A Note To Our Fellow Adventurers
In this article, we share an entry from Riley Lockett, founder of Sector 7 Studios, based here in Alberta, Canada. His dedication to adventure story telling has taken him away from his home in Australia, and around the world several times over.
Having worked with Riley on several projects, as much as his team has learned about our watches, I was learning about his personal and professional gear preferences. He shares a belief that I think is common in our community of adventurers, "uncomfortable territory is just part of it." In our conversations over the years about his luggage, jackets, and other kit, it was clear he didn't chase the newest gear, most expensive, or best looking; practicality and reliability, are the most important.
I'll spoil the ending by saying it gives me great pride knowing he puts our lifetime guarantee to the test whenever he's in the wild with a UTD-8000, read on for Riley's favourite key feature after he shares on his obsession to create.
- Huiy Tang, Co-Founder
Growing up in remote Australia, I never felt like anywhere was home for me. The landscape was vast but predictable. What fascinated me was everything I couldn't access. The mountains. The snow. The unknown.
Once I started traveling, the world opened up. My first trip to Iceland was the turning point. It wasn't just a destination; it was the moment I realized I could chase the landscapes I'd seen online and actually experience them in person, bringing them to life through film and creative storytelling. That's when it clicked: I could make cinematic content similar to what I was seeing other people create.
Creativity is how I think. It never stops. My mind is constantly planning the next project, figuring out how to outdo what I just finished. I'm drawn to epic landscapes, but it's not about documenting what's there. It's about seeing what could be there. Finding angles and creative approaches that turn locations into something raw and unforgettable.
For the past few years, I've been obsessed with one thing: bringing ideas to life. Real ideas. The kind that live in your head for months before you can execute them at the standard you demand. I'm old school about it. No shortcuts. No compromise. I'll spend months conceptualizing a single shot, working through every detail until it's right.
Every time I finish something I'm proud of, my immediate thought is what's next?
Pushing into uncomfortable territory is just part of it. From ski touring in minus forty degree weather to trekking through the Sahara with local guides, I've chased locations on bare bones budgets, sleeping in cars and wet tents with wet clothes, dealing with whatever discomfort comes with chasing light and the landscape.
This year, I launched my company Sector 7 Studios. We specialize in fast-paced, motion-driven content for outdoor and adventure brands. Whether it's expedition filmmaking, adventure storytelling, or brand work, we bring precision and creativity to every frame.
For those reasons, I use the UTD-8000. Simple. Reliable. Built to survive in all conditions and do the job it needs to do. I grabbed my first one over a year ago and now have several in rotation. The strap system is the key feature. I can transition from elastic comfort on a mountain expedition to polished titanium when I need to shift from the field to meetings. It's a watch that doesn't ask questions; it just works.
I'm not a fan of something overengineered and complicated. In a world where we're so connected, smartwatches feel worse in my opinion. I'd rather have something functional and reliable. That's why the UTD-8000 and RZE resonate with me.
Follow Riley Lockett on Instagram for more on his adventures and see his brand and commercial work over at Sector 7 Studios.
