The Dutch Harbour Watch Collection by Filson

Filson has done it again. By partnering up with Detroit's own Shinola they have delivered a handsome new lineup of timepieces inspired by the groundbreaking dive watches of the 1950s. The Dutch Harbor Watch collection brings functionality and dependability to places where time is a matter of life and death. The new line of tool watches are water resistant up to 990 feet, feature a unidirectional bezel for precise timing, and are available with leather, nylon zulu and stainless steel bands, for a personal, comfortable feel.

The collection is named after the deep water 'Dutch Harbour' located on Alaska's Amaknak Island where a mile long spit of land extending from the northeast end of the island makes Dutch Harbor a natural port, sheltering ships from the crushing currents and raging winds of the Bering Sea. In 1941 World War II brought the U.S. Army and Navy to Dutch Harbour and in early 1942, U.S. Navy Intelligence predicted that the Japanese would mount an attack in the North Pacific area, and naval codebreakers warned Dutch Harbor of the impending attack. The intelligence was correct and within days 20 Japanese planes from two aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy bombed the harbor in the "Battle of Dutch Harbor," targeting the radio station and the petroleum storage tanks. Following the war Dutch Harbour and the accompanying Fort Mears were decommissioned by the military and during the mid-1980s the US government finally funded a cleanup of the derelict fort and the area was turned over for commercial use. These days Dutch Harbor is considered to be one of the best fishing ports in the world with huge harvests of pollock and cod bringing more than a billion dollars of trade through it each year; testament to the hard work and pioneering spirit of the residents of this remote island habour. 

Taking inspiration from the harsh environment of the Bering coast, the collection features all the classic hallmarks of high quality dive watches: Swiss Super LumiNova bezel accents for easy demarcation of diver safety stops while ascending, a screw-down crown, a case back secured by six screws, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and Super LumiNova accents on the dial index and hands. These watches are built to last, and covered under the comprehensive, best-in-class Shinola warranty. Hand assembled in Detroit; these watches are exclusive to Filson.

Now available for preorder. Find out more at Filson.com