Lōcī Watches: A Real Watch Trip!
Before starting this week’s “Watch-icle,” I want to take a moment to thank the subject of the piece, Trip Henderson. Trip is the Founder of Lōcī Watches and was willing to take a chance on me and allowed me to review his watch. I know that may sound fairly insignificant to most, but that means taking a watch that could be sold or reviewed by a large publication and diverting it to my hands.
I want to call this out because everyone has to start somewhere in their watch journalism journey. My start has been through growing my social media presence on social media and then taking to longer form articles, here on Substack. I have the freedom to write about anything and give myself deadlines to help keep everything moving in the right direction. I’ve wanted to prove to myself and others that I can participate in a larger conversation about watches and the industry and this allows me to create a portfolio.
A critical step in any publication about watches is to do reviews of pieces. In this case Trip provided his watch to me to do just that. He didn’t have to. He could have sent it to any other number of publications before me or instead of me for that matter. For this I’m eternally thankful to him and to Lōcī for taking a chance on me.
I’ll also add that I’m under no obligation to then write a positive piece simply because of this. I do like to stay positive in my writing and this piece is no different. So without further explanations I’ll jump into the main show and discuss the beautiful watch that I was fortunate to get to review. - Thanks, Trip! I appreciate you!
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I don’t know about you, but I feel like we are going through a bit of a renaissance period when it comes to the amazing availability of boutique watch brands. Some of these independent brands are developing miniature artworks that really make it hard to choose favorites.
One of the things that newer brands have going against them is a lack of heritage. Brands have to establish their story in other ways. They have to stand out by adding unique design language or by attempting to innovate in a way that can force them into price points with competitors with near-bottomless budgets.
Lōcī (https://www.lociwatch.com/) has managed to create a piece that stands out in its design language, has strong stories that accompany each watch, and has the added benefit of helping save the planet with each piece sold. This trifecta of brand development is a huge part of what makes Lōcī a standout among its peers.
It’s easy to imagine naming your kid Trip and having him turn out to be an adventurer. Sometimes people live up to their aspirational names. And while it wasn’t inevitable that he would start his own watch brand, perhaps it was inevitable that the inspiration for that brand would derive from his affinity for meaningful places and his journey through life.
Journeying didn’t become part of his life until he joined the military. His appreciation for “place” was sparked as he stood on the deck of the USS Moinester, staring silently at the stars of the Milky Way one evening, taking in the beauty of the vast empty sea in the darkness.
Trip went on to a career path beyond the military that allowed him to be even more of a world bounder. In the tech world in the early 00s, he spent time in Hong Kong and various parts of Europe. His appreciation for destination, history, and culture expanded, and the excitement was still growing inside him.
After almost 20 years in tech and media, Trip was still looking to be a more global citizen and to find a renewed sense of purpose in his career. He joined up with Team Rubicon, a veteran-founded nonprofit that provides disaster relief and humanitarian aid services. The connection to other military veterans motivated to give back gave the organization and volunteers a strong sense of community and a unique ability to serve in places impacted by disasters. And who better to quickly form teams and execute plans than former military members with the world’s best training, repurposed for new humanitarian missions?
This experience also broadened Trip’s worldview. Rather than visiting monuments, museums, and tourist attractions, his purpose for world travel expanded to a mission-driven purpose. Working in the aftermath of disaster events and seeing people come together for recovery efforts further deepened his connection to places and communities. This connection to humanity comes out in the watches that Trip and Lōcī later produce.
Making a positive impact on the environment is something that few companies intentionally make part of their core mission. Trip has pledged 10% of each watch sold by Lōcī goes back to a small group of top-rated nonprofits that strive to protect the places that inspire Lōcī’s watch designs. That’s extremely admirable in a world that has experienced struggling economies and inflation rates that leave most tightening belts rather than enticing more spending on luxuries.
With the variety of companies out there, Lōcī has developed a brand that contributes to positive stewardship of the world we live in. That’s a great step in developing an incredible story. To add to that story, the initial line of watches is called the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and comes with three colorways: Monterey Bay, Big Sur, and Surfrider Beach.
Lōcī’s PCH is a contemporary sports watch available in three dial designs, each representing a unique aspect of the coastline: the beaches, the Pacific Ocean, and the highway itself. These watches feature either Swiss automatic or quartz movements, sapphire crystals, and 100-meter water resistance. Each piece is meticulously designed, assembled, and individually tested in the USA.
Pacific Coast Highway Stats:
Automatic: $995
Quartz: $645
Movement: Sellita SW200-1 Swiss-made, 26 jewels, automatic winding; or Ronda 715 Swiss-made quartz, 5 jewels
Dimensions: Diameter 39.5mm x Total Height 10.8mm x Lug-to-Lug 48mm
Water Resistance: 100 meters (screw-down crown)
Case: 316L stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Strap: Custom-designed, fitted FKM rubber strap; 20mm lug width (tapers to 18mm at buckle)
Lume: Swiss X1 Grade Super-LumiNova
Caseback Artwork: by Christian Schulz
Packaging: Minimalistic, 100% recyclable
Build: Fully assembled, inspected, and individually pressure-tested in the USA
So pricing is great, and the colorways look great with the dial artwork. What else makes this watch something that is definitely worth further exploration? The case shape is really great! It has a hint of Vacheron 222 or even an Overseas in the case shape. With the rubber strap, you get the integrated bracelet vibes, but you can just as easily throw on any 20mm fabric strap or even a tropical rubber strap, and the watch still looks like it’s meant to have that strap on there. That flexibility is important for many in the watch enthusiasm world so that you can have the piece you want for the situation you want. Variety is always a nice touch, and this watch gives you options! The geometry of the case really isn’t like most other watches that you’ll see on the market, and again, I like that about this PCH.
Also, the case has a great mix of brushed and polished surfaces. I always like the use of multiple textures in watch case design. It just feels like more attention was paid to the critical details. If a watch is lazily assembled and little thought put into it, I just don’t want to give them the investment of my dollars. However, this watch is not some quickly thrown together money grab. Trip and his team put a lot of thought into making the piece stand out and have a look and feel that you keep staring down at as you go throughout your day.
Drilled lugs are another small detail that makes me happy with the minutiae of important aspects that were well covered with the design work. The little details with the logo popping up in unexpected places, like on the rubber strap. The details of the shield show up here as well. I’m a sucker for those shields in logos. The logo also shows up on the crown, the second hand, and the buckle, just to ensure you remember this Lōcī is going places!
I’ve spent a lot of time in California. Living in Washington State, it’s been an easy enough state for me to explore. The use of places I’m familiar with and think are absolutely beautiful and should be kept pristine also helps create a connection for me to the story that Lōcī is telling with their new line. I’m not sure if it’s because of my affinity for these specific places or simply that I aspire to travel more in my life, but I know as a watch enthusiast that wherever I go, I want to travel with a timepiece that is collecting the experience of life along with me. Experiencing life along with us is what brings these little pieces of art to life. It’s what helps make them more than a bunch of gears, metal, and glass. There’s something very romantic about the shared experiences that well-worn watches bring with them. This is one of those pieces that can truly share your journey.
Thanks for reading this week! Please like and subscribe!
-Adam
