Carpenter Brooklyn Field | Hands On Watch Review

Carpenter Brooklyn Field

Classic. Traditional. Vintage. These words are what comes to mind when I look at the Carpenter Brooklyn Field. It is a field watch that looks like something maybe my grandfather would have worn. At 40mm, it is probably a little larger than a true vintage piece, but 40mm is the new “it” size these days with a lot of brands. The trend seems to be smaller and more classic styling, and I feel there is nothing wrong with that. The Brooklyn Field was designed by Niel Carpenter, and you guessed it, he lives in Brooklyn, NY. The original watches were launched on Kickstarter about 2 years ago, but this model, the M2S, has a pretty nice upgrade; An ETA 2824 automatic movement. Limited to 50 pieces, it will probably sell out quickly, and while that sounds like marketing, check out their website and you can see, their watches just do not hang around long.

Carpenter Brooklyn Field Specifications:

• 40mm Width
• 48mm Lug to Lug
• 13mm Thick (Including Crystal)
• 20mm Lugs
• Domed Sapphire Crystal
• Screw Down Crown
• Exhibition Case Back
• ETA 2824 Automatic Movement
• Padded Leather Strap

Price $825

https://carpenterwatches.com/collections/carpenter-field/products/m2s-brooklyn-field

Carpenter Watches are popular, no doubt about it, but for me, I wish for a few changes. The biggest one would be the crystal. The Carpenter Brooklyn Field has a sapphire crystal front and back but the domed one on the front is my issue. This watch seems to be lacking a good AR coating, or it is just the dome itself. Now, I know MANY people who loved domed crystals, and on certain watches, I do myself. The problem here is the amount of reflection. You can see it in the photos here in this article and also in the video above.  The domed crystal also inhibits from seeing one of the nicest features of this field watch; The dial. The matte dial has a nice subtle texture to it that I love, but the problem is, you rarely see it. You really have to get the right angle to capture it. On the regular when glancing down to either admire or check the time, you’ll see just a black dial, or your reflection, and the reflection of everything else from your surroundings.

For me, a flat crystal with a good AR coating would have gone a long way for me to love this watch. Instead, it is in the like category. I do not dislike it, but it will never be my favorite. That is a shame, as the Carpenter Brooklyn Field Watch does have a great look and a lot to offer in terms of styling and comfort, but the simple truth is, it’s hard for me to get over the crystal. Many of you may think I am crazy, and you love this watch. For those that do, let’s get into some of the other details.

The size of the Brooklyn Field is going to be versatile on a lot of wrists, especially that 48mm lug to lug. This means that if you have small wrists, this watch should not be hanging off the edges like a larger watch would. If you were hoping for a thin watch though, this may not be it. Technically the case is 11mm thick, but when adding in the crystal, you are looking at 13mm, which makes it a little on the chunky side, at least on paper. On the wrist, it is not as noticeable, unless looking at it from an angle. I still think it should probably fit under a shirt cuff if that is your thing. It is summer here and I have not been wearing any long sleeve cuffed shirts lately. Below is a picture on my 7 1/2 inch wrist.

Traditionally, wired lugs may have been solid, and in some cases, like with Panerai, you have to remove screws from the case back to access the two-piece lug system, if you wanted to change the strap. With the Carpenter Brooklyn Field, underneath the strap is regular spring bars, so swapping out the strap will be the same as any other watch that uses spring bars. The padded suede strap looks good and is very comfortable and has a nice thin buckle as well.

The big upgrade here is the Swiss ETA 2824 movement. Past models of the Brooklyn Field used Miyota 8200 series movements, which I have stated many times are not my favorite, so for me, this is a welcome upgrade. A lot of watch enthusiasts love to see the movement, so Carpenter chose an exhibition case back to show off the movement and the engraved rotor.

The lume is nothing to write home about (anyone still writing home these days?), but it was better than I expected. The hands and numbers are thin of course, so it does not leave a lot of room for the lume to be applied, but the hands do glow fairly well. The numbers will fade off quickly though.

There is a lot to like with the Carpenter Brooklyn Field. As usual, I do not sugarcoat anything and I would love to see a future version with a flat crystal, or maybe a choice of either flat or domed- give the customer the option. Beyond the crystal, it is a well-finished watch, that arrives in tremendous packaging and with this version having an ETA 2824, a solid movement. I do not know if other dial colors with this movement will be available or not, but with about 2 years under their belt, I am looking forward a new model from Carpenter. I will have to keep my eye on them to see what the future holds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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