BEAT THIS! The Trieste Mk II

Last August, we alerted you to that most irresistible of bargains: the Trieste Deep Sea, a chunky, Panerai-esque diving watch, with solid construction, great looks, a genuine Sekio movement, spare straps – even the packaging was cool. The killer was the price: under £400. Naturally, the first edition of 50 sold out immediately, so we’re letting you know about the second edition in advance, due any day now, as Revolution Public Service.

In addition to a fresh dial, the watch also corrects one little boo-boo that will make the first edition oddly collectible: the lower numbers – the 10-minute markers from 20-40 – on the rotatable bezel were the wrong way around! Now they read correctly so they are always the right way up when located at the top, or 12 o’clock point.

Retail price remains at £310 to £390, depending on how many straps you order with it. This time, it’s possible to have handmade leather watch straps, artisan-produced in Italy, as well as the over/under cloth straps, and there is also a mesh steel Milanese bracelet. I say order the lot – the leather strap alone looks like it should sell for £200.

Design changes are subtle but worthwhile: a blacker dial; the orange of the second hands is inspired by the orange stripe on the tower of the bathyscaphe; the back case now shows the bathyscaphe and the shape of the Mariana trench; internal small numbers have been inspired by the Longines stop-watches on board the Trieste. Other refinements include a flat sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflection treatment and the new Trieste has Superluminova C3 for its hands and dials.

Other specs are the same, including the automatic, 24-jewel Seiko NH-35A movement, the 53mm x 44mm case is 316L surgical stainless steel with screw-in crown and ceramic bezel, date display with quick setting, hacking seconds hand, water resistance to 300 metres/30 bar and a power reserve of 40 hours. The watches come with tools for changing the 24mm straps.

Guys: we’re giving you the heads-up before the official announcement. Move quickly if you want a funky, everyday watch that could pass as a high-end purchase, has full mechanical credibility, looks sensational and costs less than many brands charge for a buckle!

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