The last year has taught the world many tough lessons…one of which is the importance of supporting local businesses through this turbulent time. When you think of the Canadian watchmaking industry there aren’t many household names that come to mind. Our friends over at Whitby Watch Co. are trying to change that by creating watches with deep ties to its beautiful home of Canada.
The Ambassador is Whitby Watch Co.’s third entrant to their collection and first to feature a GMT complication, today we get our hands on with it.
We are looking at 5 criteria that should provide a comprehensive overview of the watch and aid anyone who is considering adding it to their collection. Use our quick links below to help navigate;
History of Ambassador Seafarer
Being such a young watch and brand, Whitby Watch Co. and the Ambassador do not have the standard deep rooted history behind it that the watch community loves so dearly. Instead, the Ambassador chooses to rely on the country of its origin to gain its inspiration and identity.
The Ambassador was created as nod to Canada’s global presence by way of its travelers exploring the ends of the earth, all the way to its diplomats representing in foreign countries. The idea is that wherever you are in the world, regardless of the time zone you are taking a little piece of Canada with you. Whether you are using the Ambassador to track the time zone back home in Toronto or glancing down at the 6 o’clock to see the Maple Leaf on the dial, you will be reminded of home.
It’s refreshing having new players enter the otherwise stuffy watch game!
Case & Bracelet
The Ambassador has a simple case design constructed of brushed 316L stainless steel with an option for a stealthy black PVD coated variant, if that’s your sort of thing. It measures in at 42mm in diameter, 49.9mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 12mm giving the Ambassador a larger presence on the wrist. Its size isn’t anything crazy but depending on your wrist size it is definitely something to take into account. Through daily wear this watch would be a fit for anyone with a wrist size greater than 6.25 inches in circumference.
The crown is large enough to maneuver comfortably and can be easily operated by pulling it out to adjust the quick-set date or time. It would have been nice for the Ambassador feature a screw down to make the watch a little bit more rugged. This said, it’s not a huge issue as the watch is rated for a useful 100m of water resistance and there is nothing that leads us to believe it would let you down.
Between the 22mm lugs there is a textured silicon sports strap that features a secure 2 pronged Whitby Watch Co. branded pin buckle for some extra security on wrist.
Flipping the case over reveals a unique closed case-back that pays tribute the country Whitby Watch Co. calls home. The text reads both “Northern Time Standard” and “Designed in Canada” with the star of the show being the crest of the Arms of Canada (Royal Coat of Arms) in the center of the case back. This is one of those details that makes the Ambassador such a cool piece.
Dial
To us the dial is where the Ambassador shines. The layout is simple and perfectly balanced combining functionality and legibility with ease. All of the Ambassador models feature a clean matte dial and a date window at 3 with exception of the Aurora which utilizes a unique green gradient pattern.
The 24 hour scale is neatly tucked away on the outer chapter ring, freeing the dial of unnecessary clutter. To the common eye the chapter ring appears a second’s scale, however, to the wearer it acts as means to track a second time zone. Stepping in closer to the center of the dial, the Ambassador utilizes alternating numeral and stick hour markers highlighted by a glorious Maple Leaf at the 6 o’clock. Depending on the model of Ambassador you’re looking at, the color of the indices and use of lume will vary – do rest assured, they all look great.
Moving to the Ambassador’s handset, we see large sword style hour and minute hands, a thin white seconds hand and white arrow GMT hand accented with a red tip. The hands match the field watch aesthetic of Ambassador offering a stark contrast to the matte dial along with a healthy amount of lume, so much so that the entire GMT will glow!
The dial can be seen through an anti-reflective coated domed sapphire crystal that gives the watch a little extra character.
Movement
The Ambassador is powered by a Quartz Ronda Powertech Calibre 515H and features both a date and GMT function. This is a reliable caliber that has an estimated battery life of 45 months giving a nice ”set it and forget it” feeling right out of the box.
While it would have been nice to see an automatic movement power the Ambassador, it makes sense why Whitby Watch Co. decided to go the quartz route. At the sub $300 price point you’d would be hard pressed to find anything other than quartz. We would absolutely love to see an automatic Ambassador in the future.
Wearability
It’s hard not to like the versatility of this watch – rugged enough for an adventure through its stainless steel case and 100m of water resistance, yet subtle enough to slide under a cuff in a pinch, with an understated design. Through daily wear the Ambassador is at home being either a casual daily wearer or as a perfect set it and forget it travel watch due to its GMT feature.
With the Ambassador case size it just fits a 6.25inch wrist, we are not typically fans of watches above 40mm but the Ambassador’s simple and clean case gives it the ability to work on a smaller wrist which is a pleasant surprise.
Its stock 22m rubber strap is comfortable and matches the watch quite well, giving it the ability to tag along on any adventure. This wouldn’t be a proper review without noting that its lug-width is a fairly popular size making the strap possibilities endless. We see the Ambassador looking quite handsome on a nice leather, NATO or Milanese bracelet depending on the setting.
Verdict
For Whitby Watch Co’s first foray into a GMT complication they have done an admiral job. The Ambassador is a simple and sporty watch that does an amazing job at paying tribute to the beautiful country it was designed in. For the price it is a pretty compelling package with a unique set of features that could work as a daily wearer or strictly as a travel watch. For the reasons above we give the Ambassador a grade of 3 coastlines out of 3 – that’s pretty good eh?
Case: 42mm