First British Watch Issued in 12 Years: Meet the Holton Professional
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- Introducing the Holton Professional: a military-grade watch designed for extreme conditions. Tested and approved by a specialist branch of the British military, it’s the first issued watch from a British brand in over 12 years. With water and dust resistance, shockproof durability, and a high-visibility bezel, it’s built for action. Whether you prefer quartz or automatic, I break down the pros and cons in this review.
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I've lived in New Zealand for the last 25 years.I purchased a second hand Canford over here and was very impressed with the watch. I had a problem when I went to change the battery, some ham fisted person had damaged the hex screws on the case back. Alex ( Brown ) was so helpful and sent over seals and new screws and would not accept payment, even for the postage. I visited family in the UK last year (2023) and made a point of popping in to their premises in Poole Dorset. I was very impressed with the staff, and met Alex.I was looking at one of these Holtons and bought a green one with a integrated green rubber strap. Really is a cracking watch. I cannot praise Alex and his staff enough, so welcoming, service second to non and a really tough, great looking timepiece. I am ex British army and this company give a really good discount for ex service personnel. The Canford and Holten get a lot of wrist time and lots of people comment on them. Very, very pleased.
Really appreciate you commenting all that and your opinion. I lived in New Zealand for a few years in the early 1990s when I was a kid.
Bremont and Christopher Ward should hire this company's logo designer. The E and B together forming a symmetrical shield is a work of genius. Nice watch too.
I've had my Holton for over 3 years now, still looks new, a brilliant watch and fantastic service from Elliot Brown.
Looks like a lovely watch. During my service CWC G10's were available but can't recall anyone signing one out. From the mid 80s onwards, the most popular watches seemed to be various models of Casio G-SHOCK's.
During my service all NCOs and crew commanders had issued G10s.
Of course the seconds hand not hitting the markers will bother people! Unacceptable!
A nice enough watch, but for the money I'd like to see a 10 year battery option.
Elliott Brown sounds like an Estate Agents
At least it does not sound like the name of a department store. Looking at you Christopher Ward.
Talking only about the Holton its more interesting to talk about special projects with SAS/SBS. Yeah it carries an NSN but so did the Nites after the CWCs. There is a lot of stuff which 'can' technically be issued.
They (EB) made the first Holton with some Poole input and never let anyone forget their shaky origin story. Early on there appeared a custom (not issued) Holton with SC (Submarine Canoeist) on the crown. There is also a custom SBSA (the SBS assoc) Holton floating around - you showed a Canford but the back is pretty much the same. After the SBS Holton surfaced the SAS squadrons each went in for special projects versions with some admittedly quite relevant design quirks specific to each squadron's version. There are plenty of other almost adjacent special projects too - Accuracy International, Counter Terror etc etc. Some for the Yanks etc. etc They spread out quickly.
In terms of use the base Holton is big and heavy, wear wise the CWC SBS diver is lower profile - it feels almost half the size and carries more of a legacy. Toughness wise the Holton bezel with heavy use or a few knocks can slip (to be fair like any other bezel) and then be bi-directional. Also the 2/3 year battery life is a bit short (CWC is more like 6 years).
As such, personally if it hits the fan, it would be the CWC for me. EB does ask you to return when the second hand starts skipping around (that's the low battery warning) and will be flooded with special projects right now in for battery replacements. It is a shame EB don't provide the tool for the back.
However, the EB is cheap, thought out, accessible and ordered quite extensively by UKSF in a personal capacity (special projects) and for that it should be given due credit.
Gosh you've done your homework!
We don't issue a driver for the caseback bolts as this will null and void your 5 year warranty if work isn't carried out by a professional. However should you want to do this, you can email our servicing team and they'll provide the driver size and any further details you need.
Great review, Sam. I have the CWC SBS diver and absolutely love it. I’ve been curious to learn more about Elliott Brown’s SBS version. Not much out there so this was great to see. Dare I call this the modern version of the classic CWC SBS? Really liking how low it sits on the wrist.
Seems fine. I'm interested to see how this sells outside of the military since military watch people seem kind of hung up on the idea of a military watch having some sort of heritage design.
excellent watches and looking forward to getting a Holton soon!
Hmmm, I don’t mind quartz at all however I do want them to hit the markers at this price point. Nice package though
It’s so often I see quartz being slightly off it doesn’t bother me any more. Even the UNIMATIC from a few weeks ago is slightly off. I honestly think it’s either the radius of the dial or that only the high volume mass produced watches can do it like Casio or Citizen.
I know, winds me right up though. For me I would always pay more for quality. So instead of dropping in a £15 R715, why not go for it a bit and get in something a bit more special? That’s just me though. I have 3 quartz analog watches and all hit their markers so if it was in my hand and I saw that I would walk away. Good to see that they may sell with an auto (where I would not be able to see the visual inaccuracy haha
Love this sort of tool. Thanks for showing!
You should get a hold of me mate, A Very Private Gentlemen, he's got extensive experience in the UK service. And he loves watches.
Oh cheers, I will look him up!
Great review. I’m about to add one to my collection, as it will sit well with my CWC SBS. Like the CWC, I’ll get the Holton Pro on a NATO strap, as I fear the rubber may make it a little too big for my 7.1” wrist. Awesome watch and I can’t wait to get one.
❤ the dramatic drop to the Lug Ends .
The Rubber Strap would be the choice for my 7 1/4” wrist .
Very Mission capable 😉
I've got the limited edition Holton whiteout, can't fault it apart from the date being very small,
How come you didn’t mention how small the rubber strap is? For some SBS blocks wearing a wetsuit it’s completely not fit for purpose. They need to start taking note of the feedback on their website reference strap length.
I honestly didn’t think it was short? I wore it for a while. Have a 7.2 inch wrist, so I think average?. They offer this on multiple strap options I believe.
@@CasualWatchReviews I have normal sized wrists. I can’t even get the second keeping onto the tail of the strap.
I’m not affiliated with Elliot Brown but if I chat to them again I will ask. I was just answering your question about why I didn’t mention it. I honestly didn’t notice it was short, you can see plenty of wrist shots in my upload.
Take this over a Bremont all-day-long. It's not just playing at being military.
No solar...difficult battery replacement every 3 years...lume instead of tritium...very small date window. No thank you. Go buy a G Shock.
Looks like a worthy successor to the CWC SBS.
Looks great to me, thanks for the review.
I’ve had a CWC G10 for 30 years and changed the battery three times. I bet your EB won’t last ten. I know for a fact that rubber strap won’t. Also most SBS squaddies don’t understand half the fussy markers. Oh and I served for 24 years so know what I’m talking about.
Appreciate your adding your experience in here Rob! That was my G10 in the upload but the battery does die fast? Maybe I’m using cheaper batteries. My friend Mykola at Man Cave Leather made that Bund strap for it. Really looks great.
I have this exact watch, love the watch but hate the strap! too short and much too thick for my liking. People with larger wrists may opt to change to a nato strap for more comfort.
Always love the concept of a nice watch box to take your watch on your travels,,,,,,,, here's a simple idea, why not just wear the watch on your wrist?😮
Thats said, let's now dive into the details,,,,, the second hand is lagging, slightly behind the indices,,,,, except those between 10 and 11.❤
There must be a CZcams video on ‘introductions to sarcasm’. I feel like you gave it your best shot there but certainly room for improvement.
@@CasualWatchReviews 🤣 Glad to see you didn't take my comments TOO seriously. 🙃
Love the watch. In the past, these gentleman brought us the wonderful “Animal” watches. I would love to see those make a comeback, with their Velcro straps.
Is that right Ray they were behind Animal?
Yep, good pedigree.
Is it really issued or a unit purchase? Not the same thing and getting a NATO stock number is not that difficult.
They say issued.
I'm terrible, I can't stand a quartz tick watch. Smooth sweep or automatic is a must. Oh God, help me. Nice watch tho!
SOG used Seiko 5.
The British military have been issuing watches for years! CWC, G shocks - never stopped!
I think they mean the first new British brand in 12 years. Citizen is issued to the Army but they are obviously Japanese
I moved the title round a bit
@@CasualWatchReviews I’d rather have Japanese than where these are made which is China, just because they are designed in the UK but made in China doesn’t make them British
Not splitting hairs here but most watches have parts made in china. Sapphire crystals and cases are made in China, even the larger brands. Unless your planning on buying a Roger Smith watch your not going to get a watch thats completely manufactured in the UK.
Yes only the quartz one is issued
Great looking watch. BUT I have a rule. Never wear anything with another man's name on.
Some of the best watches I have reviewed recently would be out then! Does that go for clothing also? So spandex good… Hugo boss bad?
@@CasualWatchReviews I don't have any spandex.. yet. More like this. czcams.com/video/LXIgLbC0eM4/video.htmlsi=pdKfAZ2_paJSxQYB
Nato stock number.. broadarrow.. marketing hype.
An ugly watch, for civilians
It's just overpriced