For weeks now, I’ve been putting the MTM Silver Silencer through its paces, looking for the compromise in this field-durable timepiece that would allow me to temper my praise over how good it looks. Now, as the third week of abuse comes to a close, I’m genuinely convinced that this piece of kit is just as at home in the rigors of a field environment as it is in a polo-shirt-laden conference room.
Over the years, I’ve reviewed all kinds of gear — from bulletproof clipboards without much practical use to water filtration devices that could very literally save your life. As luck would have it, my lifestyle tends to lend itself well to assessing the feasibility of gear in both sweat-soaked, dirt gnashing field environments and the fairly uptight conference rooms editors with budgets to manage have to get comfortable in. Granted, in 2020, those meetings have shifted online, but the need to make yourself presentable (at least from the waist up) remains as prevalent as ever.
I usually swap watches when making the transition from office hours to splitting wood, but for the past three weeks, I’ve consistently worn the MTM Silencer in both environments: Assessing how comfortable the timepiece is while writing at a desk all day, and how well it holds up the abuse I put it through as a guy who both loves the outdoors and has a toddler to keep up with.
Throughout the day, the 9 oz. weight of the watch sometimes caught my attention–largely because I’d grown accustomed to wearing a lightweight (1.27 oz) Apple Watch SE during office hours. Initially, I found the change distracting, but within a few days, I came to appreciate the added heft and the general toughness that comes with it. I could bang this watch on my desk, clip the door frame with my wrist as I ran after my daughter, and generally treat the Silencer with the reckless abandon I normally would reserve for a $50 G-shock. After about a week, I began getting intentionally rough with the Silencer, in hopes of approximating normal wear and tear over a far longer amount of time.
At the end of each workday (and over a long holiday weekend), I kept the MTM Silencer on my wrist while doing decidedly rougher stuff I usually reserve for more understated field watches like my SANS-13. My workshop (which was initially set up specifically for knife making) offered some creative torture tests. I wore the Silencer through hours of belt sanding and angle grinding 1095 steel on some days. And because my workshop has become home to a lot of different kinds of projects over the last year, the Silencer also came along with me on some delicate wood working, layers of painting, and the occasional blood-drawing mistake.
Through it all, after I blew off the sawdust and wiped away the sweat, the MTM Silencer stood strong, looking every bit as good as it did when I first pulled it out of the (honestly really cool) hard case MTM ships their watches in.
To be honest with you, I think I could probably use this thing as a hammer and it wouldn’t break a sweat. This is a legitimately rugged fashion accessory.
But the MTM Silencer is more than a good looking watch that can take a beating. It also comes with a laundry list of handy capabilities. The watch itself is easy to read in any low-light environment, thanks to its digital LED display and luminous index and hands. But what if you wanted to read more than your watch? That’s where my favorite tool on this timepiece comes in. At right around the 10 and 2 marks, two small dots actually house incredibly bright LED flashlights.
These lights aren’t intended for long-term use in a blackout (MTM recommends limiting its use to around 20 seconds per day), but I’ll be honest, having these bright lights on my wrist proved pretty handy on a number of occasions. The LED lights are far brighter than the lighting offered by iPhone 8 Plus and plainly puts the Apple Watch SE’s flashlight mode to shame. The charge on the watch lasts around four months, and can be recharged with the included electromagnetic induction charger.
The Specs: MTM Silver Silencer
Price: $1,080
Diameter: 44.5mm
Thickness: 15.4mm
Water Resistance: 100m
Weight: 9oz
Light Modes: LED Digital Display Illuminates For Easy Reading Up To 3 Seconds Per Actuation
Movement: MTM’s Proprietary 8J85-M6 Analog/Digital Quartz
Water Resistant: Up to 100 meters (330 feet)
Conclusion
At just a bit over $1,000 retail, the MTM Silver Silencer isn’t the sort of field watch you might scoop up at the PX before hopping in a 5-ton and rolling out into the field. The watch itself is a marriage between a classy aesthetic and a ruggedly utilitarian design that harkens back to the stories of Navy SEALs wearing pricey watches that could both withstand the abuse of their operational requirements and still retain enough visible value to be used as a bargaining chip if you find yourself stranded behind enemy lines. All told, the MTM Silencer blends style with utility in a way that feels right at home at the Marine Corps ball or being dragged through the mud as you low crawl beneath barbed wire.
If you’re more about collecting than you are about wearing, the Silencer is still a solid choice, thanks to its limited edition and individual serial number etched into the bottom of the watch. If silver doesn’t do it for you, the Silencer also comes in black or grey with a variety of bands to choose from.
The MTM Silver Silencer may not be the right pick for new guys that are still learning how to lace their boots properly. But if you’re salty enough to know that sometimes you’ve got to pay a bit more to get a bit more, you won’t go wrong with the Silencer.
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