There were some pretty great submissions from you all, but I think Tockr Skytrain has a nice ring to it, right?

Again, congrats to Joseph! Now, here is a closer, hands-on look at the watch that we photographed and wrote about before even we knew what the name was written by Ariel Adams:

During the month of May 2019, American-based watch brand TOCKR held a competition on aBlogtoWatch in order to both give away one of these new watches, as well as claim the honor of naming it. Naming watches can be a challenge but companies are rewarded when a watch’s name is just as appealing as the watch itself. The winning name is “Skytrain,” which seems like an apt moniker.

The watch itself is the simplest and latest creation from Austin, Texas-based TOCKR. Inspired by flight, the Skytrain watch is designed to be a comfortable daily wear with both personality and a few attractive color choices. On my wrist is clearly the TOCKR Skytrain with the metallic sunburst blue dial, but it also comes with a sunburst gray or black dial option, as well (with the love-it-or-leave-it red “crosshairs” in the middle of the face). A lot of people have been telling me that this is their “favorite TOCKR watch yet.” I can see what they mean. This is the most conservative of the brand’s watches, as well as the most simple — in a time when a lot of collectors are seeking simple, conservative watches from up-and-coming brands. The Skytrain is not perfect, but it is a spirited choice, and I think it will serve many people well.

First, two good things about the TOCKR Skytrain watch are its wearing comfort and visual legibility. The polished and brushed steel case is 42mm-wide with a tonneau-style shape. The watch case seems to be an original design but the look is meant to suggest vintage sport watches with similar shapes. The case is actually on the thicker side for a three-hand watch (about 13mm-thick), but it wears close to the wrist and the various tapering on the case helps to visually slim it down.

With just 50 meters of water resistance, it doesn’t have a screw-down crown. It does, of course, have a flat AR-coated sapphire crystal over the dial. The overall case design is pleasant and certainly a highlight of the watch. Given that the lugs more or less integrate with the shape of the case, and given the actual dimensions of the TOCKR Skytrain, it actually wears a bit small. Powering the watch is a Swiss ETA 2834-A6 automatic movement. The movement has a power reserve of 42 hours and operates at 4Hz. The dial offers just the time without a date.

The rear of the case has a nice design but at this roughly $1,000 price point, I’m not a fan of the look of lightly laser-etched metal. It is legible, but I prefer a deeper engraving or more substantial etching on the rear of the case in order to suggest a more high-end look. The watches are, however, individually numbered with serial numbers, which is rare for watches at this price point.

My own and other people’s favorite feature of the TOCKR Skytrain watch is the yellow airplane motif at the end of the second hand. It is positioned to look at though it is flying across the dial. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this, but it is unusual and a welcome element of personality for the overall design. The rest of the dial is decent but nothing particularly special or original. My biggest issue is that I think the dial would be better weighted if there were a unique hour indicator at 12 o’clock. TOCKR did give the “60” mark above the hour color a different color, but I don’t think that is enough to “ground” the dial and make it easy for the eye to quickly identify where the 12 o’clock hour marker is.

The hour and minute hands are seemingly inspired by modern Royal Oak Offshore, which is fine. Although when you look at the dial from afar, the hour markers themselves feel a bit small and underweighted when the entire case shape and overall watch composition is taken into consideration. For round two of the Skytrain watch, I’d like to see TOCKR spend most of its time tweaking the dial. Again, the dial is really well-made, but in my opinion, it has some minor issues with proportions and could benefit from having a bit more personality. The best element is the plane motif on the second hand, but the rest of the seconds hand (in stamped, polished metal) actually appears to be thicker than it needs to be.

Dial design is challenging, for sure, and I’m simply being picky because I like the TOCKR brand and I want the best for it. The Skytrain is a successful watch, and I know it will make a lot of people happy with its comfortable case and easy-to-read dial. My criticisms are intended to help TOCKR tweak the product the next time around. I also feel that this watch could benefit from a matching steel metal bracelet. The watch actually comes with two straps that are pretty nice. My favorite is the rubber strap (which comes with two lengths for narrower and wider wrists). TOCKR smartly included quick-release spring bars that make swapping the straps without tools a breeze – another welcome feature, for sure. The TOCKR Skytrain watch started with a pre-order price of $950 USD, and the full price after delivery of the watch starts is $1,200 USD. See more at the TOCKR website here.