Reviews
BEAT THIS! The Trieste Deep Sea
Over the years, I’ve owned and worn beauties from Grimoldi Milano, T.N.T., Steinhart and others, great watches that look good, feel good, contain Swiss or Japanese movements, and usually cost under a grand. Or even under $500. New to the latter category is the handsome Trieste Deep Sea, which confounded me: How could a watch this inexpensive contain a proper Seiko calibre, and enjoy looks and finishing common to pieces at five times the price?
Much though I’d prefer to drag this out, like foreplay on a first encounter, I will spare you the tension: Available directly from www.triestewatches.com, the watches sell for £310 each, or US $397 at today’s exchange rate. Hell, I’ve paid more for straps. Or bottles of wine. And what you get is a presentational experience of luxo-packaging, containing a timepiece that, had I not blurted out the price, most would have said cost £1500.
A classic diving watch with water resistance to 300m/30bar, the Deep Sea features a unidirectional ceramic bezel, luminous sword-shaped hands and indices, and lugs spaced at 24mm. Inside is the automatic Seiko movement NH-35A, described as “automatic winding with ball bearing, clockwise and anti-clockwise winding with one-way clutch, date display with quick set, hacking seconds hand; and shock resistance shock-absorber device for balance staff” – all good stuff. Power reserve is 40 hours.
Please let me reiterate: I call this watch a “beater” only because it costs less than a meal-plus-house-vino-for-four at any half-decent London restaurant that happens to have cutlery and tablecloths. Buy one, wear it, and ask your watch-lovin’ buddies at Red Bar or some other gathering of the watch clan to guess the price. The loser buys a round.
Trust me: You’ll be drinking for free.