Elliot Brown is a name in British watch design associated with tactical tool watches and military timepieces. From a colour perspective they produce predominantly stealth black, gunmetal grey, camo green, desert drab and aquatic blue watches. What you would least expect to see from a brand like Elliot Brown are bright pastels, funky gradients, complex textures and psychedelic swirls. However, as any military commander will tell you, you have to expect the unexpected. So without further ado, meet the new Elliot Brown Arne Cali collection, a quartet of fun, colourful, limited edition field watches.
Let’s not beat around the bush and jump straight to the new dials. Being the Summer California collection, each of them uses what’s known as a California display. That means the watches use different styles of numerals above and below the horizontal axis between 3 and 9 o’clock. In this instance, the watches use Roman numerals above the axis and western Arabic numerals below. This is a style of display that has its origins in tool watches because the different styles of numerals add a definitive orientation to the watch face, making it easier to read the watch at a glance even if it is being held at an awkward angle during your activities.
Rolex and Panerai are the most famous brands associated with this style of display in the early 20th century, but the name California wasn’t applied until around the 70s and 80s when a restoration company based in Los Angeles became famous for working with these types of dials. Since then, the California connection has stuck. With the Arne Cali collection, Elliot Brown has pushed that connection even further by theming each of the four watches after an aspect of Californian culture.
First is the Elliot Brown Arne Cali Phantom Horizon (606-007), which is based on the horizon line instrument of aircraft where you have the ground below and sky above. It’s presented in pastel-like tones of sky blue and grass green with a red-orange line across the middle for the horizon, the colour of which is inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge. Second is the Ocean Ombré (606-008), which brings us to sunset at the Pacific with a purple-blue gradient, which is actually the simplest and most self-explanatory of the four.
Third in the Elliot Brown Arne Cali collection is The Woodie (606-009), featuring a wooden dial that’s inspired by vintage wood-panelled station wagon cars that were nicknamed Woodies – the type that surfers would strap their boards to the top of. It’s also the only model with a gold PVD coating on its case. Fourth and final in the collection is the Psychedelic Trip (606-010) with a swirling spiral of orange, yellow, light blue and dark blue, classic California tie dye tones. What makes it seem even more wavy and trippy is that the design radiates out from the Elliot Brown logo rather than the central hands, which makes it feel off-kilter and intentionally lopsided.
Of the four designs, my personal favourite is the Phantom Horizon, I like the colours and the way it playfully reimagines an important flight instrument with a Californian twist. The Woodie is probably the most hit or miss as to whether you like it or not, lacking the bright colours of the other references, but it’s still cool to see from a brand that’s typically as utility focussed as Elliot Brown. Though the Arne Field Watch that is the base piece for this new collection has plenty of utility already built in.
It measures 38mm in diameter, which is a great size for a field watch because it doesn’t impede wrist movement too much while also being large enough to support a legible display. The steel case also provides a 200m water resistance rating, making the watch versatile enough to keep up with the surf lifestyle that this collection is inspired by without the bulk of a professional dive watch.
Powering the watch is a Swiss Ronda quartz movement. While I’m sure many of us would prefer a mechanical movement, in a watch like this quartz just makes sense. It keeps costs down while also being more accurate and convenient day to day.
Each of the four references in the Elliot Brown Arne Cali collection is limited to 75 pieces, for a total of 300 pieces across the various styles. Three of these special editions are priced at £395, the same as the standard Arne models, with The Woodie at £525 due to its wooden dial and PVD case. The real value proposition here is that this is a serious tool watch brand cutting loose for the summer in rather extreme fashion and I’m here for it.
Price and Specs:
More details at Elliot Brown.
