MTM SPECIAL OPS

Tattoos and Tactical Watches collide in the Offices of Inked Magazine!

The feeling of confidence that washes over you when you hear the finely tuned buzz of a tattoo machine, is the same sense of confidence that you will experience when you strap on a MTM watch. For people in the know, MTM is the company that builds military watches for men.

We chose three different styles to match up with people in our office. We decided which tactical watch would go to each person based on the style of tattoos they had inked on their body.

Big Mike – American Traditional – MTM Black Silencer

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am an old school kind of person and hold tradition close to my heart. Whether it be in my tattoo styles or in the car I drive — a 1953 Merc — or the rugged watch I wear. The crew gave me the MTM Black Silencer to strap on my wrist, and it looked and felt right. A trio of traditional hour, minute and second hands worked right in with the “Time Waits for No Man” tattoo I have going around my wrist. I spent the first weekend working on my car and have to say I gave it a rough ride, but it came away unscathed, unlike my tattooed knuckles that took a beating. Even the glass didn’t have a scratch on it. But I guess that’s what you would expect from a watch that has the look and feel of a piece of military gear!

I pride myself on being able to spot classic styling in my choice of tattoos and what I wear. This watch although high tech with more features than you will probably ever use mixes classic styling with the tech demands that everyone, including a low-tech guy like me, wants from a watch. Features I dug most were that it’s a digital analog watch with LED lights and an alarm that can be set to any combination of beeping and/or vibrating.

Troy – Black and Grey – MTM Seal

I have to say when I strapped this watch on it rivaled the artwork that adorns my arms. Even if I do say so myself, I have some of the best black and grey work done by some of the most renowned artists to ever lay ink to skin and this watch only added to my work. Usually, I don’t wear a watch because I feel it breaks the flow, but not so with the MTM Seal.

Also, I am a bit of a tech geek and when I found out that the interchangeable Ballistic Velcro band is made from a product known as nylon 66 that’s used when making bullet proof vest, I kind of knew this was a watch I would feel at home with. Oh, yeah and it doesn’t hurt that it comes in black and silver, two of my favorite colors and a tritium dial and hands that illuminate when things go dark. Now, not that I ever envision myself being 3,300 feet below the surface of any ocean, but if I was the makers of this watch assure me it will still be working! Makes for a good conversation starter!

Laurence — Japanese Traditional — MTM Black Cobra

If you can tell anything from the tattoo work I have all over my body is that I am stickler for tradition and technique. I pride myself on knowing what makes a good tattoo both esthetically and technically. Whoever decided to give me the Cobra as the watch to review had me nailed right on. With features like a classic slide rule bezel for aviators, the kind that can be used for aviation related calculations such as flight time, distance, fuel consumption, and the rate of descent/climb wrapped up in a Titanium case it is the perfect combination of tradition and technique all packed into a tough, stylish watch. Let me give you a perfect example, embedded among all this high technology are the tried-and-true traditional hands of a classic watch with a luminous index and numbers.

Oh yeah, and if you know anything about traditional Japanese tattoos, a snake is a symbol of protection against misfortune and illness, as well as a symbol of wisdom, good luck and strength.

Martin — Biomechanical — MTM Special Ops RAD

Okay, I’m the guy in the office who they joke around about and call me the 6 Million Dollar Tattoo Man. Why? Well, take a look at my biomechanical coverage and the answer is pretty obvious. So, if you’re going to give me a watch it better be Rad…and this MTM Special Ops RAD lives up to its name!

The features on this watch are insane, and I’m going to give you the specs directly from the engineers who designed this amazing Wrist Warrior! The MTM Special Ops RAD is a tactical watch for men that measures harmful ionizing radiation through a Geiger-Müller tube. It is a Geiger counter watch that measures single-dose gamma ray levels, as well as cumulative exposure over time. The ultra-sensitive radiation detector within the watch measures and tracks dose equivalents of Gamma Radiation – from 0.0001 to 9999 millisieverts (mSv), and the dose equivalent rate of up to 4000 microsieverts per hour (μSv/h). Users can preset their maximum radiation threshold, up to 9999 mSv, and an alarm will sound when the level has been reached. Radiation levels are displayed graphically and can also be shown on the digital display, which can be switched between dose equivalent rate, accumulated dose, and the time. The time is shown via tritium illuminated analog hour, minute and second hands. The digital display is EL backlit. The MTM RAD is water resistant up to 330 feet and powered by a lithium battery. The watch case is solid titanium with a brushed finish.

I’ll wait for you to catch your breath before I tell you that in addition to all that there is a limited run on this watch of only 1500! This has got to be the most intense watch ever!