Earlier this year, we brought you word on the new Traser P67 Officer Pro (you can see that here). More recently, we’ve been playing around with another watch from their collection. It’s time to let you know what we think of the Traser P99Q.
Traser P99Q: what it is
What intrigued me about the Traser P99Q is that it hearkens back to the P6500 Type 6, which was the watch Traser developed in 1989 specifically for the US Army (you can read more about that watch here). As you might suspect, that means that this watch is part of their tactical collection, meant for hard use.
So, yes, that’s why this is a quartz watch (hence the Q in the model name). If you want a movement that can take just about anything, quartz is a safe bet. To further protect it, Traser created a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (the black shell you see) that wraps around the steel inner core. Gives you a little more protection, as well as making things a bit larger.
Why a larger watch?
At 46mm, the Traser P99Q is definitely one with some presence on the wrist. Why would you want a watch that large? Well, for those using it in a tactical setting, we’d presume because it offers a larger dial, which then helps with legibility. It also helps keep the proportions right for the grippy bi-directional bezel.
This bezel has larger crenelations than you’re used to seeing on a bezel, and that’s to make it easy to grab and turn (helpful if you’re wearing gloves in the field). While the spring is clicky, we did find it easy to get knocked a few clicks off in either direction throughout the day (guessing it was getting caught on a shirt cuff or backpack strap).
The tritium
If you’re thinking about a Traser watch, you were undoubtedly drawn in by the affordability of their tritium-equipped watches. While other brands go very lux with their designs and pricing, Traser keeps it affordable for us. Even so, there’s plenty of light-in-the-night with the Traser P99Q.
The tritium shows up in the usual places, on the handset and the indices. The handet and hours are done in blue tritium, with green used for 12 o’clock and the seconds hand (as well as as an accent in the logo). Oh yes, and there’s a pair of green tritium tubes crossed in the “pip” on the bezel, so you know right where that is at.
In that photo above, you’re seeing some extra light. That’s because the Traser P99Q also includes traditional lume. The chapter ring has lumed numerals, and they even lumed the ring under the sapphire crystal, which is something we had not seen before. Finally, you’ve got the numerals on the timing bezel (on the 15s) glowing as well.
Wearing the Traser P99Q
While the specs suggest a rather large watch, it did not wear – or look – ridiculous on my 7.25″ wrist. In fact, it felt just about right. Sure, the lugs stood off a little bit, but it wasn’t noticeable, and frankly everything felt quite comfortable.
The included rubber strap is quite thick, and it will fight you a little bit getting it through the dual keepers. Once it’s through, though, they do not move. Sometimes on a rubber strap, those keepers can move, and the tail of the strap will end up flapping around. That never happened on the Traser P99Q for me.
Finally, despite the size, the watch is relatively light. With the combination of the quartz movement and the polymer outer case, this watch does not weigh you down. My scale shows it at 101g, which is enough that you know the watch is there. But it’s not so heavy that you’re constantly reminded of it every time you move your wrist.
Wrapping things up
If you can’t tell, I’m coming away from this review quite pleased with the Traser P99Q. In terms of the materials and overall look and functionality, this is a watch that’s great for heading to the great outdoors, or even just banging around doing yard work.
With the addition of day and date displays, it means it’s also just as happy heading into work with you. Oh, and speaking of those displays: when our reviewer arrived, it came with the day/date and the time correctly set to local time, which was a nice bonus.
One other bonus that’s hard to put into words is when you see the watch in the perfect dark, after the lume has faded. I was struck by when I’d go to my desk, and you’d see that blue and green tritium quietly doing it’s job. When your eyes are adjusted to the dark (or you wake up and need to check the time), that gentle glow is a delight to use. If you’d like to get your own Traser P99Q, they are nicely affordable. They’re going for $595 on the rubber strap (as reviewed) or $555 on a textile strap; you can choose from a blue, black, or green dial. Check out the collection over at traser.com
Traser P99Q Tech Specs
- Illumination Dial: trigalight
- Illumination: trigalight
- Illumination Bezel: trigalight & Super LumiNova
- Glass Seal: luminous glass seal
- Movement: Swiss Made quartz
- Size: Ø 46 mm
- Glass: anti-reflective sapphire
- Watch Case: carbon fiber reinforced polymer with internal steel container
- Dial: black
- Crown: screw-down crown
- Strap: rubber
- Water Resistance: 20 atm / 20 bar
- Band Width: 22 mm
