'Why' Behind the Design

'Why' Behind the Design

Designing the Cascadia Field Watch took over a year. Our goal was to pay homage to the historical significance of the classic field watch design while creating something fresh and new.

What’s important to us? We care about small batch manufacturing, supporting small business, and doing what we can for a future with a cleaner environment. All design decisions were made with these values in mind along with three core focus areas; materials, functionality, aesthetics. Any decision was ultimately driven by the notion of quality over quantity.


MATERIALS
316L Stainless Steel
We started with a rugged case made from 316L stainless steel, a medical-grade surgical steel with outstanding resistance to extreme temperatures and corrosion. These qualities make our cases more expensive than lower-grade stainless steel but give the durability necessary for an everyday watch for the hard-living individual. Quality over quantity. 

Sapphire Crystal
The dial and components are protected by a high-quality sapphire crystal. Sapphire crystal is incredibly hard, durable, and shock-resistant. It’s the most expensive watch “glass” available with a hardness only exceeded by diamond. Quality over quantity.  

Swiss Super-LumiNova (R) Old Radium
We know adventuring occurs around the clock which is why the Cascadia Field Watch features luminous hour and minute hands. We tested multiple types of lume and ultimately selected Swiss Super-LumiNova (R) Old Radium. Luminova was the industry standard for quality timepieces until Super-LumiNova (R) was developed in Switzerland in the 2000s. Our hands show an off-white during the day. Charged by sunlight with a charge of up to 4 hours, it glows a bright yellowish-green at night.  

Straps
It’s easy to overlook the humble watch strap but for Pacific Watch Company it’s an integral piece of the puzzle. We spent months testing strap materials and weaves without finding a sufficient option matching our expectations for durability, thickness, and comfort. In the end, we decided to custom-weave our nylon straps to perfectly complement the dials. Our two-piece nylon straps feature a 20mm width, 316L stainless steel clasp, and a quick-release clasp for easy swapping. Intentional design. Strap colors in our flagship drop are PWC Stripe, Sandstone, Gray, and Black. Quality over quantity

 

FUNCTIONALITY
Assembled-in-the-USA Ameriquartz Movement
The Cascadia Field Watch is powered by a Assembled-in-the-USA Ameriquartz movement. Yes, we have an appreciation for automatic and manual movements but also realize that constantly winding and resetting the time is a drag. So, we prefer grab-and-go functionality that keeps up with our pace. Still, big watch brands don’t want you to know this little secret - quartz movements are actually more accurate than automatic movements. What does this mean? A quartz watch will track time more accurately. And isn’t that what a watch is designed to do? Our Ameriquartz movement comes with a 30-month battery life guarantee and an accuracy tolerance of +/- 20 seconds/month.

Dial
Each Cascadia Field Watch features large, legible numerals for ease of viewing along with luminescent hands and an extended second hand for ease of time tracking.

Measurements
The case measures at an extremely wearable 40mm width and 49mm lug to lug. The depth of the case is just 10mm for easy wearing with long sleeves and jacket cuffs. These dimensions were carefully selected for our flagship product as it sits comfortably on wrists both large and small.

Water resistant
Proper exploring is done on land and sea. With this in mind, our watches are pressure-tested with a water resistance of up to 100m. 

AESTHETIC
Dial Colors
Available in stunning Slate Blue, poppy Orange Crush, uniquely understated Acadia White, and a classic True Black round out the dial color options in our flagship SS24 drop

Crown
Look carefully and you’ll find our Pacific Watch Company logo printed on the crown of your Cascadia Field Watch.

Packaging
Presentation matters so we treated packaging with the same attention to detail as the product itself. We figured you didn’t need another box sitting in your house that you keep but don’t really know why. Instead, we wanted our packaging to be fully functional during both shipping as well as ownership. Our watches come with a durable 10oz canvas watch wrap to secure you watch and accessories at home or on the go. The wrap features four pockets for other watches and can be secured by a made-in-the-USA leather strap, sewn locally here in Seattle. If you are going to do something, do it right. Quality over quantity.  

With materials, functionality, and aesthetic coming together to create the final Cascadia Field Watch, we turned our attention to assembly. The Cascadia Field Watch is fully assembled in the USA by skilled and certified watchmakers and technicians. 

It’s no secret that recent decades have seen domestic manufacturing move off-shore. We feel that domestic manufacturing is key to any healthy economy so we are proud to do our part and support USA manufacturing jobs. It’s not the most affordable option, but it supports our local economy and ensures the standard of craftsmanship that we expect. Quality over quantity.

See you on the trails!

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