I’m usually a function over form type of guy, but the Oakley watches have frequently struck a chord with me. The Timebomb™ really stood out in the crowd, as did the GMT. But these were originally listed well over $1000, and for a watch based on a Seiko movement, I can’t get there from here. I eventually ended up with both of those watches, but had been able to negotiate a better price. I like these watches a lot, but not at full price.
Oakley has released some new watches, but now the prices are a little more reasonable. The two that jumped out at me are the JUDGE® II Dual Time, and the 10th Mountain Division HOLESHOT™ Watch. The Judge Dual Time is a little steep at a list price of $825 ($725 for the leather strap), but the Holeshot is a little more reasonable at $550.
The JUDGE® II Dual Time is pretty sexy quartz watch with either a heavy steel bracelet or a leather strap. They didn’t list a size, but based on other Oakleys, I’d guess in the 41 – 43mm range. The lines are sleek and have the distinctive Oakley styling. A subdial displays the second time zone, with an independent stem. They list the battery life as 36 months, which seems a little short to me, but other than that I’m liking this one.
The 10th Mountain Division HOLESHOT™ Watch is a big (47.5mm) quartz chronograph, in olive green and black. Not really an exceptional movement or appearence, except that they go out of their way to honor the Soldiers on skies of the 10th Mountain Division with combat service in Italy, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan (they left their skis home for some of these). I like the red tips on the hands, that makes a nice hightlight to the face. Working the 10th Mountain patch into the design would have been a nice touch, but probably wouldn’t have been consistent with the usual Oakley aesthetics.
There are a couple of other that didn’t blow wind up my kilt, but it is good to see Oakley making their prices a little more realistic. This bodes well for the future.
