The first time I heard about Abingdon Watches, I knew I had to get my hands on one of their models for review. Here’s a brand that is actually doing what I’ve been saying for years that I wish brands would do again: make tool watches for women. Not sized down “gender neutral” models, not miniature versions that looked like the bigger version but have none of the functionality, but watches designed for the female-minded consumer that wants a watch that lives up to its promises, a watch like the Abingdon Katherine.
Since this is their first (but hopefully not only!) appearance on The Time Bum’s pages, a brief bit of brand history is in order. Abingdon was founded about 15 years ago by Abingdon Mullins, a pilot, race car driver, scuba diver, and all-around awesome human being. She wanted a watch that could stand up to her daily life and also fit on her wrist – and so Abingdon Watch Company was born. Their pilot, dive, and field watches are all designed with the end user in mind and tested to the extremes by women excelling in their chosen fields.
The Abingdon Katherine pilot chronograph is one of Abingdon’s first models and has recently gotten a refresh with its new logo. In a break from more “traditional” pilot chronographs, a crown between the lugs at 6 o’clock controls an alphabetic bezel used as a reminder for the ATIS system, an automated set of alerts pilots use to keep up to date on weather data. The cyclops at the base of the dial highlights the letter of the current alert, and you can adjust it as the system updates. If you’re not a pilot, you can use the alphabet bezel to trigger reminders or keep track of different items throughout your day. The chronograph movement is a reliable Miyota quartz module with a minute tracker at 9 and 24-hour tracker at 3. The 24-hour tracker would definitely come in handy if you find yourself traveling through the night.
At 40mm diameter and 48mm lug to lug, it is one of Abingdon’s larger models. But thanks to the case shape and curve of the lugs, it wraps very neatly around my 6.5” wrist. The model I was sent is finished in rose gold PVD with a warm bronze tone. The finishing on the case is excellent, with sharp transitions between the brushed and polished surfaces. This is just one of many places where Abingdon paid close attention to the details. The crown and pushers at the side of the watch are well-sized for easy use and deeply engraved with the Abingdon winged “A” logo. The crown at 6 for the alpha bezel is easy to use with one hand but not so loose as to spin freely. It also features the winged A but blends right into the case when not in use.
The mother-of-pearl dial contrasts nicely with the rose gold dial furniture (hour markers, logo, date window, and hands all match the case color). There’s a lot of depth in the opalescence, but it doesn’t detract from the readability of the time or the two chronograph subdials. The alpha bezel is angled in and works well with the cyclops at most angles. There is lume on the hands and dial markers, but it didn’t light up very strongly and was hard to photograph. However, the dial has enough contrast with the hands to be readable in all but the darkest of situations.
The Katherine comes in a variety of colorways, including steel with various dials, black PVD, and rose gold PVD. I was sent a rose gold model with a white leather strap. The 20mm quick-release strap is thickly padded and molded well to my wrist. Abingdon helpfully prints a 6 and 12 on each half of the strap, so you know which side is supposed to go where (I’ve never gotten it right on the first try). Rose gold and white isn’t really my colorway, but the overall execution is very well done. On a whim, I swapped in a black silicone strap, and it definitely looked sharp.
Abingdon does offer a bracelet for the Katherine, but given that I wasn’t sent one for review, all I can really say is that every link on the bracelet is supposed to be removable. I think this is a great touch because not every wrist is built the same, and having the option to remove as many links as you need from wherever you need to remove them is fantastic. Another detail Abingdon added to make swapping bracelets and straps easier are the notches on the underside of the lugs for aligning the spring bars. I think this is so smart because how much time have we all spent wiggling a strap around trying to find the hole for the spring bar and scratching the inside of the lug in the process? This eliminates that whole issue.
Abingdon Watches was born out of the desire to create smart, dependable watches for active women, and with the Katherine, I wholeheartedly say they’ve delivered. The Katherine is well-built with useful functions and thoughtful design features. With steel, black PVD, and rose gold PVD case options and numerous dial colors, I think there’s a color variant out there for every style. The size is modern, but the case molds to my wrist instead of feeling like an anchor. At $599, yes, there are cheaper quartz chronographs out there. But in my opinion, there aren’t better-designed quartz chronographs from cooler companies than the Abingdon Katherine. The full lineup of Katherine models can be found here, and I strongly suggest you check out the full range of Abingdon dive, field, and pilot watches here.
