The Low-Down

A Scottish watch company established in Glasgow in 2015, anOrdain produces relatively simple watches that are infused with refined aesthetics, a touch of handcraft and relative rarity, all priced at under USD 3,000. In 2019, the company released its take on the classic field watch, the Model 2. With its vitreous enamel dial in gorgeous colours, the Model 2 was almost too precious and pretty to be a field watch, being far more elegant than technical, as one expects of a field watch the likes of a Hamilton, for instance. But its unique characteristics that set it apart from the rest of the field also detracted somewhat from its utility as a field watch: the rugged 36mm case and highly legible dial markings were no impediment, but the lack of seconds hand meant a little more fuss in ascertaining if the watch was, in fact, running; the lack of a minutes scale also meant a little more guesswork when reading the time, something less pardonable in the case of a field watch, where everything takes second place to utility.

A central seconds hand now shows in an instant if the watch is running, while Anordain’s signature skeletonised syringe hands with lumed tips remain. These steel hands are heated to enhance their resistance to corrosion and rust, then luminous paint is hand-applied to the tips. A minute scale has also been added to aid precision time reading.

IMHO

The field watch is among the most beloved of watch types, arguably more so than pilot’s and diver’s which seem fussier and fancier in comparison, only because the field watch is so down-to-earth without relinquishing any of the romance of the great outdoors. There are manufacturers without number cranking out field watches en masse, many of them highly capable, faithfully adhering to the ideal of a tool with a purpose and mission. Not many of these can rival the Model 2 for finesse, and with the MkII revisions, the Anordain proposition has only gotten stronger.

Tech Specs