My familiarity with Jack Mason began several years ago, when I saw some of their watches in a few department stores. They were more interesting than their fashion-watch counterparts like MVMT, but for the most part, not to my preference. With the launch of the Strat-o-Timer a few years ago, the brand began a unique and interesting pivot away from mass-market models into the enthusiast space. I remember thinking, when the Strat-o-timer launched, “Jack Mason??” – it was such a shift from what they had previously produced, and was the first watch outside of the Citizen Group to carry the Miyota 9075.
Since the Strat launched, Jack Mason has been on a tear, cleaning up its lineup by eradicating mass-market fluff and focusing on the enthusiast market. I was initially skeptical that the pivot would stick, but from the charming mid-century Ellum to the technically focused Pursuit Pro, Jack Mason’s Co-Founder Peter Cho has put together a run of hits that have completely remade the brand’s identity, focusing on high-quality construction and cohesive design.
Since its initial release, the Strat-o-Timer has been a wildly successful platform for Jack Mason, and the brand has leaned into it with a variety of derivatives. Unlike some brands that treat new colors as new models, the base Strat has received design changes (shifting the date window from 3 to 6, moving from sapphire to ceramic bezel inserts), but also distinct models like the Strat-o-Timer Titanium Dive GMT. The Frontier models are somewhere in between these two approaches, less significantly altered than the dive version, but more so than the multitude of new colorways to the standard Strat.
The most noticeable change is to the bezel insert, rendered in radially-brushed stainless steel. It is beautiful and imparts a very different character to the standard model than the sapphire and ceramic inserts – more Daniel Craig, less Pierce Brosnan. Like the color choices for the dial and hands, the steel bezel insert references one of the archetypal sport GMT’s, the Rolex Explorer II, yet like the rest of the Strat lineup, that reference doesn’t cross into homage territory. The result is an attractive watch that appears as if it were released alongside, not derived from, the midcentury sport GMTs it draws from.
The foundation of the Strat-o-Timer lineup is the exceptionally comfortable barrel case that measures 40mm wide, 47mm long, and 13mm thick. The latter measurement may sound hefty at a time when many brands are chasing thinness, but the watch looks and feels more like 12mm thick, with an additional millimeter for the top-hat sapphire crystal that protrudes from the bezel. The tonneau shape, combined with the relatively wide bezel, give the Frontier a broad-shouldered appearance, yet the case shaping prevents the Frontier from wearing heavily. The portion of the case that contacts the wrist is about 32mm, with the remaining 8mm taken up by the upward sloping flange of the caseback and a minute amount of the midcase.
The sides of the case, vertically and horizontally curved, are fully polished to a mirror-like quality. I usually shy away from polished surfaces on watches, because I am not delicate enough in my movements to avoid scratches. Fortunately, all Strat-o-Timers receive a hardness coating that keeps the polished side, and brushed upper, surfaces of the case free of marks. I can attest to the longevity and efficacy of the treatment, as my personal Strat remained blemish free over two years of ownership, which included a few international trips. The lack of marks on the case will let you continually appreciate the quality of finishing, with well-executed transitions between the brushed and polished surfaces. I read one comment on the Frontier wherein the finishing was described as soft, suggesting a lack of quality finishing. I couldn’t disagree more, and lament that literal sharpness is conflated with increased quality – I don’t want my watches to cut me, and I appreciate the simple grateful arcs of the Frontier’s case.
The bezel – not the insert – is also a carryover from the standard Strat, with 48-clicks that are satisfyingly hefty, yet not difficult to actuate. This is a noticeable change from earlier Strat models, which were tuned with a bit more resistance than I prefer. The toothy circumference aids in the functional ease of using the bezel, and provides some visual contrast to the smooth surfaces of the case. The aforementioned stainless bezel insert enables tracking of a second time zone, with an engraved and black-painted 24-hour scale that utilizes an easily legible font. I do miss the fully lumed 24-hour scale available on the standard Strat models, whether equipped with sapphire or ceramic bezel inserts, though blacked-out lume is known for having a fainter glow.
The Frontier utilizes the same dial layout and furniture as the refreshed standard Strat-o-timer, with applied rectangular hour indices interspersed with printed hash marks to track the minutes and seconds, and a vertically-oriented date window at 6. The hour markers have been a subject of my adoration since the Strat was released, as they reference the applied rectangular indices of iconic dive watches like the Seiko 62MAS, but with tweaks that make them singular to the Strat lineup. The curved inner edges of the lume channels flow into the sloped and polished inner edges of the metal surrounds that reflect light, in contrast to their brushed upper surface, further aiding legibility. The remainder of the dial is minimally adorned, with Jack Mason’s lone star applied logo above the pinion, and the model name, movement designation, and water resistance below. I could do without the “AUTOMATIC GMT” line of text to further simplify the dial, but it is common practice for brands to shout when a watch has an automatic movement.
One of the aspects of the Strat-o-timer I’ve continually been impressed with is the perceived shallowness of its dial to crystal dimension. I once tried on a vintage Rolex GMT Master II (1675 for the reference number nerds), and what stood out to me is how thin it felt, and how the dial seemed to be close to the crystal. It is a quality lost in many modern watches, which like modern cars, have swelled in their proportions to accommodate more robust safety measures. The Strat’s dial to crystal span mimics that vintage feel in an impressive manner, considering the added thickness needed for a GMT hand.
The hands are a more standard affair than the hour markers, taking a traditional baton shape for the hours and minutes, a lollipop seconds hand with Jack Mason’s signature Texas-referencing tricolor counterbalance, and a counterbalance-free arrow GMT hand. On the Alpine Frontier, the former three are black polished, like the hour markers, to maximize contrast against the flat white dial, while the black-dialed Night version uses polished steel. The orange GMT hand is common to both versions, offering excellent contrast against both dial colors. Bright, evenly applied BGW9 lume affords excellent low-light legibility, though again, functionality would be improved with a fully-lumed scale on the bezel.
All Strat-o-timer models are powered by the Miyota 9075, which has a claim to being the most consequential movement innovation of the past several years. Yes, the luxury watch aficionados will undoubtedly describe how their preferred horological artisan has created an extremely complex, and beautifully finished, technological marvel, and they are right to do so. But I cannot think of another movement that has had such a profound effect on the watch market as the 9075, which has catalyzed an entirely new sector of affordable automatic flyer GMTs. Jack Mason have taken things a step further, and regulated each movement to a tolerance of +/- 5 seconds per day, which would satisfy COSC standards, if such standards weren’t exclusionary of non-Swiss made watches. The example I had in hand tested at -1 second per day, which is remarkable in a watch that costs $1,099. The brand has also added a customized rotor, visible through the open caseback, etched with the brand’s name, and thick vertical stripes. The 9075 is not a particularly attractive movement, and while the custom rotor doesn’t add much flare, it is an extra dose of character that shows Jack Mason’s attention to detail, and subtle approach to design.
In the two years I owned a Strat-o-timer, I never took it off the bracelet, not even to play around with strap combinations. That version – the red and blue Americana – worked too perfectly on Jack Mason’s 7-link bracelet, it felt sacrilegious to separate the two. The Frontier comes with the same 7-link, but with fully-brushed upper surfaces of the links rather than a mix of brushed and polished links, and a 3-link option of mollusk design (not trying to trigger a certain Swiss brand’s litigious tendencies). Both styles come with a toolless micro-adjustable clasp that deploys a simple slide and lock mechanism that reduces the clasp’s bulk, at the expense of it being on the longer side. In practice, I’ve preferred the ease of use and cleaner look – no excess clasp material sticking out from the end of the clasp – of this style over some of the more intricate, and bulkier, options on the market.
I’m partial to the exceptionally comfortable 7-link, and while it works very well with the Frontier, it also makes for a lot of metal when combined with the steel bezel insert. There are some days when that metal-heavy appearance works for me, and some when I want a bit more contrast. With a neutral color palette and 20mm lugs, the Frontier takes well to just about any material and color option you prefer, and I presume the Night version will be similarly versatile, perhaps even more so.
With the Frontier, Jack Mason has continued to riff on the Strat-o-Timer’s winning formula without falling into a trap of merely releasing new colorways. The steel bezel changes the character of the Strat to something that feels elegantly rugged, capable of being worn in the field, the workplace, and in my experience, to a wedding. In an increasingly crowded market, the Frontier once again demonstrates that the Strat-o-Timer is at the top of the heap.
The Strat-o-timer is available for purchase on Jack Mason’s website.
