Nicolas Lenze 07.13.22
Technology is a visceral, neverending race. By the time you read through this whole article, your phone or computer will probably need an update. Why is it then, that watches have stood the test of time? Time is our most important resource, and keeping track of it is important to us. Add a dash of style and you have something that will never go away. Watches are practical and decorative, especially now with companies like 5.11 Tactical keeping the tradition alive, while staying true to their DNA as a company. Today, we’ll be looking at their newest analog watch. This is the Outpost Chrono Watch in Storm.
The 5.11 Tactical Outpost Chrono Watch: Specifications
- Display: Analog
- Mechanism: Chronograph
- Color: Storm
- Body: Stainless Steel
- Band: 22mm webbing
- MSRP: $125.00
First Impressions in Chronological Order
Once removed from the box and inspected in the light, I decided that I liked the look of this watch. The Outpost Chrono is available in Tac OD or Storm. The color scheme that you see is Storm. It uses various shades of gray with pops of black and red. As a colorblind person, I both appreciate the ease of gray and have no idea if the second hand is red or orange. The Japanese movement is housed within a stainless steel body.
The band is very easy to adjust and is plenty strong to keep your watch from sagging. Nobody likes a saggy watch. The webbing has a little bit of a shine to it but it’s not so bold that it looks like plastic. The hardware is easy to use and plenty of sizing holes are available. The watch feels very secure on your wrist.
Big and Little Hands-On
The face of the Outpost Chrono houses four dials. The largest, of course, is the time, displayed using the 12-hour clock. The big and little hands are black, skeletonized, and feature luminous material for use in the dark. The second hand is (seriously, I can’t tell) red and also uses the same luminous material. Two of the smaller dials display minutes and seconds for use with the stopwatch function. The last dial, the one on the right, displays the time using the 24-hour clock.
Setting the time is easy, and if you’re a watch person, you’ve probably done it a million times before. Just pull the crown and rotate it until the face shows you the correct time, then push it back in. There are two buttons on the right side of the watch; the top one is the start/stop button, and the bottom one is the reset button. Pressing the start button starts the stopwatch, which is displayed on the leftmost and center dials. Press start again to stop the counting, then reset to…well, reset it.
While the Outpost seems more than capable, one of the main reasons I wear a watch is because of how they look. The Outpost Chrono is a pretty even split between casual and dressy. This means that I can use it to easily dress up a more casual outfit. On the opposite end, it would be great for a more dressy occasion, but one where you’d probably leave the tie at home.
Time to Wrap It Up
The Outpost Chrono Watch from 5.11 is a bit of a chameleon. It shares the same sturdy features as the Division Digital watch, making it great for harder use in the outdoors. So, it’s an outdoor watch. It has a face that looks like any of the watches three times its price. So, it’s a value watch. It can work with either a casual or more formal look. So, it’s a stylish watch. Whatever you need the Outpost to be, it can serve in that role.
Its ability to wear many hats means it needs to be able to handle anything, and the water resistance helps. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost ruined a watch with water. The luminous material in the hands is bright and helpful in darker environments. Aside from the features, this is just a very attractive (and photogenic) watch.
The glass can get a bit smudgy at times, and the 24-hour clock dial can be difficult to see between two and four o’clock. Other than those two very minor nitpicks, I can’t see a reason why not to add this watch to the collection. Powered by a Japanese movement and only $125, the Outpost Chrono Watch has really impressed me.
If you want to check out the Outpost Chrono Watch for yourself, you can find all of the details on the 5.11 Tactical website. You can also learn more about 5.11’s watches and other gear by following on social media. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. I hope reading this was the time of your life!
