Review of the Towson Watch Company CR250 Field Series
Students at the Naval Academy, all of whom enter naval service upon graduation, are, and always have been referred to as, “midshipmen.”
- @lifewatchinlifedoin
Life is interesting as a retired military member in the watch enthusiast space, especially when it comes to military “inspired timepieces.” After many discussions with “T,” whom many of you know by now is still on Active Duty, we’ve discovered his experience is no different.
When it comes to any sort of tool/dive watch, if there is a “tactical” or military lean to the advertising, what one tends to see are the most tactical aspects of military life. Considering there are now six branches of service, it is safe to assume that there are fewer “tactical” people in the military than the civilian world is led to believe.
Where are the Space Force timepieces? I want one.
Jason-WatchRolling
Our forces are built mainly on the back of support services or, in our branch, the U.S. Navy, what I like to call “seafaring civil services.” That is not to say the work is not inherently dangerous. It is, especially out to sea. One can be drafting a memorandum at 0900 and fighting a fire to save their ship after lunch. While both are serious jobs, the chances of us being tactically outfitted while doing either is slim to none.
Seriously. No one is packing heat while underway.
Jason-WatchRolling
For every pilot, Navy SEAL, etc., you see in the media, know that there are many more personnel directly or indirectly supporting their missions in administrative, hotel services, or plant operation roles.
As such, the majority of the military receives very little “press” within the advertising of their own branches, so similarities in the watch industry are not surprising.
There are literally too many examples to list here. #WatchFam knows what I mean.
Jason-WatchRolling
It is essential that a watch brand captures the “essence” of the service they are drawing inspiration from if, in fact, you are going to use this connection as a launching pad to sell a timepiece.
Let’s not mince any words here either; all the marketing comes down to selling you, the consumer, a timepiece.
For those of us attached to the military, there’s nothing more annoying than seeing an advertisement for any product, and the haircuts and uniforms are all “out of regulations,” which means that the individual is not following guidelines established for personal appearance and uniform wear.
And to offer a glimpse behind the curtain, often in military communities, predatory businesses advertise to newer service members with less than accurate depictions of military life.
Payday loan businesses, car dealerships, etc., are the usual suspects when it comes to this. It makes my skin crawl.
Jason-WatchRolling
Brands need to get their “inspiration” right. Jargon, colors, design features; it all has to be spot on.
It is from this space that we begin the review of the CR250 Field Series, coined the “Recruit” and “Cadet” respectively.
“T wore The Cadet exclusively for the review while I wore The Recruit. For sake of brevity, I will drop my thoughts in quotations around T’s write-up.”
The CR250 is an eminently wearable timepiece. When I first tried it on, the most striking aspects included the comforting way that the supple strap hugged my wrist and the lightweight levity of the actual case itself. I felt keenly aware that I had a watch on, but never in a way that intruded on my thoughts or actions. Such a touch presented a welcome change from the hefty bulk of many of the dive watches that I usually gravitate toward.
The Cadet and Recruit both measure 10.4mm thick, 48.2mm lug-to-lug, and have a case diameter of 43.6mm with the crown. With a weight of 65g, both pieces are supremely wearable and feel durable. Of note, T’s wrist is 6 7/8” and mine is 7 1/2'“ and both models fit comfortably.
Jason-WatchRolling
While not typically a field watch kind of guy, I enjoyed some of the subtlety of the field-specific design. The rounded case shape harkens back to the days when field watches were just that - worn in the field of battle. Additionally, the details of the hands, the numerals, and the 24hr inner dial add nice touches without cluttering up the design.
Colorwise - the Cadet dial features an extremely dark navy blue. It looks almost black until in bright light. The dial pairs up nicely with the yellow Arabic numerals and sword-shaped hands. The Recruit follows suit but with a matte black dial. Both models are very legible.
Black and gold are the colors of West Point, while Blue and Gold are the U.S. Naval Academy colors. Keep this in mind as you keep reading.
Jason-WatchRolling
I found that the watch performed wonderfully in a variety of settings, but two places, in particular, made the piece truly shine.
First, as a frequent traveler, I fly on a dozen or more airplanes a month. Travel nearly always puts me into a state of fatigue, and I will often find myself seeking more and more comfort. Wrist fatigue, as funny as it first sounded to me, is a real thing in my traveling experience. This piece, with its comfortable strap and lightweight, really helped me overcome this issue. It was undoubtedly a go-to watch during travel.
The mountains provided another great space to experience this watch. My family and I like to get away to the Shenandoah mountains as often as possible. I have thoroughly enjoyed hiking and adventuring these past few weeks, and this watch became a solid part of the experience. The strap paired nicely with the waning fall foliage, and the whole piece just seemed to fit in during our morning hikes in the mountains.
Unfortunately, this watch does have an issue though.
U.S. Naval Academy History Lesson Incoming
U.S. Naval Academy History Lesson Incoming
The CR250 falls short in one major area - specifically, The Cadet model. According to the Towson Watch Company, they released the CR250 to honor and celebrate the military heritage of the Chesapeake Region. They remark that The Cadet’s navy blue and gold colors draw inspiration from the Navy’s Blue Angels. Several places on their website and other content note the Cadet as an ode to the Navy.
There is just one problem, however. No cadet ever went into the Navy.
Also, “Recruits” are enlisted personnel in boot camp and also E-1s on active duty. Some officers might have been enlisted prior to commissioning, but the majority of officer candidates in the Naval Academy were not. Example: I was a “Recruit” in Boot Camp and a “Fireman Recruit” when I got to my first ship.
Jason-WatchRolling
The Navy’s primary commissioning source is the Naval Academy which sits on the shores of the Severn River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, in Annapolis, MD. Our very own @lifewatchinlifedoin grew up in Annapolis, is a Naval Academy graduate, and he provides very keen insight here.
Students at the Naval Academy, all of whom enter naval service upon graduation, are and always have been referred to as “midshipmen.” Midshipman is a term with a long and storied history that harkens back to the days of sailing ships in the 17th century. Midshipmen of the day were the lowest ranking men onboard and so-called due to the fact that they usually worked in the deep, dark bowels of the ship.
As a retired Chief Petty Officer, I spent my career training and supporting officers, many from the United States Naval Academy. They are a proud bunch, and rightfully so. I’ll advise anyone reading to NEVER go to Annapolis and call a Midshipman a “Cadet.”
Jason-WatchRolling
Any visitor to Annapolis who mistakenly calls a midshipman a cadet is sure to meet a swift, albeit polite, rebuke. Annapolis is a Navy town, through and through, and midshipmen, all four thousand of them, are a frequent sight both on the campus of the Naval Academy and around town.
Cadets are from rival schools, including West Point (Army) and the Air Force Academy. Cadets and Midshipmen paradoxically consider each other storied rivals but also brothers and sisters in arms. It is a relationship hard to describe fully to civilians but is a fact nonetheless.
For those of you that do not know, the Air Force Academy split off from West Point post World War II. Hence both are coined “Cadets.”
Jason-WatchRolling
All this to say that the combination of navy colors and navy marketing, with a name like “Cadet,” seems very odd and out of touch. While the craftsmanship and quality of the actual watch are bar none, we feel that Towson Watch Co. missed the mark on a critical aspect with the misnamed Cadet model. It is hard to imagine that anyone who graduated from any of the military academies would ever wear such a piece. The former army cadet would be ridiculed for wearing Navy colors, while the former Midshipman would be harangued for wearing a piece that said “Cadet” on the dial.
“T” is not kidding, either. Pride in service is a serious thing. These titles are earned and not given.
Jason-WatchRolling
We are fans of Towson Watch Company, and we have enjoyed viewing and handling some of their wonderful pieces in the past. We hope that they will continue to produce outstanding watches in the future but that they will also take greater care in the naming conventions that they use.
I cannot help but echo T’s sentiments about the CR-250 Recruit and Cadet models from Towson Watch Company. They are excellent examples of American craftsmanship, but the level of attention to detail in naming conventions is lacking. Considering that those of us that serve or who have served have “attention to detail” drilled into us, we cannot let this go by unmentioned. You, our readers, deserve to get the most honest reviews we can provide.
I invite you to listen to Episode 32 of the WatchRolling.com podcast, where I discuss why watch brands need military consultants.
Jason-WatchRolling
“Towson Watch Company provided the CR-250 Cadet and Recruit for review. Towson Watch Company did not have any say in the review, and I maintained complete editorial control.”
