However much we may cherish and revere the artisanship and intricacies of a beautiful mechanical watch, there are some situations for which they simply aren’t suitable. For Law Enforcement, SWAT, Tactical, Military, Special Forces, Firefighters, and First Responders, every second counts, as does reliability and dependability, and that’s why you’ll see folks in these roles with durable quartz timepieces strapped on. ProTek creates no-nonsense quartz timepieces for these professionals, designed to be all-terrain watches that withstand the rigors of the active, demanding lifestyles of the people who serve. The brand may have just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign for its Series 1000 carbon fiber dive watches, but that isn’t going to stop it from launching the Series 2000. The ProTek Series 2000 dive watches build off the Series 1000, with the same driving principles and a more refined and more robust stainless steel case that’s ready for anything.

It’s uncommon to see a new brand launch its first two models in such rapid succession (with a third coming), but ProTek isn’t a neophyte upstart. At the helm is Barry Cohen, who you may know from Luminox, the brand that supplied the Navy SEALS. Cohen spent 27 years at Luminox, a brand he founded and owned, but recently departed to pursue work full-time at his other watch company, Time Concepts, the parent of ProTek and several other watch brands. At Luminox, Cohen helped jumpstart the tactical watch category with near-indestructible watches known for their self-powered tritium lume. It’s that same commitment to durability and practicality that drove Cohen to create ProTek, but with the aim to up the game with higher quality and better features, such that he now refers to ProTek as a no-excuses, no-compromises brand. In fact, following a thorough assessment of their durability, accuracy, and quality, ProTek watches were named an Official Watch of the United States Marine Corps.

While the accuracy, durability, quality, and superior ProGlo™ illumination provided by the tritium tubes makes the watches ideal timepieces to serve Marines in the line of duty and in their daily lives, they are also excellent timepieces for anyone leading an active lifestyle. Cohen has intentionally designed these watches with specs that can support those who serve with styling that can appeal to everyone. The Series 2000 watches are available with a black, blue, white, or gray dial, including a black dial in a gunmetal case, and are affixed to 22mm waterproof leather straps with signed buckles. The treated leather begins life soft and pliable and only gets softer with wear, but unlike conventional leather that gets brittle and cracks after water immersion, these get softer, mold to one’s wrist, and will not crack. This breadth of options gives the Series 2000 dive watches an aesthetic that can make the transition from the field to the office to dinner, and even to formal engagements.

The case of the ProTek Series 2000 is 42mm in diameter and is made of solid 316L surgical grade stainless steel. (On the gunmetal version, the stainless steel is ion-plated to create the durable dark gray coating.) The case is a mix of satin brushed surfaces with some matt finish sandblasted areas to add visual interest while reinforcing and enhancing its robust feeling. The finishing is crisp, as are the transitions between the numerous facets. The generously curved lugs ensure a great fit on the wrist, while the tight 120-click unidirectional bezel features black-filled numbers for timing, minute hashes, 6 elevated portions providing excellent grip, and a tritium pip at 12 o’clock for low-light timing. A screw-down caseback and a screw-down crown — both of which feature an embossed ProTek logo — ensure 200m of water resistance, enough to handle almost any adventure. Hiding underneath the caseback and powering the Series 2000 watches is the Miyota 2S60 movement, a robust quartz movement with an all-metal body and a 10-year battery life that’s accurate to -/+ 20 seconds per month. “Using a 10-year battery movement just seems to make good sense, so the case need not be opened regularly for battery changes to help ensure ongoing water resistance,” said Cohen.

Under a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a captivating metallic dial with striped embossing displays the time with perfect clarity. Prominent hands are well-proportioned and fitted with tritium tubes; shorter tubes set into the sloped chapter ring mark the hours. Unlike traditional luminescent material, which requires light to charge, tritium tubes glow constantly, and will do so for 25 years. That means you’ll never have to worry about reading the watch, whether in the field, out for a night on the town, or timing the air remaining in your tank on a night dive. Complementing the tritium tubes are applied polished Arabic numerals. The outlined date window is positioned at 3 o’clock along the circle of the 24-hour track which allows for reading military time. Rounding out the dial is an applied logo at 12 o’clock and the brand name and water resistance above the 6.

ProTek’s name tells you a lot about the brand: “Pro” represents the professionals for whom the watches are made, and “Tek” refers to the unparalleled ProGlo tritium illumination technology used. The ProTek Series 2000 dive watches embody the brand name and take a no-holds-barred approach to watch design: everything is engineered to maximize durability and legibility, with professionals who serve in mind. The ProTek Series 2000 dive watches continue what the Series 1000 started, providing an undeniably tough watch for those with the most challenging jobs. Cohen explains it like this: “We recognize that different consumers have different preferences, and many will enjoy our Carbon Composite Case Dive watches for their light weight and look, but for some a dive watch should be made of steel. Hence, the addition of this series to the ProTek Collection.”

The ProTek Series 2000 dive watches will retail for $550 (with the gun metal option priced slightly higher at $595), but the watches are now live on Kickstarter and priced at only $395 and come with a variety of ProTek swag. You can learn more about the ProTek Series 2000 and purchase one from the Kickstarter campaign and you check out a quick promo video of the watches here. If you want to learn more about the brand and explore its full range, you can visit ProTek’s website.

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