Whether it’s tents, boots, or pocket knives, it’s not uncommon for people born in the USA to gravitate to things built on their home shores. But until fairly recently, timepieces have fallen outside of the nation’s manufacturing lineup.
Among boutique outdoor gear, American-made items are generally held in high regard. Enter Island Watch and the ISL-75 Islander ($179). Powered by an aptly named “Ameriquartz” movement, this piece of wearable tech is one of the newest U.S.-made watches to become widely available.
The mechanism’s parent company, Fine Timepiece Solutions, bills itself as the “first major supplier manufacturing and assembling watch movements in the United States of America in the last four decades.”
Island Watch had been on my radar since I reviewed its excellent ISL-88. So, when I got wind of this new collaboration, I was eager to check it out. Island was quick to oblige, sending over the model shown here for testing. Here’s how it fared after several weeks of daily wear.

Island Watch: ISL-75 Ameriquartz Field Watch Review
The Islander ISL-75 is an amazingly unfussy tool. Its clean aesthetic is typical of field watches, which prioritize simplicity and legibility. My tester featured a white face beneath its antireflective sapphire crystal, but there are black-dialed models available as well. Both versions utilize large, stamped numerals with a small date window at the 4 o’clock position.
The numbers, hour hand, minute hand, and even the last half-inch of the second hand have been painted with glow-in-the-dark SuperLuminova, making this one of the easiest-reading nighttime watches you can find.
The case itself is composed of stainless steel, measuring 40 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick. The drilled lugs feel a little long (49 mm tip to tip), but they curve well around the wrist.
Water resistance is set at 100 m, which is more or less the standard for field watches. The metal is nicely brushed all around, with a polished ring on the sloped edge of the case back.
And check out the etching on the 75’s backside. Very nicely done.

Ameriquartz Credentials

Lonely Islander: What’s Missing

Conclusions: Island Watch’s ISL-75 Field Watch
