Latest Review
Iron and steam forged the Rocky Mountain west in the mid-nineteenth century. While the eastern half of the United States remained the capital of cultural influence and academic knowledge, pioneers throughout the west began to challenge notions of what progress looked like, and who deserved to play a role in the shaping of politics, finance, and ethics in this new chapter.
Coloradans, especially, were a determined breed – weak wills don’t survive at altitudes like ours. We blasted through mountains with dynamite, scaled 14,000 foot peaks and braved record blizzards for a chance to make our fortune in gold and our name in silver. While still only a territory in the 1860s, Coloradans fought and defended the area’s mineral rights against the Confederacy, ensuring an accessible supply line remained open between California and the Union forces in the east.
Even today, railroad tracks blanket the state like a series of iron roots — vital components of an ecosystem well over a century old. These historical vestiges serve to bridge the gap between the state’s past and present.
When Colorado was still in its relative infancy and taking shape, watchmaking in the U.S. started to rise. Cities in the northeast, sometimes older than the Centennial State by upwards of two centuries, had the resources and experience to become centers of horological production. By the time Colorado had caught up economically and began to orient towards other models of manufacturing, it was too late. Back to back military engagements and the tapping of watchmakers for the war effort transferred the balance of production decidedly to the Swiss, and American watchmaking was never the same.
Whether the U.S. can position itself to be a leader in the watch market once again remains to be seen, and the nuances of trade regulations and naming conventions for those wishing to claim their goods are “Made in the U.S.A” aren’t helping make things easier. However, one Colorado brand is working hard to put American watchmaking back on the map. More importantly, they’re showing us how they’re doing it and why they’re doing it here.
I had the good fortune of meeting the founders and staff of the Colorado Watch Company before their official brand launch, back in September 2023. The gathering was intimate – just a handful of media representatives from the watch and jewelry industry, and then me – the only local, somewhat plucked from obscurity off of my newly started watch-hobby Instagram page.
As a beginning collector, I knew a good amount of horological history and terminology. I certainly had a decent understanding of my tastes and the role of watches in my own life. Yet, I hadn’t really considered how these little wrist machines came together in practice. The movements made sense to me, from the perspective of how a watch “ticks,” but what about the rest?
In that September 2023 visit, I was able to see firsthand how watches were assembled and finished. I was able to take a look at a watchmaker’s studio and trace the line from a simple idea into a tangible finished product.
The Watches
Colorado Watch Company released their first two models – the Field Watch, and the GCT – after a successful backing on Kickstarter last year. I was able to get hands-on with both references for this review.
The most notable starting point is the fact that 85% of the cost to build these watches is American-made, and the brand makes clear where each component is sourced. Normally, the sourcing of the various parts isn’t something that ranks highly on my list of considerations when reviewing a watch. However, this is one instance where each watch is confidently more than the sum of its parts, and knowing where the materials come from plays a large role in that.
The bezel, dial, case, caseback, and crown are all made in Colorado. The movement is designed and assembled by FTS in Arizona using globally sourced components. The flat sapphire crystals are from New Hampshire and the domed crystals and the gaskets are sourced in Asia.
The brand does all of their own Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining in their Fort Collins headquarters. Each case starts as a two-inch puck of 316L stainless steel that is shaped and forged into the brand’s various designs. The CNC process allows the brand to extend full control over the process, ensuring each component passes through internal standards.
The Field Watch is the smaller of the two watches, clocking in at 40mm in diameter and 10.5mm in height, while the GCT sits at 42mm in diameter with a height of 13mm. Both watches are offered in traditional plain stainless steel cases, or cases finished with a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating. The DLC coating has a hardness and scratch resistance similar to a diamond, which allows wearers to get a tactical matte look without worrying about aesthetic practicality. The crown finishing is matched to the case option, so references with a DLC-coating will have a DLC coated crown and vice versa with the plain stainless steel. Each stainless steel case is stonewashed to provide added finishing and some visual texture.
To fully appreciate the cases might require a visit to the facility to actually see how each piece is made and how much work goes into that process. However, assessing the dials is another matter. Each watch has two different dial options to choose from. The Field Watch has a classic and a vintage dial – the red highlight around the logo being the main distinction between the two. The GCT offers both a matte black dial, and a machined black dial. The matte black has a flatter effect while the machined is more reflective and deeper in tone.
On the Field Watch, the dial is cut from aluminum and stonewashed like the case. The result is a gritty and industrial visual that reminds me of the railroad (and served as the inspiration for my photoshoot). The dial is pad-printed on a Swiss machine in the Fort Collins facility which continues to highlight how committed the brand is to doing as much as possible here at home. However, some of this smaller production might lead to challenges in quality control that larger-scale brands might not experience (or experience at different scales). The only issue in finishing that I noticed came after macro photos where I saw a few markers on the minute track were smudged. This was likely only an issue with my particular watch and my knowledge of the brand’s commitment to customer service makes me confident a similar issue would have been sorted out for a consumer rapidly. However, it’s worth noting here, even if only to highlight the pros and cons of smaller batch watchmaking.
The blue baton-style hour and minute hands on the Field Watch contrast beautifully with the red seconds hand. Though I didn’t confirm with the brand, I have a strong suspicion the patriotic combination serves as an homage to both the American flag as well as the Colorado state flag. The point being further driven home by Old Glory etched into the crown at the 3 o’clock position.
The GCT had my favorite dial of the two. It features four distinct depths of concentric circles with 24-hour, 12-hour, and minute track information working its way out from the center. The tan dial markings are complemented by the red seconds hand for a decidedly vintage aesthetic. Both references have lumed hands and lume plots at the cardinal indices.The Field Watch has flat American-sourced sapphire crystals on the front and back, while the GCT has a domed foreign-sourced sapphire crystal in front and a flat New Hampshire crystal in back.
The Field Watch is water resistant up to 100 meters while the GCT is rated to 150 meters total. Each batch of watches is made in groups of one hundred and each caseback is engraved with the model year, batch number, and a unique serial number between 1 and 100. A neat addition that’s not common in other ordering processes that I’ve seen, is the brand’s decision to allow guests to select an extra accessory item at checkout. Both watches come on a black canvas strap, but those ordering are able to select either an extra OD green or khaki-colored strap – or a t-shirt or hat – free of charge.
The Wear
Between both references, the GCT is most reminiscent of the railroad pocket watches of old from which the brand (and their sister company, Vortic Watch Co.) draws inspiration. It also wears larger than its Field Watch counterpart.
Perhaps the clearest homage to those pieces is found in the machine-knurled screw down crown which rests at the 12 o’clock position. Yes, 12 o’clock. While normally I place much more emphasis on function over form, I’m a sucker for a good historical callback. Is a 12 o’clock crown the most practical choice? No, not really. The proximity to the strap can make it tough to operate, especially when considering this is a screw-down crown which takes a bit of grip and a twist or two to engage. However, the nod to pocket watches is too good, in my opinion, to pass up.
The canvas straps fit a variety of wrist sizes (including my 5.75 inch wrist), and are made from Cordura, which is a durable material often used in military equipment. Though the straps are not overly comfortable out of the box, they are certainly not a weak point. After a few days on the wrist, they begin to break in, and their numerous adjustment options are one of the reasons these relatively thick watches can wear so nicely on the wrist. If you don’t want to wait (or care deeply about the Colorado Watch Company branded logo on the straps), the quick-release spring bars made it easy to swap them out for your favorite 20mm option.
Both of these watches have significant presence on the wrist due to a combination of their measurements, but also their complex dials coupled with less prominent bezels. However, the lug to lug distance is very reasonable, which accounts for a large part of why these references wear surprisingly well. The Field Watch has a lug to lug distance of 48mm (diameter is 40mm) and the GCT has a lug to lug distance of 49 (with a 42mm diameter). The lugs are short when compared to the case dimensions, and slightly curved. This is a relief for those who don’t want overhang on the wrist and open up the intended market for these watches quite widely.
Conclusion
Walking through the facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, and seeing these watches come together is an experience everyone should seek out if you’re visiting the Front Range. As enthusiasts, sometimes we are asked our opinions on the “why” of watches – are we drawn in by design, engineering, history? – the list is nearly endless and often rooted in something concrete. Certainly, all of these elements are present in these two Colorado Watch Company references, but much of the company ethos is rooted in the idea of a return of American watchmaking. In fact, Colorado Watch Company’s vision is to increase American-made production by 1% every year, until 100% of the watch is made in the U.S.A. These watches seem to transcend only their design and specs – they’re also closely linked to the idea that U.S. watchmaking can be revivified.
That Colorado Watch Company is able to complete the large majority of these watches in the United States and keep costs under $1,900 is something that bears emphasizing. The brand is accessible both in price-point, but also in practice: the brand offers tours of their facility five days a week, multiple times per day. They encourage guests to see how their watches are being crafted, and more importantly, why. Though trends seem to be favoring more openness in communication between brands and the consumer market, the watch world can be very slow to change. Colorado Watch Company seems to be positioning themselves as an early leader in shaping the values that have been and could continue to be important in the American watchmaking space. Reliance on domestic production, labor, and transparency of vision seem to be priorities in this new American business model.
Colorado was built by those who respected the past while keeping their focus on the future. Therefore, it holds true that Colorado could be a logical foundation for the renaissance of American watchmaking. Colorado Watch Company, with its dedication to finely crafted, locally sourced and assembled timepieces, embodies this vision – bringing the state’s pioneering spirit to the world of horology.
The Field Watch can be found on the brand’s website for $1,395 and the GCT for $1,895 USD. Colorado Watch Company
