The Series 1000 dive watches are water resistant to 300 meters. The case and bezel are made up of 30 percent carbon and 70 percent polycarbonate.
The Pursuit of Perfection
ProTek All Terrain Watches are the result of a relentless pursuit for perfection
By Slaton L. White
The new ProTek brand of watches is the brainchild of watch industry veteran Barry Cohen, founder and former owner of Luminox Watch. It was known for timepieces that featured non-stop illumination—a great asset for someone who has to work under the cover of darkness. ProTek watches are built to endure some of the world’s toughest working conditions. That was one reason ProTek was recently named Official Watch of the United States Marine Corps. The accuracy, durability, and superior ProGlo illumination (an array of tritium gas-filled borosilicate glass tubes that glow in a variety of colors) make these ideal timepieces to serve Marines, not only in the line of duty, but in their daily lives as well. These watches also are ideal for anyone that leads an active lifestyle.
Though the brand was conceived for a particular market segment—first responders, law enforcement, SWAT teams, tactical and military personnel, and more—Cohen says its blend of professionalism and technology, which incorporates both elite performance and great style, makes it the ideal daily-wear timepiece for a wide array of people. That wide appeal is one reason ProTek will be a comprehensive brand of watches comprised of several series within the brand.
The launch collection consists of three series—a Carbon Composite Case dive (Series 1000), a 316L Stainless Steel case dive (Series 2000), and a Titanium Field (Series 3000). All watches feature the ProGlo self-powered illumination system that enables them to glow nonstop for 25 years so you can read time instantly in any light condition, including complete darkness. All watches have sapphire crystals with anti-reflective coatings and all run on dependable Japanese quartz movements from Miyota (a division of Citizen). The ProTek brand uses Miyota quartz movements throughout the entire line because of their robust nature, accuracy, and overall dependability. Series 1000 and 2000 use the Miyota 2S60 Japanese quartz movement—with plus or minus accuracy of 20 seconds per month—and each boasts a 10-year battery life. The Series 3000 Movement has a four-year battery.
“Each All Terrain series differs slightly in components used,” says Cohen. “Both dive series have tight unidirectional timing bezels (Carbon is 60-click, Steel is 120-click) that will not turn from inadvertent contact. Both also have 10-year batteries so the case need not be opened for battery changes for a decade, which is a good idea for any water watch. Dive watches are traditionally best sellers, and this will likely remain the case, but don’t overlook the venerable Field watch, which has been around since World War I and is considered the staple of military timepieces. With its mix of features, the ProTek Field series could be the best field watch money can buy, beginning with its titanium case that renders the watch so lightweight—only 46 grams–that you barely know you have it on. But one glance at night is all you need to know you are wearing a ProTek Field with its superlative lume provided by the largest tritium tubes available and executed in three colors for a veritable light show in the dark. Gazing at this dial in the dark is truly mesmerizing.”
According to Cohen, ProTek’s All-Terrain Watches are “Rugged at Heart.” By that, he means they are “created and designed for an active lifestyle, the perfect daily-wear timepiece that can take what life throws at you. As the name implies, ProTek possesses all the attributes of watches ideally suited for those who protect us. ProTek is a function-first brand, but looks quite fashionable, too. It lives at the intersection of fashion and functionality, where professionalism meets technology.”
ProTek is the newest entry in the Time Concepts family of brands. “The very nature of this brand brings me back to my roots in the watch world,” Cohen says. “ProTek watches are ideal for individuals who put others before themselves. ProTek’s name has true meaning, one that is woven into the brand’s core. In fact, the name defines our brand and our watches.”
Cohen gave a lot of thought to the name for this watch. “Pro” stands for professionals at the top of their craft as well as others on their journey to the top. “These are the ones who put in the time, make countless sacrifices, and stop at nothing to pursue perfection,” he says.
The “Tek” portion of the name stands for the innovative, self-powered Swiss illumination technology built into every watch. Cohen pioneered this special enabling feature with Luminox, bringing this remarkable technology to the consumer arena“ProGlo illumination provides a non-stop continuous glow for up to 25 years, enabling the owner to read time-ay-a-glance, even in total darkness,” he says. “This is the ultimate illumination technology in timepieces, and it’s the hallmark of the ProTek brand. The technology had been primarily used for military applications prior to the advent of Luminox. But I was able to bring this unsurpassed self-powered illumination technology to a wide audience when I founded Luminox, and now I have ratcheted up the overall quality and features in the new ProTek brand.”
The superior illumination technology to which he refers comes from Trigalight, but will be referred to as ProGlo illumination in ProTek watches. ProGlo lume is achieved in a laboratory where tritium gas is pumped into borosilicate glass tubes, the walls of which are lined with a phosphor. The tritium emits a beta particle, causing the phosphor to fluoresce. Different phosphors yield different glow colors.
“Making quality watches that combine function with outstanding design at reasonable prices is what we’re good at, and we’ve done it many times over,” he says.
As an example, he cites the carbon-composite case and bezel, which is a hallmark of the ProTek series. “The 1000 series case and bezel are made up of 30 percent carbon and 70 percent polycarbonate, which explains why it is called a ‘carbon-composite case,’” he says. “The use of polycarbonate as the polymer in our composite mix was a no-brainer because it delivers strength in a lightweight package. And the bezel is made of the same material as the case.”
ProTek uses only stamped embossed case backs, as seen on watches costing many times the price of ProTek. ProTek also uses screw-in case backs and crowns that help the watches achieve water resistance of 300 meters for Series 1000 and 200 meters for Series 2000. The Series 3000 Field watch has a push crown with O-rings and screw back for 100 meters of water resistance, more than adequate for a land-based watch. All series also have rubber O-rings on and around the crowns as well to help ensure excellent water resistance.
“From a design standpoint, both dive watches have stamped dials for added interest, with the Carbon series exhibiting a pebble texture dial surface and the Steel series a horizontal line motif,” he says. “The Field series has a flat dial befitting a military timepiece.”
The pursuit of perfection even includes the strap. “Having made watches using a wide array of straps over the years—leather, steel, or titanium bracelets—or some form of dive-type straps using polyurethane (PU), silicone, or rubber, we chose genuine rubber for our straps for the Series 1000 for optimum performance,” Cohen says. “PU straps tend to break too easily. Silicone has a nice feel, but it is a bit soft for our use, so we use real rubber for its mix of comfort and durability. Rubber straps are generally considered the best you can get for dive-style watches. The straps are soft and flexible yet strong and are molded around a steel tube insert in which spring pins go through for added strength and durability. All straps have one fixed keeper loop holding the first loop in place so it doesn’t slide; the second loop is adjustable. For both steel dive and titanium field series, we chose waterproof Italian leather straps that, unlike standard leather, begin soft, get softer with wear, and if immersed in water will mold to one’s wrist and will not crack.”
ProTek watches are manufactured in clean-room conditions with focused attention paid to the manufacturing process, and they go through the standard quality-control processes that would be expected of a superior timepiece. There are about two dozen different tests to ensure the final product not only meets but exceeds the wearer’s expectations. Because Series 1000 and 2000 are dive watches and water resistance is of paramount importance, all watches undergo water-resistance testing in both air and water, unusual since most brands use only air for pressure testing.
The illumination process was also carefully thought out. “When we approached the Carbon Composite Case Dive series, a great deal of thought went into the lume colors available and which colors would best fill the needs of a dive watch,” Cohen says. “This resulted in a new configuration of lume colors to specifically aid diving. In diving, the only thing that counts is how much air remains in the tank, and this is measured in minutes and seconds, not hours. Very few ever dive long enough for hours to be a factor. Consequently, the series was conceived with green as its the brightest lume color to be used on the second hand, minute hand, and 12-hour index, along with the bezel pip used to time dives against the minute hand. This way, the key thing they need to see the most—the time of remaining air—glows in green. The only other lume color used for this series is a soothing, cool, ice-blue color. Of course, this also can be seen easily in darkness, but the green color is most prominent.”
Cohen also notes that ProTek goes through all the customary steps that any other watch company must go through to develop a watch for sale on the open market. “We also implement other steps needed to incorporate use of tritium gas tubes that conventional watches do not deal with,” he says. “This work is done in a high-tech physicist’s laboratory in Switzerland,
Perfection is hard to attain, even with a great design. Cohen knows this, which is why he has assembled the right team. “Our team is small but mighty,” he says. “We have abundant watch knowledge, and our core group accounts for approximately 90 years of watch trade experience. We are not fly-by-night opportunists that just decided they can be in the watch business. We are watch trade veterans who know the ins and outs of this business.”
Cohen is justifiably proud of this new line. “Here’s the bottom line,” he says. “If you seek a well-made watch for an active lifestyle or for the work you do as a first responder, ProTek’s All-Terrain watches serve up excellence in timepieces that are ‘Rugged at Heart’ and visible in all light conditions, including no light at all.” protekwatches.com