Crafted with first responders in mind, American watchmaker ProTek launches this month with the debut of their initial collection, the Series 1000.
The new brand joins the Time Concepts family of brands, and is helmed by industry veteran Barry Cohen, founder of Luminox. After founding Luminox in 1989, Cohen differentiated the brand as an industry leader by researching and developing a range of cutting-edge timepieces made up of tritium gas illuminated timepieces and tactical style watches.
In the years to follow, a movement began to take shape, with nearly a dozen brands emerging in the tactical watch category following Cohen’s footsteps, and countless other companies pursuing the same illumination technology for timepieces in their brands. Cohen wanted to get back to the type of watches he loves most so more than thirty years later, he now sees his return to his professional roots in the world of watches, working to foster a new brand whose watches meet at the intersection of fashion and functionality in ProTek: where professionalism meets technology.
A Defining Name
The ProTek name has meaning— it’s a nod to the brand’s dedicated purpose for its timepieces, with it being a combination of the words “Pro,” as in professionals, and “Tek” for their unparalleled lume technology: together, ProTek watches are created for those that “Protect” us, and for all others looking for an impeccable everyday timepiece.
In this regard, ProTek’s watches are crafted for professionals at the top of their craft and those on their way to the summit— for those who put in the time, make countless sacrifices, and stop at nothing to pursue perfection.
Further, ProTek’s watches are also technologically innovative to help these professionals successfully complete their duties and reach their goals, with each timepiece featuring a self-powered Swiss illumination technology known as ProGlo™ illumination, which provides a non-stop continuous glow for up to 25 years and enables the viewer to see and read time-at-a-glance, even in total darkness. Notably, ProTek was recently approved and accepted by the USMC as an Official Watch of the United States Marine Corps, with the brand’s technology-driven timepieces making the ideal partners to serve Marines in the line of duty and in their daily lives.
The Series 1000
As part of ProTek’s debut, it is introducing three dedicated collections in the Series 1000 Carbon Composite Case diver, the Series 2000 Stainless Steel diver, and the Series 3000 Titanium field watch. Leading the trio is the Series 1000, a rugged dive watch purposely built for Earth’s most demanding professions. The watch was designed by Eddy Burgener, who worked alongside Cohen at Luminox for more than 25 years, in addition to designing for other major brands including TAG Heuer and Gucci.
The Series 1000 features a carbon composite case construction, with the case and unidirectional ratcheting bezel being produced from 30% carbon and 70% polycarbonate and lending to a durable, lightweight wear. The uncommon material also allows the Series 1000 a unique aesthetic, lending to its seriously bold appeal when contextualized with its geometric, faceted silhouette, itself attached to a genuine rubber strap with a signature buckle.
Underneath the anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal, you meet a similar aesthetic in the no-nonsense dial, with its grained, pebble texture punctuated with both standard and military Arabic numerals from 1 to 24 and a date window at the 3 o’clock position. Applications of ProGlo™ illumination are found at each hour position, as well as upon each of the sharply tipped pointers used to indicate the passing hours, minutes, and seconds. Inside, the reliable Miyota caliber 2S60 powers the watch, with its battery capable of a 10-year run time, which is always a nice feature for a dive watch so it need not be opened as often for battery changes, ensuring ongoing water resistance. The watches are rated to 300 meters with screw crowns and screwed stamped embossed case backs.
ProTek watches are “Rugged at Heart,” built for what life throws at you and ideal for all conditions— hence the brand’s tagline “All Terrain Watches.” Manufactured in clean-room conditions to ensure superior quality, they are designed for some of the world’s toughest individuals and working conditions, built to hold up to the rigors of the job and ensure a flawless execution of duty even in the most difficult of environments.
Pricing and Availability
The ProTek Series 1000 is already funded but is also being introduced via a Kickstarter campaign, to help create greater consumer awareness more quickly, which is set to run until June 10, with shipping to begin in the following months. Once the campaign concludes, regular retail pricing will be marked at $525, but special discounted pricing is available at Kickstarter for a limited time.
To learn more about ProTek’s Kickstarter campaign, click here.
And to learn more about ProTek, visit their website at www.protekwatch.com
