Marloe Coniston Auto Trackday review: Motorsport-inspired watch with exhibition caseback and a great price

Founded in 2016, Marloe is a British watch company that focuses on making mechanical watches with classical good looks and affordable price tags. The company also has close links with Sir Malcolm and Donald Campbell, the late father and son who set all manner of land- and water-speed records in the early- and mid-20th century.

The company currency sells watches spread across 10 different collections, but arguably its most notable are the Coniston and new Coniston Auto, named after the body of water in Northern England that saw water-speed records set by the Campbells.

The new Coniston Auto collection includes four models, called the CN7, K4, Trackday and Black Edition, and each is offered with a wide range of leather, fabric, rubber and metal straps. For this review I’m focusing on the £349 Trackday, with its Gulf Racing-inspired blue and orange colourway. The watch was loaned with both a burnished tan leather strap and a new fabric Nato strap in a matching blue and orange colourway.

Although the Campbells were best known for their speed-record heroics, the Trackday is a nod to Sir Malcolm’s lesser-known Grand Prix de Boulogne wins of 1927 and 1928.

Designed in collaboration with the Campbell Family Heritage Trust, donations from sales of the Trackday go towards supporting and celebrating the Campbell family legacy, Marloe says.

Marloe Coniston Auto Trackday review: Specs

• Case size: 41mm
• Thickness: 11.1mm
• Lug width: 20mm
• Lug-to-lug: 48mm
• Water resistance: 10 ATM
• Movement: Miyota 8N24 automatic
• Power reserve: 40+ hours
• Crystal: Sapphire

Marloe Coniston Auto Trackday review: Hardware and design

The Coniston Auto Trackday is a classically handsome timepiece with bagfuls of tactility provided by a knurled edge to the stainless steel case. It’s not a dissimilar look or feel to the knurled edges of the switchgear in a Bentley Flying Spur, while the exposed crown gives the watch a vintage look.

The pale blue dial is set across two layers with seconds marked around the outer, upper edge, below which sits a cream, illuminating dial on the lower level, with an orange disc within that. It sounds like a complex design when written down, but it’s a wonderfully cohesive aesthetic that I think works really well.

Marloe Watch Company’s simplistic logo sits centrally and above a set of chrome-finished hands designed to look like structural elements of a race car chassis, complete with orange arrow at the tip of the second pointer.

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Marloe uses a crown that is also somewhat tactile, with a shape that tapers inward towards the case, making it easy to pull outwards when setting the time – something you’ll do with fair regularity if this watch sits among a collection and isn’t worn every day. That said, the 40-hour power reserve is pretty good, and means it can be left sitting for almost an entire weekend without losing time.

Overall, the watch has a clear and simple design that displays the time and nothing more. There's no date complication and no chronograph; just hours, minutes and seconds. It’s an eye-catching piece that I’d expect to age very well, and I particularly like the illusion of depth created by the dial.

Marloe Coniston Auto Trackday review: Movement and comfort

Turn the Trackday over and you’ll be greeted by the exhibition caseback and the automatic movement within. I’ve always been a sucker for a glass-backed automatic watch, and I think the inclusion here makes a fantastic juxtaposition to the simpler front. It’s a busy little movement with lots of brass-coloured components wonderfully on display.

The Miyota 8N24 is a Japanese movement that runs at 21,600 beats per hour, has 21 jewels, a claimed power reserve of over 40 hours and an accuracy of between -20 and +40 seconds per day. Horological diehards might turn their noses up at the movement not being Swiss, but by using the highly-respected Miyota means Marloe can produce an automatic watch at a very competitive price.

I’m used to wearing slightly smaller watches, including a 39mm Tudor Black Bay 58 and 36mm Christopher Ward C63 Sealander. So while the larger 41mm Marloe took a bit of getting used to, it soon felt comfortable. The leather strap started to soften after a couple of days of wear and I’m sure the burnished tan will gradually take on a nice patina with age.

I was excited to try the Nato strap and it didn’t disappoint. These bands always look pretty chunky with the excess strap doubled over at the 12 o’clock position, but if you want to make a statement it’s a pretty cool way to do it – and with the matching dial there’s no escaping the Gulf Racing inspiration for the colourway. I’m sure it’d make a fantastic combo for your next summer holiday.

Marloe Coniston Auto Trackday review: Verdict

If you’re a fan of Sir Malcolm and Donald Campbell then you might be drawn more to the CN7 and K4 members of the Coniston Automatic family, given their names are shared with the father and son’s record-breaking vehicles.

But if you fancy something different – a watch that retains a subtle nod to the Campbells while also incorporating a fantastic blue-and-orange colourway – the Trackday is the one to go for. It’s an eye-catching timepiece that is recognisably Marloe thanks to the layered dial, but with a lighter, brighter and more playful aesthetic than other members of the Coniston family.

I also like how it’s easy to dial up the fun with the matching Nato strap, or deploy the quick-release lug bars and switch to a more refined look with a classic leather strap.

As with other Marloe watches, the £349 price tag represents good value for money. And I promise you’ll think it’s an absolute bargain every time you gaze into the exhibition case back.

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