Despite being two essential parts of any EDC, it seems odd that there aren’t that many collaborations between flashlight and watch manufacturers. However, with both the watchmakers at BOLDR Supply Co. and the experienced flashlight manufacturer Nitecore each having a base of operations in Singapore, it was just a matter of time before this project came to light. Together, they’ve released a matching, functional duo in the BOLDR Kraken field watch and the Nitecore TIKI to cover your time-telling and lighting needs.
On BOLDR’s side, you’ll find one of their toughest and functional timepieces yet: The Kraken. Designed as an upgraded variant of their highly popular Venture watch, the Kraken enjoys all the design advantages of the field watch without losing any of the style.
Housed inside a 38mm PVD titanium case, the Kraken’s face was meant for legibility, whether in the sunlight or in low light conditions. Instead of numbers you’ll find medium-sized circles accompanied by elongated ovals at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions, rounded out by an upside-down triangle at 12 o’clock. You’ll also find a 12-hour bi-directional rotating bezel, adorned by Arabic numerals. All these numbers, markers, and even the hands have been complemented with one of the brightest luminescent paints available, Radium C3 Glow, for easy night-time reading.
This lume will charge by exposing it to even a small amount of UV light whether it be natural or artificial. This makes it an ideal pair for the flashlight in the package, the Nitecore TIKI. Just a flash of the light’s UV LED and your watch will be ready to glow for a good while in case it depletes and there aren’t any other light sources available.
Inside the Kraken’s chassis, you’ll find a Japanese SII NH35A Automatic Movement, complemented by a screw-down crown at the 4 o’clock position, protected by a flat sapphire crystal, coated with anti-reflective. Befitting its Kraken theme, the watch comes with 200 meters of water resistance, so you can take it with you on any adventure, without having to worry about water and inclement weather. Finally, a NATO strap will make sure the Kraken sits comfortably on your wrist.
Like mentioned before, on Nitecore’s side you’ll find their highly-successful TIKI, a tiny keychain light with the performance to match some of its bigger cousins. This TIKI boasts a Luminus SST-10-UV LED to output UV light up to 1000 mW, making it perfectly specialized for recharging the Kraken’s lume or serving other UV-light duties like verifying cash bills, forensics, spotting certain wildlife, and so on. For more general EDC, the TIKI also outputs warm white light through its side-mounted LED in a pleasant, wide flood pattern for closeup lighting tasks. At 2.16“ long and only 0.42 oz, the TIKI can easily ride on your keychain. It’s built tough with a glow-in-the-dark polycarbonate shell, stainless steel bezel in a matching topographic motif, and conveniently equipped with a micro-USB rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
Bringing the package together, both items feature a beautiful black and orange design, adorned by handsome topographic lines. You’ll also receive a custom patch by BOLDR, featuring a “Skull Kraken” design with the legend: “Be hard to kill”, just like their watch. The collaboration is a limited edition run to 100 pieces. You can check it out at the link below.
