection use, and Tribute (MR1) is inspired by UK Mountain Rescue and built in their colors, with a portion of profits donated to support UK Mountain Rescue teams. Each Utility 40 comes on a custom FKM rubber strap with easy-change spring bars, with an optional TiX titanium bracelet featuring an on-the-fly extension.

 The Utility 40 can perhaps be best summed up with this quote from its creator, John Hickling:

“We set out to make a proper tool watch. Something light, tough and reliable that doesn’t need attention. No rituals. No charging. No fragile mechanics. Just a watch that gets on with the job. Building it in Britain means we can check every detail and support it for the long term. It’s slower and harder, but it’s the right way to do it.”

Shipping is free worldwide, and prices start at £599. To learn more about Ontic and the Utility 40, visit Onticwatches.com.