In this episode of the Analog Explorer Podcast, I catch up with Gem Parker of Elliot Brown Watches during the Vancouver Timepiece Show to talk about the brand’s mission, design philosophy, and the uncompromising durability behind their adventure-ready watches.
Elliot Brown Watches
What sets Elliot Brown apart is their obsession with durability and real-world performance. They’re not just building watches, they’re building tools; from their Canford with its dual crowns and an internal bezel and shock-resistant cases, to the Holton Professional, a watch originally developed for military and special forces use, and onto now their patented achievment of the Beachmaster. Every model is designed with usability and legibility in mind. Whether you’re exploring the outdoors, navigating the everyday grind, or knocking down doors for a living, Elliot Brown watches are built to thrive where others don’t.
I’ve been wearing my Holton for a while now, and it’s a well-loved tool. Its biggest draw, as I’ve said on many podcasts, is that it’s unapologetically legible. With its bold no-nonsense lume and a dial that reads clean in any light, even in our often murky PNW waters, it is a solid tool. I’ve taken it diving in the Salish Sea, trekking through the North Cascades, and it’s handled everything without missing a beat. It’s the kind of watch that doesn’t clamor for attention, but quietly earns its keep, one adventure at a time. Every nick in the case tells a story…especially the first. I shared this one over on the Zulu Time Podcast, but it’s worth retelling: while setting up for a dive, my Holton took a nose dive off the bed of my dive partner’s pickup truck. It dropped over five feet right onto, of course, the only rock in the vicinity. I braced for the worst, expecting a chipped or cracked crystal. But when I picked it up…the scratch wiped clean off the case and crystal, and the only mark left behind was a small dent/nick in the case. Surely, I thought, the movement had to have taken a hit. But after the dive, I checked the timing, and it hadn’t skipped a single beat, not even by a second. Honestly, I think that rock came out of it worse than the Holton did.
Holton at about 6200ft in the N. Cascades
Holton Diving in the PNW
Shifting Sands of Global Trade
This conversation also kicks off a broader theme you’ll hear woven throughout my interviews from the Vancouver Timepiece Show—what I’m calling “The Shifting Sands of Global Trade.” As collectors, makers, and enthusiasts, we usually focus on the watches themselves: what we do with them, where they take us, and the stories they help us tell. But lately, shifting global politics, trade policies, and ever-changing tariffs are starting to impact what could actually make it to our wrists in the first place. It’s a side of the #watchfam story we don’t always talk about, but one that’s becoming harder to ignore.
At the time of recording and publication, Elliot Brown has announced that they have halted sales to the United States due to ongoing tariff challenges.
🇺🇸 Important update for our USA Customers: Due to the recent introduction of significantly increased tariffs on all imports into the United States by President Trump, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to temporarily pause all sales to the USA.
We’re actively exploring solutions and will resume shipping as soon as we can do so fairly—for you and for us.
-Elliot Brown Watches
This is just one example of how trade decisions ripple across borders and hit small, independent brands. This sentiment is echoed by other voices from other independent watchmakers, and we’ll hear how these global forces are, and could continue, shaping their corner of the horological world. From sourcing materials to getting watches into the hands of collectors….
Be sure to follow them on Instagram at @EBwatches or check out their Journal to stay connected, and stay up to date via their website elliotbrownwatches.com
Big thanks to the Vancouver Timepiece Show for creator and media access for these conversations. Keep your eye on timepieceshow.com for updates on the upcoming Toronto Timepiece Show.
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