The Abingdon Jordan a Motorsports Inspire Timepiece for Women

by Michael Satterfield - 03/04/2

The Abingdon Co., a watch company built on the idea of creating watches for adventure-seeking women, has released its first automotive-inspired timepiece, dubbed the Jordon. According to the press release the watch is "inspired by female race car drivers, motorcyclists, and mechanics from all over the world." The release didn't list off any of the women who have inspired the watch, why the watch is named Jordan, and there doesn't seem to be any motorsports connection to a driver or the brand. The release says the watch is "not only an effort to kick off International Women's History Month but also to bring recognition to the growing number of women in the sport."

The Abingdon Jordan also doesn't conform to what most watchmakers consider a "female" watch, most watches designed for women have a 26-29mm case and tend to be on the thin side, the Jordan comes in at 40mm across and 13mm thick, the same size as Rolex Submariner. Large case sizes seem to be a hallmark of the brand as only one watch in their current collection is under 40mm.

Outside of the marketing, I don't really understand what makes the Abingdon Jordan a "female watch," it seems no more feminine than a Tag Heuer Carrera or an Omologato Maranello. In fact, most of their current range could be classified as unisex and I think many men would find the Jordan and some of their other watches very attractive.

The Abingdon Jordan a Motorsports Inspire Timepiece for Women

While I haven't seen an Abingdon Jordan in person but it looks like a fairly standard overseas produced chronograph, I say overseas, because while I am 99% sure this watch is made in China, I couldn't find any information on the Abingdon website stating where their watches were made. The Jordan is powered by a reliable Japanese Miyota quartz movement but priced at $599 I would have liked to have seen a Miyota automatic movement. An automatic movement would have made more sense for this kind of watch at this price point, but then again major brands are selling quartz watches for $1,500.

The Jordan does face some stiff competition since in the $300-$600 price range watch buyers have a lot of options. For $329 you can buy a Yema Rallygraf, with a Seiko VK64 hybrid movement, and you get a watch from a brand with a history in racing. If female racing heritage is important to you the Tissot T-Race Chronograph was worn by driver Danica Patrick who was sponsored by the Swiss watchmaker for many years. The T-Race starts at $550 or for just $50 more you can buy the stainless steel Tissot PR 100 Sport Chic Chronograph. Plus you have a wide selection of motorsports watches from Omologato in the sub $600 range.

Abingdon does have a great mission of supporting women in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics or STEAM through the Abington Foundation, so that is always something to take into consideration when shopping. Check out the full specifications on the Jordan below.