We take pride in our country and show support for brands that have products made in Canada. Locke & King accurately represents a Canadian brand with their first release of the James, a watch named after Hamilton, Ontario’s famous James street. Hamilton’s industrial heritage inspired the James with its 1950s aesthetic. Today, we’re talking about a watch inspired by a road that’s a Toronto legend.
Away from bustling Younge Street and fashion design-obsessed Bloor Street, Ossington is a legend in its own right. Colonial settlers constructed Ossington as a military route. Years passed, and time went on; through the industrial age into the modern era, Ossington would blossom from a military route into one of Toronto’s leading hotspots for culture, excellent cuisine, entrepreneurs and fantastic nightlife. The new Ossington by Locke & King pulls inspiration from the old architecture of Toronto that has remained untouched for generations and certain Bauhausian aspects to combine vintage industrial and vintage modern into a truly stunning timepiece.
The Ossington is the second watch in the Locke & King catalogue and brings some new changes and design aesthetics to the brand. The Ossington features a smaller and thinner case at 40mm in diameter with an 11.4mm case thickness. A 2mm reduction in case diameter paired with a 1mm reduction in case thickness compared to the James, allowing for a more comfortable fit on the wrist for those who like a watch in the 38-40mm range.
Turning our focus to the dial, the Ossington is available in copper/blue, smoked steel/grey and silver/white. Complete numeral markers surround the dial for hours, and small dots around the outside represent minutes and seconds. The hour and minute markers on the blue and grey dial variations are stainless steel, making it slightly tricky to read. However, the white dial features black indices, creating excellent legibility due to the contrasting black on white. All feature a beautiful guilloche dial, adding the perfect amount of subtle detail that brings your eye closer to focus on all the tiny nuances and is encapsulated with a beautiful domed sapphire crystal.
With the James, many people raised concerns about the lack of hacking functionality in the Miyota 8215, but fear not! The Ossington utilizes the Miyota 9015; therefore, hacking is available for those who want to get an exact time without worrying about running seconds. The movement change made the watch complete in my eyes. This is now a perfectly sized and beautifully designed watch that many purists, enthusiasts and newcomers to the watch collecting hobby will immensely enjoy.
All in all, the Ossington is a gorgeous watch. For those looking more for a dress watch, the grey and blue dial variants would suit you. The white dial is a fantastic choice for those looking for high legibility and leans more toward the jeans and t-shirt vibe. Just my opinion, of course. Wear your Ossington however you like, but I would recommend getting one because they’re that damn good.