The Lōcī PCH Big Sur: Tearin’ Up the Streets While Protecting the Planet
Photo by Chris Antzoulis
We all know what it’s like to feel connected to a place. Whether it’s your hometown, a vacation spot that became a core memory, or local places you visit every day, certain locations hold special meaning for us. Lōcī is a watch brand dedicated to the “spirit of place,” and their watches effectively capture that feeling.
Backstory and Transparency:
Photo by Chris Antzoulis
I met Trip Henderson, the owner of Lōcī Watches, through our mutual friend in the industry, Vincent Deschamps from Mainspring Watch Magazine. I’ve collaborated with Trip before to help share his story leading up to his decision to start Lōcī. You can read that article over at Mainspring Watch Magazine HERE. We stayed in touch as friends and colleagues. When I launched my site, Trip was among the first brand owners to offer me a loaner watch to review. When he asked me which one I wanted to see, my eyes gravitated immediately to the Big Sur version of the Pacific Coast Highway. Based on the photos I had seen, I dug the image of the pavement markings on the dial. I thought it was a rad looking driving watch.
Review:
The Pacific Coast Highway is Lōcī’s first model family of watches. Although each watch has a unique tone created by three different dial styles, they are all immensely crowd-pleasing. This appeal is enhanced by Lōcī’s commitment to donate 10% of every sale to partnered non-profits. For the Pacific Coast Highway model series, that organization is the Surfrider Foundation, which “is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network.” And while this 10% may or may not be tacked on to the cost of the watch, you are still getting quite a bit for your money.
There are three distinct dials to choose from. The Monterey Bay features a unique depiction of ocean waves that differs from what we’re used to. It employs light and dark blues to draw the eyes into experiencing depth and the ocean's vastness. The Surfrider Beach features a grayish-red sandy sunburst dial designed to evoke the feeling of being on a beach. And finally, there is the Big Sur, which I have spent considerable time with. The Big Sur features the aforementioned pavement markings that transport us to the Pacific Coast Highway itself. For those who love cars or road trips, this is definitely the model for you. There are even a couple of Easter eggs on all three dials. One is that “Pacific Coast Highway” is written in the same font used by California for their road signs, and the numerals marking the minutes are in the same font as United States speed limit signs.
Reviewers often engage their audience with grand statements like, “pictures don’t do it justice,” knowing damn well that watch photography mainly aims to present watches in the best possible environment and lighting, which can sometimes distort how the watch actually looks in person. While the Big Sur doesn’t take any extreme approaches with its dial, I was surprised by the depth and detail when I got it in my hands, as it wasn’t something I had noticed in any of the photos I had seen. The depth was most evident with the applied and will-lumed hour indices, which are two-thirds situated on the rehaut, while the remaining third hovers above the dial itself, allowing for some shadow play on the dial.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis
This model, in particular, gives the impression that we are positioned over the right lane of the Pacific Coast Highway. The bright yellow seconds hand conjures an effect reminiscent of being in a funky-colored sports car. This all seems to come together just right when combined with the case architecture and strap. I’m not sure if it was entirely intentional or just fortuitous, but the case has two small lines at the top and bottom that extend to the lugs, creating the impression of a continuation of the road lane we’re in, finally ending at a black rubber strap that reminds me of a tire. The lines and black strap appear on each model in the PCH family, so I don’t believe this was intentional, but it all comes together and works quite nicely on the Big Sur.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis
The case is based on a traditional cushion design with an oversized screw-down crown resembling a tire or turbine with twisted knurling. It doesn’t resemble your typical cushion case due to the presence of sharply defined angles, most notably the prominent polished chamfers that widen dramatically as they approach the lugs. Once they meet the lugs, a drastic polished slope descends from the brushed top surface, aligning flush with the rubber strap. It’s a sleek design that brings a modern touch to a more traditional case style without being overwhelming.
Measuring 39.5mm in diameter, 48mm from lug to lug, and 10.8mm thick, the watch is quite accommodating, fitting closely to a 40mm watch thanks to the way the strap extends outward. However, I should mention that my brother, who also liked the watch, found he was using the last hole in the rubber strap with his 6.5-inch wrist. Therefore, if your wrist is smaller than that, you might want to inquire about a smaller strap option. Lastly, with a water resistance of 100 meters, it feels comfortable to wear in nearly any situation.
On the underside, the screw-down case back presents the California coastline. On the right side, we see the landmass of California in raised and brushed steel. On the left, slightly recessed from the coast, is a matte area representing the ocean off the Pacific Coast Highway. Cleverly integrated in the center is the Lōcī logo. I’ve seen some impressive case backs in my time, but this one fits perfectly with the overall concept of the model line and was clearly designed with intention rather than being an afterthought.
Inside the case is, you guessed it, a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement. It’s accurate, reliable, and Swiss. At $945, it’s on the more reasonable end of the price spectrum for this movement. However, if you’re not looking to drop a grand on another watch right now, Lōcī has you covered. You can buy nearly identical versions of each of the PCH watches, which feature a Swiss Ronda 715 quartz movement, for $625! I haven't personally handled a quartz model, but according to the website, it appears to be the exact same watch in terms of dimensions and other specifications, except for the quartz movement.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis
Final Thoughts:
The Lōcī PCH is a reliable, comfortable, and striking watch designed to connect us to our surroundings and remind us that we have only one planet to take care of…until we colonize Mars. If you feel a connection to the Pacific Coast, these watches serve as perfect reminders of its beauty and vastness. Even if you don’t, there’s so much to love about these watches, and undoubtedly, there’s a design you could connect with.
