Protek Aggressor
Contents
- Protek Aggressor
- Specifications
- So, story time here: I love G-Shock watches. You may be thinking, what does that have to do with this Protek Aggressor? Well, G-Shocks, for the most part, are larger watches, and still to this day make 43mm to 52mm watches, both digital and ani-digi. I have been wearing them for probably 30 years now, and I just have always loved them. They are tough and fun watches that you can throw almost anything at.
- This Protek is similar in a lot of ways, as it is a large watch, but it has the carbon composite case, so it’s just as lightweight as a large G-Shock- okay, maybe not exactly as lightweight, as this does feel a little more solid than most of my G’s, but it’s only 82 grams, which really is nothing for a watch this size.
- So why did Barry Cohen leave Luminox and eventually start Protek? Well, he did not do it immediately, as under the Time Concepts umbrella he had started, there are brands such as Szanto and CT Scudiera, brands that both have been reviewed on this site over the years. But Barry loved tactical watches and tritium tubes, as that’s the reason he started Luminox to begin with. As far as why he left? Well, he just wasn’t happy with the direction of the company, and Protek allows him to build very similar watches, but now in designs he wants to do, and it does not need to be run by a board first.
- And as I said, this Protek Aggressor is the largest model currently from the brand, with other models being in the 40 and 42mm range. This case is also used in another model as well, the USMC Carbon dive, where essentially it’s the same watch but the dials are different, with camo dials and a special embossed USMC case back. This case back is stainless steel with a hexagram, and the Protek logo in the middle.
- This case is pretty cool as well, with a unique angled design, large crown guards and a 9 o’clock bumper, and an aggressive-looking bezel with rider tabs. While not even remotely a copy, the case does somewhat remind me of a few Linde Werdelin models, and though Protek was not the first to use a carbon composite or forged carbon case, I do like how they implemented it here.
- The crown is massive, and the actual crown is stainless steel, with a DLC top, but for extra grip, there is a blue polymer ring that matches the color of the dial. Crown action is very smooth and screws down precisely, at least on this example.
- The bezel is interesting. It’s only 60 clicks, but it is unidirectional and relatively easy to turn, especially if you grab hold of those rider tabs, and the pip does have a tritium tube as well. The numbers are part of the mold, though, and I wish they could have figured out a way to color and seal them, as they are completely lost in the dark.
- The dial of the Protek Aggressor is quirky, with a stamped trapezoid design all over, and I may have missed why they went this route or the reasoning beyond it, instead of just a basic matte dial as an example, but I don’t hate it, and I guess it adds a bit of whimsy to this tactical watch. And so does the dial color, which I have been calling cyan blue. It is a bright color and definitely not subtle, and if you get the optional matching color strap, it’s even less subtle. And if blue is not your color, they do make a regular old black dial, as well as a bright yellow and orange.
- Beyond the dial stamping, the rest of the dial is fairly simple. The logo and model name, along with the water resistance, are simply painted on with a stencil in black paint, and around the chapter ring is painted in black as well. I guess they figured black hands would be hard to see on a black dial, and only wanted to make one set of hands, so all 4 dial colors have these frosted silver hour, minute, and second hands, and there’s no issue telling time at all, but I do wonder how it would look with black hands.
- And we can’t forget about the Tritium tubes. Unlike Luminox, which still only uses T25 tubes (which Protek does use on many models as well), this big boy gets the upgrade to T100 tritium tubes. And while not that uncommon these days, it is nice to see a sapphire crystal on a $575 watch, as even going back 5-10 years ago, this was not always the case, especially with brands like Seiko, Citizen, Luminox, and others.
- In the dark, well, it’s always glowing, as that is the benefit of Tritium tubes. With T100 tubes, it’s technically not brighter, as it is still more of a dimmer glow than Super-LumiNova, but you get more lume with the bigger tubes if that makes sense. This model has tri-color lume as well, so you get orange, blue, and green. So in complete darkness, you will always have lume, and it does not need a light source to charge it.
- But I know what some of you are thinking. “Don, this watch is 45mm, how can you possibly wear it? How can anyone wear it?” Well, watches this size were the norm 15-20 years ago, and to be honest, I used to wear watches much larger than this, and some of my G-Shock watches are bigger than this. Truth be told, I really do not gravitate towards a standard watch of this size, even in titanium, and while this watch is large, I find it very comfortable with it being so lightweight. It is probably at the limit of what I would wear for an analog watch these days, though, with a 52mm lug-to-lug as well.
- The strap on the Protek Aggressor is 22mm and tapers to 20, and is genuine rubber as they list it, with no vanilla scent, and is pliable and does wrap around the wrist, but not as soft and pliable as the newer FKM straps. That said, it is probably more heavy-duty than most FKM straps, and they top it off with a black DLC buckle that is both brushed and polished, which is a nice look. One thing that bothers me, though, is the length, as my wrist is 7 1/2 inches (19.05cm) and there are 4 sizing holes left, and with a watch this large, I figured the strap would be longer.
- It would also be nice if they gave a choice of straps when ordering, as it is now, the black rubber is the default, and if you want the color-matched strap for any of the Aggressor models, you will have to shell out another $50. You will have two straps though, so maybe a good option if you dont wnat ot always be so flashy.
- So who is this watch for? Well, if you are reading this and like this watch, I imagine it’s for you. Or you know, possibly anyone that likes a large and lightweight watch, but wants something different than a G-Shock, or a design different than most Luminox, or, of course, just a lover of watches with tritium tubes.
- I have enjoyed wearing it, though; it is somewhat fun to put on a large analog watch again, and with this being so lightweight, I barely notice it is there. At night, the watch is constantly glowing and easy to read, though I do sometimes miss the dim lighting lume from Super-LumiNova; again, I never have to worry about it not being worn for a few days or not being around a light source all day, and the carbon composite case looks pretty good on this one and not as plasticky as some I have come across. I do think it would be great to see this with an automatic movement though, and if it did come with one, more watch enthusiasts may be interested.
- Protek
I am sure that almost everyone reading this is familiar with Luminox watches, and there are quite a few brands that also use tritium tubes, such as Ball, Traser, and Deep Blue. But this watch, the Protek Aggressor, is from the co-founder of Luminox, Barry Cohen. It’s not the only watch they make, of course, but it is their largest watch to date at 45mm, and it has an aggressive case design, with a fun geometric pattern dial and a very lightweight carbon composite case. It’s also 300m water-resistant and uses a sapphire crystal, as well as a Miyota 2035 quartz movement, and pricing starts at $575.
Specifications
45mm Carbon Composite Case 14.5mm Thick 22mm Lug Width 52mm Lug Width 60 Click Unidirectional Bezel Sapphire Crystal 300m Water Resistant T-100 Tritium Tubes Miyota 2035 Quartz Rubber Strap Price $575 https://protekwatch.com/products/model-pt4003-aggressor?pr_prod_strat=pinned&pr_rec_id=45976b515&pr_rec_pid=8353198440630&pr_ref_pid=8353199947958&pr_seq=uniform
So, story time here: I love G-Shock watches. You may be thinking, what does that have to do with this Protek Aggressor? Well, G-Shocks, for the most part, are larger watches, and still to this day make 43mm to 52mm watches, both digital and ani-digi. I have been wearing them for probably 30 years now, and I just have always loved them. They are tough and fun watches that you can throw almost anything at.
This Protek is similar in a lot of ways, as it is a large watch, but it has the carbon composite case, so it’s just as lightweight as a large G-Shock- okay, maybe not exactly as lightweight, as this does feel a little more solid than most of my G’s, but it’s only 82 grams, which really is nothing for a watch this size.
So why did Barry Cohen leave Luminox and eventually start Protek? Well, he did not do it immediately, as under the Time Concepts umbrella he had started, there are brands such as Szanto and CT Scudiera, brands that both have been reviewed on this site over the years. But Barry loved tactical watches and tritium tubes, as that’s the reason he started Luminox to begin with. As far as why he left? Well, he just wasn’t happy with the direction of the company, and Protek allows him to build very similar watches, but now in designs he wants to do, and it does not need to be run by a board first.
And as I said, this Protek Aggressor is the largest model currently from the brand, with other models being in the 40 and 42mm range. This case is also used in another model as well, the USMC Carbon dive, where essentially it’s the same watch but the dials are different, with camo dials and a special embossed USMC case back. This case back is stainless steel with a hexagram, and the Protek logo in the middle.
This case is pretty cool as well, with a unique angled design, large crown guards and a 9 o’clock bumper, and an aggressive-looking bezel with rider tabs. While not even remotely a copy, the case does somewhat remind me of a few Linde Werdelin models, and though Protek was not the first to use a carbon composite or forged carbon case, I do like how they implemented it here.
The crown is massive, and the actual crown is stainless steel, with a DLC top, but for extra grip, there is a blue polymer ring that matches the color of the dial. Crown action is very smooth and screws down precisely, at least on this example.
The bezel is interesting. It’s only 60 clicks, but it is unidirectional and relatively easy to turn, especially if you grab hold of those rider tabs, and the pip does have a tritium tube as well. The numbers are part of the mold, though, and I wish they could have figured out a way to color and seal them, as they are completely lost in the dark.
The dial of the Protek Aggressor is quirky, with a stamped trapezoid design all over, and I may have missed why they went this route or the reasoning beyond it, instead of just a basic matte dial as an example, but I don’t hate it, and I guess it adds a bit of whimsy to this tactical watch. And so does the dial color, which I have been calling cyan blue. It is a bright color and definitely not subtle, and if you get the optional matching color strap, it’s even less subtle. And if blue is not your color, they do make a regular old black dial, as well as a bright yellow and orange.
Beyond the dial stamping, the rest of the dial is fairly simple. The logo and model name, along with the water resistance, are simply painted on with a stencil in black paint, and around the chapter ring is painted in black as well. I guess they figured black hands would be hard to see on a black dial, and only wanted to make one set of hands, so all 4 dial colors have these frosted silver hour, minute, and second hands, and there’s no issue telling time at all, but I do wonder how it would look with black hands.
And we can’t forget about the Tritium tubes. Unlike Luminox, which still only uses T25 tubes (which Protek does use on many models as well), this big boy gets the upgrade to T100 tritium tubes. And while not that uncommon these days, it is nice to see a sapphire crystal on a $575 watch, as even going back 5-10 years ago, this was not always the case, especially with brands like Seiko, Citizen, Luminox, and others.
In the dark, well, it’s always glowing, as that is the benefit of Tritium tubes. With T100 tubes, it’s technically not brighter, as it is still more of a dimmer glow than Super-LumiNova, but you get more lume with the bigger tubes if that makes sense. This model has tri-color lume as well, so you get orange, blue, and green. So in complete darkness, you will always have lume, and it does not need a light source to charge it.
But I know what some of you are thinking. “Don, this watch is 45mm, how can you possibly wear it? How can anyone wear it?” Well, watches this size were the norm 15-20 years ago, and to be honest, I used to wear watches much larger than this, and some of my G-Shock watches are bigger than this. Truth be told, I really do not gravitate towards a standard watch of this size, even in titanium, and while this watch is large, I find it very comfortable with it being so lightweight. It is probably at the limit of what I would wear for an analog watch these days, though, with a 52mm lug-to-lug as well.
The strap on the Protek Aggressor is 22mm and tapers to 20, and is genuine rubber as they list it, with no vanilla scent, and is pliable and does wrap around the wrist, but not as soft and pliable as the newer FKM straps. That said, it is probably more heavy-duty than most FKM straps, and they top it off with a black DLC buckle that is both brushed and polished, which is a nice look. One thing that bothers me, though, is the length, as my wrist is 7 1/2 inches (19.05cm) and there are 4 sizing holes left, and with a watch this large, I figured the strap would be longer.
It would also be nice if they gave a choice of straps when ordering, as it is now, the black rubber is the default, and if you want the color-matched strap for any of the Aggressor models, you will have to shell out another $50. You will have two straps though, so maybe a good option if you dont wnat ot always be so flashy.
So who is this watch for? Well, if you are reading this and like this watch, I imagine it’s for you. Or you know, possibly anyone that likes a large and lightweight watch, but wants something different than a G-Shock, or a design different than most Luminox, or, of course, just a lover of watches with tritium tubes.
I have enjoyed wearing it, though; it is somewhat fun to put on a large analog watch again, and with this being so lightweight, I barely notice it is there. At night, the watch is constantly glowing and easy to read, though I do sometimes miss the dim lighting lume from Super-LumiNova; again, I never have to worry about it not being worn for a few days or not being around a light source all day, and the carbon composite case looks pretty good on this one and not as plasticky as some I have come across. I do think it would be great to see this with an automatic movement though, and if it did come with one, more watch enthusiasts may be interested.
Protek
