Laco and Military Heritage
Next year will be the 100th anniversary of German watchmaker, Laco. Since 1925, the brand has been producing timepieces in Pforzhiem and played an instrumental role in the development of the original Flieger watch for the Luftwaffe. The new Laco Atacama Quarz UTC pursues the company’s deep military heritage with a spin on the Atacama.2.
The quartz version of this popular watch is significantly more affordable and also receives a bump in functionality with the addition of a GMT complication. The watch, in both aesthetics and purpose, is geared toward military personnel, law enforcement, and other emergency services workers, but would make a great weekender for anyone who enjoys the outdoors.
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Key Features of the Laco Atacama Quarz UTC
The watch is shockingly large on paper, but surprisingly wearable in reality. It measures 46mm in diameter and is flanked on either end by the rubber “wings” of its unique strap construction, making it essentially 63mm lug to lug! However, the watch is relatively thin at 10.5mm and benefits from a distinctive conical case shape that reduces the surface area of the case back to a mere 34mm. Thus, very little of the watch makes contact with your wrist. In fact, with the crown placed at 12, the design allows significant space for your wrist to flex—an ideal situation if you find yourself working often with your hands.
The case is fashioned from stainless steel but coated in a black PVD. The characteristic screw-down crown is large and easy to manipulate when not being worn. On wrist, however, it is protected by the strap. The bezel is unidirectional and a full 120-clicks with a countdown scale. The case back—also stainless steel—is screw down and the watch provides up to 200m of water resistance.
The matte black dial contains a plethora of information and sports two scales: a twelve index featuring bold Arabics, and a smaller 24-hour scale next to the angled chapter ring. The use of colour and a generous helping of LumiNova make the watch extremely legible. It is equipped with an arrow and baton handset of contrasting colour, as well as a lollipop seconds and arrow-tipped UTC hand to track another timezone.
Inside, we find the Ronda 515 GMT quartz movement which aids in reducing the case thickness. While normally this caliber features a date complication at three, the novel placement of the crown repositions the function at six—which works nicely to balance out the dial. It is accurate to within -10/+20 seconds a month, with an average battery life of approximately four years.
The custom rubber strap is certainly a tough customer and fits the tool watch bill; however, it is worth noting that sliding the strap through the keepers can be a finnicky process.
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SPECS
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel PVD Coating 46mm Diameter 63mm Lug to Lug 10.5mm Thick 22mm Lug Width Screw Down & Case Back Unidirectional Countdown Bezel 200m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Sapphire Crystal Matte Dial Printed Markers Arrow and Baton Handset C3 Super-LumiNova |
| Movement | Ronda 515 GMT Quartz Date @ 6 45 Battery Life |
| Strap | Custom Rubber /w PVD Hardware |
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Final Thoughts
We love to think of our sports watches as tools. And perhaps they were designed as such; however, what is more often true is that we purchase them—sometimes paying thousands (or even tens of thousands…) of dollars—for their aesthetics and perhaps the cachet of their brand name. But make no mistake, the Atacama Quarz UTC is an actual tool watch. I mean, you may still buy it for its appearance, but because of its price point and utility, you will have no issue taking it to task.
The Atacama Quarz UTC retails for $640USD. For more information, please visit the brand website.
About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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