I have been writing about watches for the past five years and I do not tire of assembling too many words to tell you stories about field watches. (And I don’t believe I ever will.) Whether they come with a date or without one, whether they are housed in a small case or a large one, and whether they cost $50 or $1,000, I’m here for them. Like many of you, I’m intensely drawn to field watches for their inherent simplicity and built-in purposeful nature, for the courage it takes to wear such a simple watch amidst an ocean of ultra complex, high-tech, and haute horlogerie timekeeping devices which would make for more interesting conversation starters—should you care what others think—and for the commitment we make to wear a watch whose main (and sole) purpose is to indicate the time as easily and accurately as possible and which therefore does not exist to dazzle our minds with mechanical tricks or design prowess. No, we wear field watches because we are people who like simple, direct things. And because we have a particular appreciation for good tools.

And the market is such today that we are met with thousands upon thousands of options for field watches from the smallest of microbrands to the most luxurious houses of watchmaking. But if you read Mainspring then you might also believe (like I do) that a good tool watch shouldn’t cost too much to be solid and reliable. Well, as luck would have it, that is exactly what we’re going to talk about today looking at the Low Horology Field Asset 36,  as straightforward as proper field watches come and assembled by hand in the United Kingdom from parts and components hand-picked so that, put together, they make for a compelling option for a solid tool watch. Although I do now know anything about watch modding it seems that this is the type of work the brand does, or the better and more accurate way to look at it—and which will upset many folks—is that Low Horology could be to micro/independent watchmaking what Rolex was to the Swiss industry in the 1920s: a unit which procures good components to make good watches. And I’m glad to be telling you about it today. 

Specifications 

On its website, the brand claims to source its components through quality procurement in Asia, meaning that it picks what it considers to be the best quality-to-price ratio parts to make watches, a process many brands big and small go through including luxury Swiss ones as they are known to do. (Being told the same story a hundred times must mean something, don’t you think?) Then the brand owner hand-assembles the watches in the UK and regulates the movements so that they tick accurately which is always a nice thing to have—at least I know I do appreciate it. Though I need to warn you about something: while the parts and components are good (and we will get back to them in a minute,) as it is often the case with micro-brands—and perhaps more often that you might imagine—the Field Asset 36 looks amazing with the naked eye but is a little rough around a few edges under intense macro. Again, this is rather common in my experience especially with watches that are hand-assembled in tiny batches. 

So whatever you may see that is imperfect, don’t give the brand a hard time for it, as what it does is not how a full-fledge micro/independent operates: in other words, I have the feeling that Low Horology is more of a small artisan studio which assembles watches-to-order and not a brand that orders 300 of the same watches which are QC’ed in massive manufactures using fancy equipment. No, Low Horology is indeed more of an mom an pop shop that does many things by hand and I’m glad to be able to take a look at its first model because it’s cool and supporting the small guys is the mission with which I’ve been running Mainspring since day one because I too am a small guy—my articles and photos can appear to some to be a bit unpolished compared to what others do, but that is the charm of artisanal work. Anyway, fuck, I didn’t know I was going to spend so much time on this topic but it was an important one to embark on. Now that this is over and done with, let’s study the Field Asset and by first taking a look—finally—at its specs. 

As indicated in its name, this watch measures 36mm in diameter (and not 36.5mm like Rolex effing does), 45.6mm lug-to-lug, 12.4mm thick, and comes with a 20mm lug width. The lugs aren’t drilled so that the fully brushed stainless steel case looks smooth and unified like a block of hardcore metal. These dimensions are excellent and the Field Asset wears superbly on my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist as pictured in this article. The crown screws-down so does the case-back for 100 meters of water resistance. The crystal is a flat piece of sapphire with blue inner anti-reflective coating. The strap is a one-piece gray NATO-style nylon. And the movement inside is a Swiss made Sellita SW200-1 caliber which ticks at 4Hz, comes with 38 hours of power reserve, and which is regulated in-house in three positions (dial up, dial down, and crown up) to run at ± 8 seconds per day and it is indeed running within these parameters. For all of this you will have to remove $509 USD from your digital wallet which to me is a fair price to ask. 

Design

With the Low Horology Field Asset 36 we get a little bit of Hamilton Khaki Field, a little something of a Benrus DTU-2A/P then, a dash of a World War II-era A-11, and a smidge of je-ne-sais-quoi which I’ve seen before but which I cannot put my finger on. In other words, this model combines all of the classical and best design elements of field watches since time immemorial which, blended together, make for a tool watch that comes with its own character. (If it didn’t, I wouldn’t be writing about it right now.) And on its website, the brand also claims to build high spec, low ego watches with zero nonsense which I confirm it does given the complete absence of branding of any sorts anywhere on the watch: there are literally no letters to be seen on the dial which could indicate who makes the watch, nor is there any markings on the case-back or crown, the latter which I know will put many intense watch enthusiasts in a state of immediate depression—why they care about a signed crown I do not know and I never will. 

So the Field Asset has a classic appearance which to me is a good thing because it is a tool watch and a tool watch doesn’t need to stand out. It needs to fulfill its intended purpose simply, discreetly, and accurately, and that the philosophy Low Horology infused into this model. The brand purposely deprived the dial and case of any markings or letters that would distract our attention from what really matters: reading the time easily, quickly, and on various levels—the local time, military time, and by the precise minute or second through the minute hash-marks and 5-minute increments printed on the periphery of the dial. And I do appreciate the balanced hierarchy of how the various groups of information were laid out on the dial starting from the 24-hour scale in the center to the 5-minute increments on the outside. Everything is printed crisply in white and mostly lumed, against a matte black dial for superlative legibility. Although uncommon for a traditional-looking field watch, I adore the framed date aperture at the three o’clock. 

Moreover, and conversely, the hour and minute hands are polished and shaped like elongated syringes, which makes them clash a little bit with the rest of the dial but just enough so that they add a dash of visual interest without ever stealing the show. And notice the again classic looking seconds hand entirely painted in white so that it too is easy to see. And then there is the case which is positively as bland as they come again serving the Field Asset 36’s intended purpose of being a discreet field watch. The case is therefore powerfully non-descript and well-machined and finished, as we know fully brushed so that it doesn’t call attention upon itself. Its flanks are slab-sided, the lugs thin, rounded, and slightly arched towards the wrist, and the crown is polished and adorned with a deep knurling. I’m becoming more and more interested in case designs both when they are complex and attention-grabbing and when they are simple and only here to support the dial which is what we have here. 

The Heart of the Matter

You know how it is. We like to shoot random adjectives and nouns in Instagram captions and reviews, keywords which give people the impression we know what the hell we’re talking about because we sound smart. And so we (and I) often use words such as “bespoke”  whenever we talk about a brand that gets something unique made for its watches—a bespoke strap, a bespoke handset, or a bespoke dial. But we never use that adjective in the context of a brand hand-building watches one-at-a-time for customers whenever they place an order. But that is what Low Horology does and what makes it the true definition of bespoking field watches which is rare nowadays and which comes with mostly pluses and a couple of minuses. The former include a highly customized timepiece, incredible specifications, and a sensible package. The latter include low production capabilities and a few imperfections here and there which become part of the charm of the watch. And that’s what at the heart of the matter today: the Low Horology Field Asset 36 is bespoke. 

Conclusion  

As someone who is fully dedicated to tool watches, I get high writing lengthy reviews about yet another field watch. It makes me happy to see that there are some folks in our niche world who are committed to bringing about their singular vision for a particular genre of watches, because they add something interesting to the market and because they help preserve certain styles of timekeeping devices which would have otherwise most likely disappeared in the unpredictable currents of trends which weave and sneak and break at any moment. I built Mainspring on the principle of being highly consistent and so I deeply appreciate it when brands such as Low Horology also create consistency in our beautiful world of horology. 

So check out the Field Asset 36 on the brand’s website! 

Thanks for reading.