While I don’t recall for certain how I came across the Offshore Professional brand, I’m glad I did, as they’ve produced a very intriguing watch, which we’ll be taking a closer look at today. The watch in question is the chronograph Field Engineer – the one and only model currently on offer from Offshore Professional.
So, who’s behind the brand? As it turns out, just one fellow – Mr. Lorne Gifford. By day, he’s a professional subsea engineer working in oilfields all around the world; he’s also a bit of a watch nut – specifically in regards to chronographs. Those two have overlapped, and he’s owned (and trashed) a variety of models, due to the hostile environments that he’s found himself in.
Fortunately for us, that drove him to develop a watch that performs to his standards, and can survive those offshore rigs. The Field Professional is hand built in small quantities in London, England, and is superb combination of style and functionality.
As with many hand-built chronos from smaller manufactuters, this is not a tiny case, as it measures in at 44mm diameter (14.5mm thick) and weighs about 4.5 oz on the included leather strap. In terms of the variety of stainless steel watches I’ve had on my wrist lately, this doesn’t feel overly heavy, and wears just about how you’d expect.
One aspect I really liked with the watch do deal with the aesthetics. With the Roman numerals on the fixed bezel, and the color palette in use, this watch is practically a chameleon. By that, I mean it’s sizing makes it look perfectly at home in a casual setting, yet the color scheme (and bezel) lend it a more refined look and feel. Sure, you may not pair it up with a tux, but anything else short of that it will work very nicely for.
And that’s where we’ll leave things for today. Tomorrow, we’ll start taking a closer look at the functionality the watch provides.
