Built for the World: Introducing MONTAR
Praesidus was born from the battlefield. But made for the world.
There is a certain kind of person who hears the alarm before sunrise and, rather than reaching to silence it, feels the quiet excitement of the adventure that lies ahead.
Outside, the world is still asleep. The air is cold, the roads are empty, and somewhere beyond the familiar comforts of home, a trail winds into the wilderness. There may be miles to cover, mountains to climb, or waters not yet crossed. There will almost certainly be moments of exhaustion, discomfort, and uncertainty.
And yet, they go.
Not because the journey promises to be easy, but because something about the challenge calls to them. Because there is a particular satisfaction in discovering what lies beyond the familiar, and perhaps an even greater one in discovering something unexpected about themselves along the way.
For generations, the field watch has accompanied people into the unknown. It has witnessed extraordinary moments of courage and quiet acts of perseverance, keeping time through circumstances that tested the limits of human endurance.
Now, that legacy is heading somewhere new.
Introducing MONTAR, the newest collection from Praesidus Watch Co., created for those who aren’t afraid to choose the hard way.
From the Battlefield to the Backcountry
The story of Praesidus begins with the American servicemen of World War II and the humble A-11 field watch they carried into history.
These watches were never intended to be extravagant. They were instruments of purpose, designed around the needs of the people who depended on them. Their value lay in their practicality, reliability, and ability to accompany their wearers through demanding circumstances.
That philosophy became the foundation of Praesidus, a company devoted to preserving military history, honoring those who served, and creating timepieces that carry stories forward. But as the years have passed and those stories have grown, so too has our understanding of what it means to live with courage.
We’ve come to recognize that while some of history’s greatest acts of heroism have unfolded on battlefields, the qualities that make those acts remarkable are not confined to them.
Determination. Resilience. Resourcefulness. The willingness to confront uncertainty and discover what we’re capable of when the moment demands something more. These qualities exist in people from every walk of life.
In our previous story, The Call of the Wild, we explored the adventurous hero, the climbers, runners, explorers, and ordinary people who willingly step beyond their comfort zones in search of something greater. Those who remind us that adventure can be its own kind of proving ground, and that courage sometimes reveals itself in the simplest decision to keep moving forward.
MONTAR is an extension of that belief.
A new interpretation of the field watch, created not to leave our military heritage behind, but to carry its spirit into a much wider world.
For Those Who Choose the Hard Way
There is a difference between seeking danger and embracing a challenge.
For the adventurer, the pursuit is rarely about recklessness. It’s about preparation, discipline, curiosity, and the extraordinary feeling of accomplishing something that once seemed just beyond reach.
It’s the runner who returns to the trail after an exhausting week. The cyclist who finds another gear on the final climb. The traveler navigating an unfamiliar place. The weekend explorer who fights all week to break the city limits when the workweek is done.
Every one of them knows that the most meaningful journeys are not always measured by distance or destination. The reward is the person they become along the way.
With MONTAR, Praesidus brings the field-watch philosophy into this world, offering two distinct timepieces designed around different needs.
The MONTAR Ana-Digi combines traditional analog timekeeping with an independent digital display, alarm, stopwatch, and rotating compass bezel. Its 44mm stainless steel case brings practical functionality to the wrist for those who appreciate having useful tools close at hand.
The MONTAR GMT takes a different approach. With a lightweight 43mm polycarbonate case and a dedicated hand for tracking a second time zone, it speaks to the traveler, the wanderer, and anyone who wants to keep one eye on home while discovering somewhere new.
Both offer 10 ATM water resistance, with eight colorways across the collection.
Two different approaches, united by one simple idea: a watch should be ready to accompany the life being lived around it.
The Stories We Carry
A field watch is a curious thing. When new, it is a carefully assembled collection of components, materials, and precise measurements. But after years on someone’s wrist, it becomes something much more personal.
Its surface begins to carry traces of the places it has been. A scratch from a difficult climb, or dust from a distant trail. The memory of a journey that didn’t go as planned, or one that changed everything.
These imperfections become reminders of a life spent doing rather than simply dreaming.
For many of our military-inspired timepieces, the story begins decades before the watch ever reaches its wearer. With MONTAR, the story is waiting to be written.
Not necessarily in some faraway country or on the summit of a famous mountain. It may begin on a familiar trail, in a quiet act of personal determination, or on the morning someone finally decides to pursue the adventure they’ve been putting off.
The significance of that story is something only its wearer can decide.
Every Hero Has a Beginning
At Pass the Torch, we have long celebrated the lives of extraordinary men and women who answered the call to serve. Their stories remain an essential part of who we are and what we believe.
But the more stories we tell, the more we discover that heroism rarely belongs to a single profession, experience, or moment in history.
Sometimes it is found in sacrifice. Sometimes in compassion. Sometimes in the strength to protect another person. And sometimes, it is found in the determination to challenge ourselves, to venture into the unfamiliar, and to discover that we are capable of more than we once believed.
MONTAR represents an exciting step forward for Praesidus because it makes room for those stories, too.
For the soldier and the civilian. The seasoned explorer and the person embarking on their very first adventure. For those who have already discovered their calling, and those still searching for the courage to begin.
We believe there is a hero waiting inside each of us, and that life presents us with countless opportunities to let that part of ourselves rise.
The next great story may not begin with a moment the world will remember. It may begin with something as ordinary as waking before dawn, lacing up a pair of boots, and stepping outside.
Praesidus was born from the battlefield, but it was built for the world.
And with MONTAR, there’s a whole world of stories still waiting to be told.
Explore the new MONTAR collection: https://praesidus.com/collections/montar
Read The Call of the Wild: https://pass-the-torch.praesidus.com/the-call-of-the-wild/
