Stirling Durrant
"Black"
Stirling Timepieces Mission Statement
“Designed, developed and created for the modern-day warrior.”
Stirling Timepieces history –Stirling Timepieces is the creation of a British Army soldier, owned and operated alongside day-to-day regimental duties. With over 10 years of service in the infantry, the frustration with modern digital watches sparked the idea of creating an affordable analogue watch tailored to the modern-day war fighter.
Today’s society has grown particularly fond of smart watches, naturally as there is a transition between generations these digital watches creep into the military on the wrists of the latest recruits. Suddenly you’re deployed in the field, where you have no access to charge them, next thing you know you are in an office stood to attention on the receiving end of a one-way conversation – all due to your smartwatch running out of power. Stirling’s vision is dedicated to delivering a watch fit for the modern-day soldier, capable no matter the conditions whether in Norway on cold weather training or carrying out jungle training in extreme heat and humidity in Brunei. All whilst maintaining the highest possible quality but remaining affordable on a soldier’s salary.
Charity – It must be mentioned and we at the SBWC commend Stirling for doing this, apart from creating watches they believe it’s their duty to help and contribute to the ongoing battle of supporting and raising awareness for post-traumatic stress injuries – something very close to their hearts. To support the battle against PTSD they donate 10% of profit from each sale back into military charities to help those who still fight an invisible battle.
Arrival Day
Packaged in a Stirling branded outer delivery box you instantly sense that you are receiving a watch from a professional outfit. Inside you find a Stirling branded “Peli Case”, we mentioned it in a previous article, there’s something very satisfying with a watch that comes in a sturdy case like this one. When Stirling’s DNA has stemmed from a military environment it is very fitting to have such a hard-wearing case to be the Durrant’s close protection. On opening of the case, you find the Stirling Timepieces branding lasered into the foam on the upper part and cut outs for the watch itself, spare strap, and the warranty card. Like a soldier’s kit everything has its place, and this is no exception. The package gives off a covert operational aura and ties perfectly with Stirling's marketing.
The Watch
The Stirling Durrant – the stealth blacked out design was inspired by the WW2 Commando raids that happened behind enemy lines under the cover of darkness. The watch comes with a blacked out ceramic dive bezel which is a nod to the aquatic and night operations which were conducted. Stirling wanted to design a watch that paid tribute to the daring actions of those that went before us.
Case – 42mm and made of 316L stainless steel and DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) coated to provide further scratch resistance and prevent oxidation during harsh temperatures. Benefitting from a screw down crown at the 4 ‘o’ clock position and 200m WR, this watch fulfills the requirements of a WW2 Commando. The case back features the Stirling Timepiece brand alongside a unique serial number. On the wrist the case has a robust feeling and provides a level of confidence that if knocked you would be unphased. Lug to lug width of 22mm allows for a wide range of strap choice, if the standard options don’t suit your taste or needs.
Straps – 22mm is the standard for the Durrant. Paired with a soft rubber strap on delivery it requires no bedding in at all, but if the rubber isn’t your thing, then Stirling kindly supply a black NATO style fabric strap for that utility look. If a bracelet is a must, you can purchase a DLC coated bracelet to match for an extra fee.
Dial – Stealthy is the only word to describe it. A smooth matte black dial with only 3 lines of silver text, one being the name “Stirling”. Swiss Super-Luminova fills the classic sword handset and the polished edge indices. Do not expect this to light up at night though, as it has been purposely manufactured to have minimal luminous powder to maintain that blackout look. A small feature which I believe can make or break a dial is the date wheel, colour matched or traditionally a white wheel with black text can ruin the aesthetics of a watch. In this case Stirling nailed it by maintaining a cleaner look, utilizing white numbers on a black background. The only pop of colour in sight is from the red tipped second hand which really stands out and allows you to track H-Hour with precision.
Bezel – For a watch that costs £425 ($550) the bezel is normally a tell-tale of a watches cost. However, this bezel has a real quality to it. A positive audible click in a firm but smooth movement as it rotates, bravo Stirling! Uni-directional, count-up bezel with a ceramic insert this bezel is punching above its weight! I have referred to Tudor in the past as a benchmark for bezel feel, the Stirling Durrant isn’t far off at all.
Movement – Powered by a NH35, this movement is going to provide you reliability in the field that this watch commands. Whereas the smart watches we briefly discussed earlier in this review will land you in deep water when the battery gives up, the NH35 movement being automatic will keep on going and if you do take it off you have 42 hr's of power reserve. No more one-way conversations about timings necessary.
Conclusion
There are a lot of military inspired watches available on today’s market. I can’t imagine many will go through the same testing that Stirling does with their entire range. After all, they are designed by an infantry soldier and tested through all scenarios. Stirling has a range of watches depending on your needs (field, GMT, diver etc) . Of the watches I’ve seen I don’t think you will find another watch at that price point that will offer the quality Stirling provides, with the added bonus that every purchase supports military charities.
Thank you to Stirling for sending us the Durrant to review and for providing the epic images as well.
Go check their website www.stirlingtimepieces.com or IG @stirlingtimepieces.
As always,
Stay Sketchy.
-Watch & Country.