traser P68 Pathfinder Solar: in review
(and also, a giveaway for our subscribers!)
Ever since I discovered the delights of tritium illumination, I’ve been a fan. Whether it’s bold, wildly-colored pieces, or if it’s giving subtle bumps to visibility in the spots you need it, tritium is just plain fun. No, it’s not going to be as bright as luminous material pulled fresh from the sunlight - but it’s also going to be reliably visible 4 hours later. Today, we’re going hands-on with the traser P68 Pathfinder Solar.
traser P68 Pathfinder Solar: what it is
When you’re headed to the outdoors, I do tend to think about what watch it is that I’m taking with me. Now, being outside a lot (say, camping and hiking), something like solar-power really makes sense, since you won’t worry about running out of juice (as you would, say, with a smartwatch). Solar power also means a quartz movement, which lends a bit more reliability to getting bumped around as you’re out there.
Now, a watch is a tool, first and foremost, and it’s for telling the time. And you’ll want to be able to do that day or night, which of course you can here. The tritium tubes on the hands and dial ensure you can read it at night, complete with an orange tube at 12 o’clock so you know which way is up on the watch. In the daylight, those same tubes act to help the hands stand out against the dark dial.
You also get an internal compass bezel on the traser P68 Pathfinder Solar, which is set using the screw-down crown at 8 o’clock. How do you use this? It depends on whether you’re in the northern or southern hemisphere, but it’s pretty straight-forward (we’ll refer you to this article). So long as the time is accurate on your watch, and you can see the sun, you should be able to figure out what direction is what.
Oh, and finally, you do have a date display on the watch as well, for remembering when it is you need to head back into civilization (or for keeping track of the days once you’re back to the regular day-to-day).
Wearing and using the watch
One thing I’ve enjoyed about every traser that I’ve had in for review is that when they send it over, it’s already set to my local time. It’s a small thing, but it’s that sort of attention to detail that lets you know that the people behind the brand care about where their watches are headed. Now, that could be because they were intended for reviews, but I certainly hope it’s done for everyone - and I’ll assume it is until I hear otherwise).
So, that means there’s really not much for you to do once the watch arrives. Pull it out of the packaging, strap it on your wrist, and head on about your day. Now, you do need to bear in mind that this watch is a 46mm case. So, while that certainly helps with legibility, it is a big watch on the wrist. For reference, in the photos, my wrist is a 7.25” wrist, so you can get a sense of how it sets. For me, it fit well, and the holes in the NATO strap were well-positioned so I didn’t have it flopping around on my wrist.
In terms of timekeeping, there was no issues with reading the watch at a glance. With the red of the hour hand, you quickly pick up which hand is which, and it’s easy to see. In the dark, it’s obviously shorter than the minute hand, and stands out. In the dark, you get some extra luminous glow courtesy of SuperLuminova on the compass bezel, as well as surrounding the sapphire crystal (something we’re surprised more brands haven’t done).
The aesthetics
While tritium watches can feel a bit overly military or “tacti-cool”, the traser P68 Pathfinder Solar really just comes across as a hard-wearing outdoors watch. Sure, that PVD coating will likely pick up some scratches over time, but that’s the patina of a life well-lived. It’ll keep the watch looking better than an otherwise plain steel case would be over time.
On the dial, the dark look continues, and that works well for the solar panels. You can plainly see the cutouts for those panels, but it works, adding another gradient and visual texture to the dial. This is a watch that knows its business, and has a look that complements it well. It’ll feel right at home out on the trail, up in the tree stand, or just sitting around the firepit. Fit the right tool - or in this case, watch - to the job at hand, and you’ll be well-served.
Wrapping things up
As you can see from the photos, we reviewed the version that comes on the khaki-colored NATO strap, but it’s also available on a black NATO strap, or a black rubber strap. The versions on nylon will run $800, while opting for the rubber strap bumps the price up to $865. As an added bonus, you can knock 25% off of your purchase using the code wristwatchreview25 when purchasing over at traser.com; the code is valid through January 31, 2026. And if that wasn’t enough - there is a way you can get one of these for free!
That’s right - the team over at traser are allowing us to give the very watch we reviewed here to one you, our readers. This is our first giveaway on our new platform here, so we’re going to keep things really simple:
Put a comment below what your favorite luminous material is on a watch (ie, is it tritium, SuperLuminova, radium, or whatever)
If you’re a free subscriber, you’ll get a bonus entry with your comment
If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll get five bonus entries
So, for example, if you’re a free subscriber and you comment below, you get two entries in the drawing; if you’re a paid subscriber that comments, you get six. If you comment, but are not a subscriber (free or paid), the entry will be discarded. No matter what type of subscriber you are, just make sure you’ve verified your email address, so we can contact you afterwards.
The rules
As always, our rules are pretty simple. This is a way for us to give back to our readers who make this all possible, and we don’t want this to be a burden.
Comment below on your favorite type of luminous material, and ensure you’re a subscriber (free OR paid)
The giveaway starts today, December 3, 2025, and will run for two weeks (ending at 11:59pm on December 14, 2025)
Only readers in the US are eligible for this giveaway (we’re shipping this one out, and sending stuff international right now is, well, a bit pricey)
And that’s all there is. We’re thankful to traser for sponsoring this giveaway, and for our readers going along with our watch reviewing adventures.
Tech Specs
Illumination Dial: trigalight & Super-LumiNova
Illumination: trigalight
Glass Seal: luminous glass seal
Movement: Swiss Made Solar
Size: Ø 46 mm
Glass: anti-reflective sapphire
Watch Case: PVD-coated stainless steel
Dial: grey
Crown: screw-down crown
Strap: NATO
Water Resistance: 10 atm / 10 bar
Band Width: 24 mm