Vero Workhorse Forest Service Edition Review
A new offbeat outdoor watch from the outdoors capitol in Portland. Okay, Bend is probably more the capitol, but… Anyhow, just released end of last week.
Size and such are often tedious filler in reviews but: 39mm diameter, barely-longer 42.5mm lug-to-lug means thick straps are a no-no, 12.5mm thick, 18mm strap width. The watch charmingly uses Seiko’s old kinetic movement that has been rebranded Epson it seems. This is the “Hotshot” edition — the Forest Service Hotshots are elite wildlands firefighters that get sent all over the country and even all over the world. I worked for the Forest Service in the 90’s and the Hotshots are the most badass people I have met, and I know Navy SEALs.
First off, as far as review goes, it’s very nice looking. Very much so. Eye-catching in fact.
I like that the cerakote on this is a bit translucent, so you get a hint of the bare metal underneath; that makes the watch feel more like “equipment” than a luxury or leisure good. I doubt that’s why they did it though, more likely this is aimed at reducing costs.
The watch is a good flexible size and feels rather rugged, though Cerakote is sometimes less durable than PVD for example; that might in fact make it age interestingly, however. It tells time and feels and looks good on the wrist.
The strap is much nicer than I expected and feels well made. I like “hook and loop” fastening for this sort of watch a lot, too. And the passthrough strap doesn’t make it feel too thick, and I suspect this is because the quartz movement is light enough to not become top-heavy from the shift of the watch’s center of gravity.
The minutes indices are little dimples on the edge of the dial and they basically are impossible to see with the naked eye. In fact, it took me inspecting my own photos and those on the Vero site to realize this wasn’t some sort of puckering at the join with the inner bezel. These dimples are easy to see on the Vero site and I suspect this is therefore a known issue they neglected to correct.
The protective bullhorns are the same color as the case, and I applaud the skill with which the matching was done as the bullhorns are ever so slightly a different shade and probably are not Cerakoted, I’d imagine. A contrast color would really add to the watch personally, but the color matching is well done.
The inner bezel is rather loose and therefore is nearly impossible to adjust precisely or to stay in place when screwing down the crown. In addition, the lack of minutes indices on both bezel and crown makes it less than useful for anything that actually needs precision.
To me, this is a bit more of a “forest-service-roleplaying” watch than actual outdoor equipment. But for $450 is it reasonable to expect “equipment”? Is there a line between “outdoor-ready” and “outdoorsy” and where is that line? Am I reviewing the watch or the watch I wish it were? Is that fair at all? I genuinely like the watch, so why squint at things that aren’t there? Will anyone needing actual field equipment wear anything other than a big ol’ GShock? I own plenty of dive watches that are both “diver role-playing watches” and largely useless when compared to a dive computer. Plus I am not a diver. I’m literally afraid of open water, lol.
I think marking the “rehaut” of the inner bezel with minute indices and tightening the inner bezel mechanism both would multiply the value of the watch. Everything else is quibblish.
In the end I feel it’s worth what I paid for it and 100% I am wearing this camping and for anything outdoorsy. It doesn’t feel like i basically “stole” it at the price because of the value like a Nodus, but Nodus leaps to mind because microbrands like Nodus and Lorier are notable for that very thing and are not the norm.
I remain a happy repeat Vero customer.
Vero Workhorse Forest Service Edition Review
Yes
No
- Great appearance
- Seems rugged
- Great stock strap and I am a strap snob
- Lack of readily-visible minutes indices
- Inner bezel too loose
- A vague sense of cost-cutting
I need to buy fewer watches so I can afford to buy more watches. The four rules of Watch Collecting, stolen from @JaeBust: 1. I can resist anything except temptation. 2. It is easier to beg forg...
Very interesting I didn’t knkw that brand.
Kinetic = Dealbreaker for me.
Kinetic = Dealbreaker for me.
Why’s that out of curiosity? To me it’s just the same thing as automatic mechanical.
Why’s that out of curiosity? To me it’s just the same thing as automatic mechanical.
Not at all like an automatic. Especially if you have a larger collection and wear different watches just about every day. Once run down a kinetic is a royal PITA to get back up to full power. Watchwinders do not work and I'm not even sure if Seiko still makes it's kinetic charger.
I would definitely be feeling like David Hasselhoff with those baywatch colors. 😂
Not at all like an automatic. Especially if you have a larger collection and wear different watches just about every day. Once run down a kinetic is a royal PITA to get back up to full power. Watchwinders do not work and I'm not even sure if Seiko still makes it's kinetic charger.
I’m not clear on why it takes so long to get back up to power, but i’ve not used one before so this is the first. Just a matter of efficiency?
I have one Seiko kinetic that I wore as a work watch and haven't worn it since I retired 7 years ago. I'm sure others have their own opinions, but I'm not a fan of shaking it about a million times to power it back up.
I have one Seiko kinetic that I wore as a work watch and haven't worn it since I retired 7 years ago. I'm sure others have their own opinions, but I'm not a fan of shaking it about a million times to power it back up.
I can appreciate that. i’ve recent added a vintage automatic so I do know the issue. I’ll have to eee how this goes! Thanks for the perspective!
I would definitely be feeling like David Hasselhoff with those baywatch colors. 😂
I once lost my favorite watch in the wood, I assume a failed spring bar. So I do appreciate visibility in the field.
This series of watches they make aren't really my style, but I do like a few of their other models.
I was pretty tempted to get the Smokey 44, but I like their open water series the most. I live in Oregon, and have done wildland firefighting too.
Great review! I was looking at this last week because Vero is from my town.
I loved the style and proportions and the use of a kinetic quartz movement. It is an attractive package that is indeed reminiscent of "forest service roleplay" as you perfectly put it. But the practical use seemed underwhelming for the price. Especially after hearing abut the issues you noticed with legibility and bezel function. And yeah, I do expect a tool for this money because I can get more for less from another brand.
Basically, it seems like an aesthetic bit of quirky, NW hipster chic, but a bit half-baked without enough substance for the price. Which honestly, is pretty much on-brand for Portland. So in that sense... I guess they succeeded by capturing PDX in watch form. 😂
It is fun, fresh, and funky though, and it sounds like it's going to be an excellent companion for you in your outdoor leisure adventures!
I'll be keeping an eye on Vero in the future for sure.
This series of watches they make aren't really my style, but I do like a few of their other models.
I was pretty tempted to get the Smokey 44, but I like their open water series the most. I live in Oregon, and have done wildland firefighting too.
The Open Water are fantastic. I have the Smokey ‘64 and love it, too. A brown field watch is such a natural idea yet they are exceedingly rare.
Great review! I was looking at this last week because Vero is from my town.
I loved the style and proportions and the use of a kinetic quartz movement. It is an attractive package that is indeed reminiscent of "forest service roleplay" as you perfectly put it. But the practical use seemed underwhelming for the price. Especially after hearing abut the issues you noticed with legibility and bezel function. And yeah, I do expect a tool for this money because I can get more for less from another brand.
Basically, it seems like an aesthetic bit of quirky, NW hipster chic, but a bit half-baked without enough substance for the price. Which honestly, is pretty much on-brand for Portland. So in that sense... I guess they succeeded by capturing PDX in watch form. 😂
It is fun, fresh, and funky though, and it sounds like it's going to be an excellent companion for you in your outdoor leisure adventures!
I'll be keeping an eye on Vero in the future for sure.
That’s all a fair perspective.
To me, I guess, I feel that pragmatically any watch above the $50 “Bill Gates” Casio is not “pragmatic” nor do they justify their price relative to the overall technology in an era like ours. Not only do I carry history’s most accurate personal “time-representing-device” (the time is “kept” elsewhere) in my pocket (or hand) at all times, I even make a living writing software for smartphones. By way of analogy, we essentially are discussing the relative value of a $1350 Cathode Ray Tube 20” television when we can get a far superior 40” LCD television for $150 (proportionally-speaking: $50:$450 is 1:9 so $150:$1350). All while ogling nicer-looking boxes housing CRTs others enthusiastically pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for. These are, in the end, luxury goods and their values are hard to genuinely establish relative to one another in a way that is logical.
An NH35 watch isn’t worth, say, $750 (nor even really the sort-of-standardized $600 tier that microbrands are settling into) — until, that is, I’m willing to pay that much because I want the watch. And my $750 NH35 watch isn’t your $750 NH35 watch, in fact you might not even have one you’d be willing to pay that for. People say the NH35 isn’t accurate because its specification is -20 to +40 seconds per day, but basically most of mine run about -5 to +10 which is damn near COSC.
For me, this watch is nice-enough looking and seems rugged enough to justify the price. I can tell the time with it, better even than my beloved $900 (750€) Unimatic that very beautifully lacks indices.
None of this is to say that my perspective is “right,” nor that yours is “wrong,” just that they are different. We collectively decide the general value of things and pore over the latest blog post that people make money to write convincing us that this year’s $75,000 Patek with a slightly different handset is better than last year’s $70,000 Patek. 🤷🏻♂️ I’m not saying the watches aren’t worth the money, I just think they aren’t worth the money to everyone. Well, personally, I’m saying Patek aren’t worth the money, but on the other hand a Lange & Söhne is worth every damn penny — in my eyes.
So for me, relatively speaking, this watch is worth the $450 even tho my recently-acquired $300 titanium Boldr field watch might do the “job” better, because it makes more “interesting” choices. Hell, my $150 Glycine quartz watch is even better than the Boldr, as it has a timing bezel and is even more accurate.
Anyhow, 3AM ruminations. I totally see your points and they are good bones. Nevertheless I still am personally looking forward to putting this watch back on in the morning.
Thanks for the review!
#vero