There is always a moment in life that will be perfect, regardless of what we’re talking about. Random, sure, but perfect. Whether it be when you randomly meet the love of your life crossing a street, hitting the jackpot on the slot machine after hours of trials and errors, driving a countryside road just when the sun is setting behind the perfect blanket of clouds, or when the right entrepreneur meets the right designer. The latter scenario of course refers to what sometimes, but rarely, happens in our wonderful world of horology. When such a meeting occurs, magic is born. And although one would be tempted to recreate such moments ad infinitum, one cannot. At least, it would never be the same again because it was indeed magic and random.  

Magic is what seems to have happened when Hassan Madras and Matt Smith-Johnson met. Hassan served as a staff judge in the United States Air Force Reserve for a decade. Matt is a veteran industrial designer who has left his artistic print on more than a few watches you have certainly heard of and read about here on Mainspring. (Here’s an example). So the two met. The former wanted to create a watch brand through which he could support veterans; the latter wanted to contribute a whole lot of his creative genius to support the project. This is how Prevail Watches was born, this is what prompted the creation of the Onward Field watch—what I confidently describe/define as being a love letter to all tool watches. 

Specifications 

Although it is unusual for me to do so, I will first talk about how many dollars you’re going to have to remove from your wallet in order to acquire the Prevail Onward: $275 USD. Here, end of the review. Seriously though, I wanted to start by mentioning the price of this watch so that I could  put its specs into perspective. (Because specifications do matter for many although they don’t for yours truly.) Things like a flat sapphire crystal, 200 meters of water resistance, slightly insane applications of SuperLuminova C3 on the hands and markers, bead-blasted stainless steel case, RAF-style nylon strap, and a quartz Ronda 513 caliber. By just looking at the specs and putting them side-by-side with the price, you can already—and obviously—determine that you’ve got yourself something quite special here. Akin to marrying a delicious crème brulée to a good espresso at sunset overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. 

And just so you know: the quality of manufacturing and assembling found on the Prevail Onward is stupidly much higher—and much better than one could expect—above its price point. Naturally, we can assume that Hassan and Matt did not create this jewel of utilitarian horology to make loads of cash. But I will get back to this point later. 

The spec sheet continues to be fascinating as we look at the Onward’s dimensions. 42mm across, 47.5mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thick, and a 20mm lug width complemented by a fixed lug construction. I cannot—neither can they—talk about diameter here given the Onward’s unique case shape. Although I pride myself on being a writer who generally finds the right words to describe things, I’m at a loss of technical ones here. So I must resort, as one often does, to comparing the shape of the case to another object or animal. Here I would say the Onward reminds me of a manta ray which would have been conceived on another planet. Or, I would describe the case as reminiscent of some fictional gadgets one could see in a Christopher Nolan movie. 

In either case (pun unintentional), it has its own, powerful yet quiet personality. 

Design 

And this makes for a perfect segue to discuss the Prevail’s design. Whether or not you knew of Matt’s work before, I know we will agree that the Onward looks like nothing we’ve seen thus far. I know, I am at the same time a guy who loves to talk about singular designs and who, at the very same time, complains that too many watch brands and watch nerds are obsessed with what is unique and never-seen before. (My brain operates akin to that of a Goldfish: I say something which I forgot 30 seconds later and go back to it another 30 seconds afterwards.) But the fact of the matter is that we do indeed find ourselves with a design that is utterly novel and which I’m profoundly in love with. Everything from the case shape to the dial layout—every aspect of this watch genuinely excites me not only because it’s new but also because it’s perfectly executed. 

So let’s first talk about the case. It’s an imposing piece of bead blasted stainless steel that seems to have a two-part construction. The first one being the main section of the watch, encompassing the lugs, mid-case, and flanks which the latter double as badass crown-guards at the three o’clock position. The second part makes up the fixed bezel which securely embraces the dial assembly. The top of said bezel is plain (as it has no markings or decorations) and sits slightly above the crystal in order to protect it from frontal impacts. Furthermore, the bezel comes with a chamfer towards the mid-case which makes it possible to firmly grab onto the watch head (should you have a need for it.) Furthermore, the nine o’clock side and the case-back are adorned with deep machined channels which aid in preventing slippage when strapping the watch on and off or when engaging in water-related activities. 

The crown screws-down, just like the case-back does, and is in the shape of a cap, or like a small valve meant to prevent something from coming in or out of the case. (This is an example of when I show that I’m not as good a writer as I thought I was.) I particularly appreciate how the crown stands out from the whole case assembly thanks to its deep knurling which breaks up the otherwise perfectly smooth case profile and texture. Still talking about the case, note how simple its design is, in the sense that it doesn’t have many breaking points and angles. Every facet of it flows seamlessly into one another and creates an overall sense of harmony. Though, I would say, that of a tough harmony since the Prevail Onward is, after all, a robust tool watch. And that is one of the many elements which showcases Matt’s creative genius—and something that you won’t see anywhere else. 

And the dial is nothing short of being extraordinary as well. The hour and minute hands are large and made up of two sections: a gray base and lumed elements sitting above it. The hour hand has a bit of a syringe look to it while the minute hand reminds me of that of a plongeur hand. The seconds one for its part remains discreet although its tip is lumed. Turning our attention to the hour markers we find large, modern-looking Arabic numerals at the cardinal positions and circular markers everywhere else. The latter are fully lumed and hollow in the middle, which makes them look very cool and easy to see in any lighting condition. The dial is therefore extremely legible, something that is further made possible by the minimalistic amount of branding found on the dial—simply the brand’s logo below the pinion—as well as the fact that the hour markers and minute track sit above the dial. 

My oh my. I love it. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that Hassan and Matt did create a tool watch, all parts of which constitute the most delicate and sincere love letter to all tool watches out there and from times immemorial. The Prevail Onward is the type of watch I became obsessed with and fascinated by the second I saw a first image of it. I was submerged with immense feelings of watch nerdity and impatience to see this affordable jewel of modern and utilitarian horology in the bead blasted metal. Yes, I love tool watches and I love tool watches of many kinds. But I do have a particular affinity for straightforward and affordable models which we rarely find anymore. Although I wasn’t yet born, I reminisce about the times when a soldier could buy a proper tool watch at a PX store or order one by mail. (I recommend looking up the dozens of such stories online which are fascinating to read.) 

And the Prevail Onward belongs to the places where professionals, members of the military, and discerning tool watch enthusiasts live and frequent in realistic manners—not in the sense that they would have to walk through the guarded door of a downtown boutique, chat with a sales person, and return home with a branded bag in order to acquire what I deem to be an actual tool watch for people who actually do things. Things which are both out of my realm and which I admire—like what members of the military do—and which are also at the reach of everybody else: hiking, exploring, mountain climbing, water sports, diving, etc. And I’m really upset to be at a loss of words here when trying to describe how unique and singular the Prevail Onward is and how much admiration I have for Hassan and Matt.

Earlier in the review I mentioned that neither of them worked on this project to become rich. Not only does the Onward cost little to acquire (again, $275 USD) which is arguably little for what you get in terms of specs and priceless design, but the brand donates 10% of all profits to veterans’ health programs. The latter point is also at the heart of the matter here because Hassan and Matt created a watch many can afford—and especially members of the military themselves whether they are still in active duty or transitioning to civilian life—which makes their project much more realistic and attainable compared to, say, any brand that sells a few watches at exorbitant prices to donate a small portion of the profits to similar organizations. In other words, the Prevail Onward makes it possible for active duty military and veterans alike to support their own comrades in arms. 

That’s awesome. 

Conclusion 

I wanted to conclude this review by firing a few go-to sentences I usually pull out of my journalist arsenal in order to wrap up my thoughts on the Prevail Onward. But I won’t. Instead I would like to thank Hassan and Matt for having the courage and determination to create a beautifully singular, wonderfully spec’d, and absolutely affordable tool watch. One, I would further add, which was created by good people for a good cause and to support other good people, which makes it possible for all of us watch nerds to partake in this project. I for one hope to see and cannot wait for the next model these two nice chaps will be coming up with in the coming months. 

So, please take a few minutes to check out Prevail’s website to learn more about the Onward and its two versions and three color options. 

Thanks for reading.