Boldr Venture Summer Collection with Field Medic Lagoon Blue, Fuel Blue and Rally SRW

It will be a while before I can look at a Boldr without becoming sad that the incredibly fun Pokémon collection is an Asian exclusive. Come on Boldr, let me buy a Pikachu! However, something we can buy are the new watches in the Boldr summer collection, which consists of the Venture Field Medic Lagoon Blue, Venture Rally SRW and Venture Fuel Blue.

All three watches have 38mm cases in titanium with the signature tonneau shape of the Venture. At that size in titanium, they’re incredibly lightweight and durable, which is perfect for their tool and field watch design. I know plenty of people who prefer some weight in their watches but if you’re out and about, staying active all day, then a lighter watch makes a dramatic difference. It’s worth noting that the three cases aren’t completely identical. One version, the Rally SRW, has a black PVD coating and the Fuel Blue is the only non-chronograph so it has its crown in a different position to the other two.

It’s the same story when it comes to the dials. They’re broadly similar with some key differences. First is the Field Medic Lagoon Blue, based on the original Field Medic model that was released during the 2020 pandemic. It’s designed for use by frontline doctors and features pulsometer and asthmometer scales which allow you to use the chronograph function to calculate the pulse and respiration rate of a patient. For the summer edition, it now has light blue chronograph counters, which is where the name Lagoon Blue comes from.

Second up is the Venture Fuel Blue which is the time and date model sans chronograph. The reason it’s called Fuel Blue is pretty obvious as the entire dial and NATO bracelet are in a colour called petrol blue. Although the bigger mystery is why a blue-green tone is named after petrol in the first place – nobody knows the answer, although it’s speculated to be related to paraffin. It’s the most understated of the summer watches as it’s the only single colour reference.

Lastly we have the Venture Rally SRW, which is actually a watch made in collaboration with Boldr’s brand ambassador Daniel Wells, an Australian rally driver. The watch’s name features the initials of Danial’s firstborn daughter, Sophie Rose Wells. It’s also no accident that the watch is being launched now as it follows in the wake of Danial’s near-fatal crash last year and is a sign of support celebrating his commitment to recovery and growth. The watch itself has a black dial with light blue and grey accents across the chronograph hand, counters and tachymeter.

Beneath the surface of the trio are two movements. The chronograph models both use the Seiko SII VK64 meca-quartz movement while the time-and-date model houses the Seiko SII NH35A automatic. It would be nice to see a fully mechanical chronograph join the collection at some point, but the Seiko meca-quartz is great if you’re strictly looking at quartz. And the NH35A is solid with its 41-hour power reserve and great value.

When it comes to value, the Field Medic Lagoon Blue is £241, as is the Rally SRW. The Fuel Blue is slightly higher at £273. Of the three, I like the Field Medic the most, the combination of the pale grey and blue looks good, and its scales make it the more unusual of the three. But any of them make for a great summer watch, accessible, colourful and ready for adventures with their titanium cases.

​Oracle Time 

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