I’ve always admired a good quality timepiece. During my time in the Marine Corps I either wore my Seiko dive watch or a Casio G-Shock because of their ruggedness. The one thing that has always deterred me from getting a higher end watch is not necessarily the price, but not wanting to damage it during outdoor activities. Recently I was taking a look at the company Smith & Bradley and noticed a newer addition to their line of watches; The Ambush. Not only does the watch look bad-ass, but it is built to take a beating from the elements. Here is what the company says about the Ambush line of watches.
The Ambush is an original Smith & Bradley design that combines the functionality of digital and analog displays with the rugged toughness and aggressive styling typical to Smith & Bradley. The Ambush is designed for the field and the challenges ahead. Whether on a mission, hiking, camping, traveling, or in the boardroom, the Ambush has the versatility to be with you every step of the way.
After reading about the watch I decided I had to give this thing a try. Upon receiving the watch it comes in a really well made water proof case that contains the watch, a spare Nato band, and documentation.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the watch when you take it out of the case is the weight. Personally the size and weight of the watch don’t bother me. The weight of this watch just reinforces how well it’s built and lets me know I’ve got one hell of a cool timepiece on my wrist. The watch case itself is of a decent size as well which I prefer in a watch. The buttons on the watch are large enough to easily manipulate, yet not so large that you are constantly pressing them by accident and changing the modes or a setting (that is a huge pet peeve of mine with larger watches).
The watch comes with two straps. The strap that comes already installed on the watch is a TPU rubber strap that contour’s the wrist and keeps the watch in place. The rubber strap has two keepers on it to more effectively manage any excess strap after you’ve adjusted it on your wrist. The buckle on the strap is a black PVD coated buckle with the Smith & Bradley signature logo engraved into it (little things like this show good attention to detail).
The watch wears very nicely on your wrist. What seems to be a large and heavy watch when you take it out of the waterproof case doesn’t feel overly cumbersome at all. To me it feels like most any other watch I have worn in the past. The strap keeps it in place better than most others. I don’t really find myself having to adjust the watch on my wrist at all once it’s on. Everything on the dial is easy to read (both analog and digital). The illumination on the digital part seems adequate for what you need. One cool feature I noticed when you press the button for the back light is that both the hour and minute hands move so that you can easily see the digital readout. When the back light goes out the hands return to the correct time.
I will be wearing this watch over the next several months during all my outdoor activities whether rain or shine. I will follow-up then with a field report of how the watch has performed. In the mean time here are the specs courtesy of the Smith & Bradley website.
- Proprietary Swiss Digital Analog movement specially designed for the Ambush
- 316 L stainless steel PVD coated case
- 44 mm case (without crowns)
- Sapphire crystal (AR Coated)
- TPU rubber strap to contour the wrist
- Alarm, Chronograph, Compass, Dual Time zone functionality
- Blue back-lit LED digital display on Matte Black Dial
- Bgw9 Lume on Dial and Analog hands to match the Digital Lume
- Screw Bars rather than Spring Bars for a more Secure Lug Fit
- Each Ambush is built in the USA at our Sidney, Illinois workshop.
- MSRP is $645.00
