Is purple the new green? – the Formex Ultraviolet

Ok, I might be exaggerating because green is everywhere in the watch world but purple or in this case violet (we will get to that in a sec), has been around for a bit and I think is here to stay, why? Well not only because we are dressing more casual lately but because a touch of violet breaks the monotony without screaming: ‘’look at me’’, if we think that violet is a blue interacting with shades of red, then we can say with confidence that is an amazing colour. If you don’t believe me then you will see what other watch houses are doing with this striking palette, Audemars Piguet has done several versions of the Royal Oak in purple but the Code 11:59 is the one for me, it looks very classy and modern. Fears, Hublot and Rolex are also using the regal colour not only for their dials but if we go to Hublot, they are using it on their case too. All of this brings us to the Formex Field Ultra Violet, as soon as you hear the name Formex, you know that the watch is not going to be an homage of something more established, it is going to be a piece with its own design language and over engineered and this new Field watch, doesn’t disappoint. The field watch idea is a simple one, it must be la watch that it is legible and functional, and of course it needs to be able to take a beating but regardless the colour of the dial is, the field watch is one of the few tool watches that we watch geeks truly love.

The specifications

Flied watches are usually small, not entirely sure why but I am glad that Formex decided to go the other way and give the Titanium 2 grade case a 41mm diameter, this might sound a tad big but the bezel is giving a nice balance making the dial appear smaller and the lug to lug (here is where the magic happens) is just 46.6 mm, you can imagine almost anyone can wear the Field Ultra Violet. The dial really shines, you would think with this colour a monochromic scheme (perhaps white or silver) for the numerals would work well but the old radium

superluminova really matches the Field’s character, is not meant to look aged but the subtle beige look is spot on. The watch has a date window at 6 o clock that perfectly matches the dial, is nicely framed with numbers that are also using that creamy colour, the attention to detail from Formex is exquisite, I always thought that if you have a date on your watch, you should embrace it and not just leave it there floating with no decoration. The movement inside is a Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 automatic with 41 hours power reserve, just what a field watch needs, reliable and ready to work. In order to keep the tool watch theme going the Field Ultra Violet has a closed case back engraved with a honeycomb pattern, I really enjoy the feel and look of the sand blasted case, very industrial, very tool like.

On the wrist

The watch wears beautifully, it is short and thin at 10.6 mm, great to use a nato or the 2-piece leather violet strap to complete the look. This last one has a matching sand blasted deployment clasp that puts many of the offerings out there to shame, it made of carbon fiber and includes at micro adjustment system which adds to the overall comfort of the watch. One of the other pillars of a field watch is the legibility, those syringe hands really help to track the time precisely and they contrast very well against the mate dial, hope the photos can capture the legibility because is superb, the numbers are recessed giving this sandwich dial look, the font used for the numbers is very unique and futuristic, dots and stick markets complete the look, if you think about it there is a lot of going on but it is al cohesive, it works very well.

Conclusions

It is easy to enjoy a good time with a field watch, it

is a category that is easy to wear every day, what I like about the Formex Field Ultra Violet is that with that colour, the piece feels a bit more special, it is for those that want a watch that is a bit more daring and not so straight forward, it can still do all the job you need but looking more interesting. The titanium case is one of the best I have experienced, well machined and light and together with the Formex design language I think they have one of the best tool watches out there, sure the competition is hard, but have you ever seen one with so many details and dial like this?

More information a www.formexwatch.com

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