LACO Squad ATACAMA 2

It may be named after the driest desert in the world, the Atacama Desert which spans 1000km from the Pacific coast to the Andes Mountains,



but this 50 ATM water-resistant member of LACO’s Squad collection is a proper adventurer’s watch brought back to life and designed (in part) with the close cooperation of the German Army and its special units.



Designed with the military as well as members of the police and emergency services in mind plus lovers of the great outdoors (which includes the OCEAN), the new Atacama 2 is a watch that has a couple cool tricks up its sleeves.



Or should I say engineered with sleeves in mind, specifically the wrist part of them because not only does it boast an unusual but not unheard of (Anonimo Militare, Triton Spirotechnique, VDB 2012) 12 o’ clock crown position but it also has hinged lugs.



This means that despite its generous 46mm diameter it should fit snuggly and comfortably against all wrists. In addition, the winding-crowing which is typically a sport watch’s Achilles Heel is safely nestled in-between the lugs.



Other special features of the Atacama 2 include a black PVD coated Stainless steel case fitted with a knurled rotational bezel with a backwards anti-clockwise countdown function, which is said to be particularly useful when coordinating joint deployments.



Tough Sapphire crystals on the front and back of the watch protect its inner-workings while its hands, numbers and indexes are coated with brightly-glowing SLN.



Powering the Atacama 2 is a Laco 24 automatic movement, based on the Swiss caliber ETA 2824.2. MSRP is 930€ (1130USD). Estimated date of delivery is October 2018.



Thoughts? I think I have a bit of crush on this one; design heritage, engineered quirkiness and German ruggedness all rolled in one – I love it! What do you think?