A legible, well thought out, and manufactured tool watch is the horological equivalent of an exquisite three-course meal at an upscale restaurant. If you ever had the latter experience—which I hope you will if you haven’t already—then you won’t have any problems understanding the questionable metaphor: every ingredient was prepared and cooked with the utmost precision and marries itself perfectly with the others, and each course is perfectly proportioned and endowed with the right balance of flavors. Nothing is too strong or too meek, the meat is just tender enough and the vegetables juicy in the right way, and of course the wine the meal is paired with has the right body and aroma. The chef thought about every single little detail and obsessed over the presentation too. Well, that is indeed what a good tool watch is: the ingredients (components) are good and of high quality, the cooking (assembly) is meticulous under any angle, and the accompaniment (strap) perfectly matches the courses. 

This metaphor came about at the end of the Holiday Season after having filled my belly with delicious foods. But that is what came to mind, for better or worse, when I started to study the Jack Mason Pursuit Pro Shadow. I instantly fell head over heels for its design and again when I read through the spec sheet and the short paragraphs the brand wrote to explain why it chose this movement over another and why the bezel assembly was manufactured that way. All of which we’re about to go over, naturally, but before we do that we ought to talk about the mysterious elephant in the room: where is Jack Mason going? Not long ago we looked at the latest iteration of the Strat-o-timer and before that the first version of the Pursuit Pilot—two solid, legible, and rather singular tool watches each constituting wholesome packages on their own. In just three years the Texas brand transformed itself from being a watch brand into a house of watchmaking, something I hope will make sense by the end of this review. 

Specifications 

Being fully aware that everything we talk about everyday is subjective, especially when it comes to design and the value we get from specifications and the manufacturing quality of watches. Because even though there are commonly agreed upon good specs a watch should have at certain price points—for example a regulated movement above $1,000 USD and a sapphire crystal at $200—we will always find ways to argue what a “spec monster” is or what a $2,000 USD watch should be equipped with. In my own experience, however, I feel that there is a sweet spot between $1,000 USD and $2,000 USD where we get a good mix of specs, quality, and singularity in design which we can’t have for less money. Simply because good components cost X to acquire and not Y, and because getting a nicely finished case or a precise bezel action requires more time and better machinery. Unfortunately for some, no manufacturer can make a $50 diver operate or look like a $10,000 one. There are just so many shortcuts which can be taken. 

The first Jack Mason I handled was the debut Strat-o-timer which I reviewed in 2022. Back then it retailed for $999 USD and constituted excellent value. The newest version I linked above costs $1,399 USD for which you get titanium for the case and bracelet, better lume, a better bezel action, greater functionality, and overall better finish. I believe it constitutes excellent value for what you get and that Jack Mason couldn’t have squeezed in more technical goodness without having to change the price tag. In other words, for $1,399 USD the Strat-o-timer Titanium GMT Dive is an excellent tool watch, and more importantly, a full package. Lately I’ve been obsessed with the idea of “fully packaged” watches as I find the concept of one watch that can visually and technically work in all situations very appealing, and that is what, I believe, a good tool watch is: the epitome of the versatile timekeeping device from technical and functionality standpoints regardless of how it looks—because beauty is in the eye of the watch nerd as we know. 

Just like the titanium Strat-o-timer is the perfect GMT Diver for those who look for this type of horology, the Pursuit Pro is the perfect pilot watch. Jack Mason thought through all the technical details of such timepiece at a professional level which is why we find all of the following: a hardened stainless steel case (the brand mentions 5x stronger than naked steel so I assume around 900Hv) measuring 42 x 47 x 12.5mm and coming with a 20mm lug width; a regulated La Joux-Perret G101 caliber (4Hz/68 hours of power reserve) which ticks at ±5 seconds per day and is protected by a soft-iron cage for magnetic resistance of up to 4,800 A/m*; 200 meters of water resistance; sapphire crystal; a bi-directional 120-click bezel with a fully-lumed brushed ceramic insert; bi-colored X2-Grade and 3-D Lumicast lume on the hands and applied hour markers; and an easily adjustable hook-type nylon strap which permits to wear the Pursuit Pro directly against the skin or over a wetsuit or winter jacket. On the most satisfying nerdy scale: the bezel action which is crisp, precise, and even in both directions. 

Just above I mentioned that the Pursuit Pro is a pilot watch and I believe that’s what it is, though Jack Mason describes it as being seriously built for the adventurer. Inspired by the trails, the rivers, and sportsmen, the Pursuit Pro is a multipurpose tool watch at the highest level. So again, the Texan brand aims at creating the perfect tool watch with each new collection which explains its recent transformation (we are currently studying) to become a house of watchmaking. 

*4,800 A/m (60 gauss) is the minimal magnetic-resistance for a mechanical caliber as defined by ISO 764:2020. 

Design

Let’s go back to the basics: which design traits make a watch a pilot watch? Generally speaking, a full stack of Arabic hour markers save for the up-facing triangle at the twelve and large Alpha hands, and sometimes baton markers at the 3, 6, and 9 and a count-down bezel. When I first saw the Pursuit Pro I thought I’m looking at a pilot watch and Jack Mason even named this model to give us the impression that we’re looking at an airborne type of timekeeping device. (The Pursuit Pilot I reviewed a while back was also presented and named to be a pilot watch.) So historically speaking a pilot watch should be worn by pilots and in a cockpit, not on hiking trails or below the ocean surface. But just like the A-11 Type 44 was, technically speaking, a pilot watch, it was also used on the ground by the infantry, and by some was considered to be a field watch and I certainly use it as such. In other words, a legible tool watch is a legible tool watch and we should use it however we see fit and regardless of what we do. 

So with the Pursuit Pro Jack Mason aimed at creating a versatile tool watch from a technical standpoint as it is endowed with all of the good stuff to make it as useful and resilient as it could be in the air, on the ground, or in the water. Just like, again, the Strat-o-timer Titanium GMT Diver is equally versatile and at home on my wrist whether I would be diving, hiking, or piloting aircrafts. (I don’t do the latter, thank God!) The point here is that the Texan brand again made of one type of a timekeeping device the ultimate tool watch and this is where we once again see the brand’s transformation from a “watch brand” into a “house of watchmaking”: Jack Mason doesn’t simply create objects to wear but tools to use. And this can be seen, for example, in the perfect design and manufacturing of the hardened stainless steel case: a nimble profile, short and stubby lugs, mostly brushed surfaces save for the polished chamfers, a large grippy crown and an equally grippy bezel. All is tight, all is precise. 

More specifically, although the case measures 42mm in diameter, the 47mm L2L and short profile of the lugs makes it easy to wear and with a strap which can be fine-tuned to anybody’s wrist size, makes it possible for the Pursuit Pro to be glued to the wrist. The fully-graduated and lumed bezel insert makes timing down event easy and satisfying thanks to the precise 120 clicks, and whatever you may be timing, you won’t miss the last five minutes of it thanks to the red markings terminating the count-down scale. On the outside the emphasis was put on making the bezel command most of the watch’s visual presence because it is a tool we’re supposed to do stuff with. To that end, Jack Mason added a lip at the edge of the ceramic insert to protect it from front-facing shocks. Clever. On the inside, so the dial, Jack Mason operated a delicate dance to make it easy to read and more interesting to look at for extended periods of time than most dials of most pilot watches since the first ones appeared in the late 1920s. 

First a set of large Alpha hands with blacked out bases, large real estate for lume, and white painted surrounds so that they pop from the matte black dial. The seconds hand is mostly painted black (to partially remove visual obstructions from the hour and minute hands) and is equipped with an orange tip and lumed arrow-shaped element and the Texas flag colors on the counter-balance. All hour markers are made of 3-D blocks of SuperLuminova, in the shape of large batons at the cardinal points, a triangle at the twelve, then split between smaller Arabic numerals and small rectangles for the rest of the markers. So all hour markers are contained within the same space around the dial which creates visual balance and symmetry, and the hands are contained within that same space resulting in an even greater sense of symmetry. On the furthest edges of the dial we find a simple minute track printed within a recessed portion of it but equally as legible as any other elements adorning the inner parts of the Pursuit Pro. 

The Heart of the Matter

Thinking back at the Strat-o-timer Titanium GMT Diver and Pursuit Pilot, Jack Mason created two types of watches which can be used for anything, anywhere, anytime. That is from technical standpoints because design is subjective—really subjective. I adore the design of the former and was seduced by the looks of the latter, so I was good either way. But then the brand released the Pursuit Pro: a pilot watch on steroids mechanically and visually. For the technical side it has everything we need and more for a solid and reliable utilitarian timekeeping device. For the visual—subjective—side the dial is legible and dense, symmetrical and tactical, easy to look at and even more easy to stare at all day long. So from mechanical and aesthetic points of view, the Pursuit Pro is as legitimate a professional pilot watch as an IWC Mark XX is in my eyes for a fraction of the cost. As a watch created by a micro/independent brand, the Pursuit Pro is the epitome of resilience and of the perpetual pursuit (sliding in a good pun in the process) of authenticity. 

Even though it is based on our common understanding of what a pilot watch is, Jack Mason infused just enough personality into its design to make it something different, and opted for the right amount of superior technical specs to make it more than a pilot watch, but indeed a multipurpose tool watch which can do it all, and one which didn’t reach the stratosphere in terms of pricing. The Pursuit Pro will set you back $1,399 USD which is a lot of money for many people to spend on a timekeeping device, but a sensical amount to spend for a good tool watch. So at the heart of matter is this: in 2022 Jack Mason began its transformation into a house of watchmaking as see it, as a brand which makes tools to use and not objects to collect. 

Conclusion

I’ve said enough already, don’t you agree? If you liked what you saw today then click here to discover the two variants of the Jack Mason Pursuit Pro: the black dial Shadow we took a look at today and the Green dial Hunter. Both are readily available to ship which is also a neat thing the Texan brand does: to make its core collections of excellent tool watches available to purchase at any moment.

Thanks for reading.