This Dive Watch Cost More Than a Rolex Submariner in the 1960s. Now It’s Back

This reborn forgotten gem maintains its original unique defining feature.

Published October 29, 2024

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The 1950s and 1960s collectively made up the most pivotal era in the history of dive watches. With the advent of the dive watch in 1953, the following decade and a half saw the launch of nearly every other iconic dive watch in existence.

After Rolex, Blancpain and Zodiac got the ball rolling with the Submariner, Fifty Fathoms and Sea Wolf, respectively, the next 15 years gave us the Omega Seamaster 300, Doxa Sub 300, Breitling Superocean, Seiko 62MAS, EPSA Super Compressor and more.

One of the most impressive dive watches of the era was also one of the most obscure. The Triton Spirotechnique was a strange-looking diver from 1963 that’s exceedingly rare today, but back when it debuted, it was perhaps the most expensive diver on the market — costing even more than the Rolex Submariner.

Now, five decades after its pricey debut, the Triton Spirotechnique is back — and it still boasts its most unique defining feature.

triton dive watch — The Triton Spirotechnique is officially back.

Crowning Achievement

The original Triton Spirotechnique was designed by French Air Force Colonel Jean René Parmentier in 1963. The watch, which had the model name “Triton,” was created exclusively for the Spirotechnique brand. Spirotechnique was a premier supplier of diving equipment that was founded by legendary undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau in 1946.

The original Triton Spirotechnique was only sold in Spirotechnique’s stores, with its high price and exclusivity making it a rare find on the vintage market today. Still, examples were known to have been worn by French and American combat divers, as well as members of Cousteau’s team.

a vintage watch advertisement showing triton and rolex dive watches — As this 1960s ad shows, the Triton Spirotechnique was priced slightly above the Rolex Submariner (those prices, oof).

What made the watch most unique and special was its innovative crown and crown guard design. For one, the crown was placed at 12 o’clock rather than on the side of the case, where it would be less likely to receive inadvertent knocks.

The crown was also protected by an articulated crown guard that better shielded the crown from blows and kept it from popping out. Because of their articulation, the crown guards also moved with the wearer’s wrist, ensuring the watch remained comfortable to wear despite the unusual crown placement.

Spirotechnique Part Deux

The Triton name was revived as a standalone brand in 2015 with the intent of recreating the original dive watch, which the brand has effectively been doing since 2016 with its modernized Subphotique model. But last year, Triton announced the Spirotechnique was officially coming back — presumably because the Spirotechnique name became available — and now, the new Triton Spirotechnique is finally out.

triton watch on a mans wrist — Triton has been making the Subphotique, a more modernized Spirotechnique, for nearly a decade.

The new version of the Triton Spirotechnique is very faithful to the original but makes use of modern materials. The 12 o’clock crown and articulating crown guard are still there as the defining feature, of course, but the original’s acrylic crystal has been upgraded to scratch-resistant sapphire.

The original bezel was friction-fit and bidirectional, but the new version is a more dive-appropriate 120-click unidirectional. The bezel still features the same quirky markings, with the “0”s of each numeric marker being undersized, and all of the markings are still lumed — but now with Super-LumiNova instead of radioactive material. The bezel insert has also been upgraded from acrylic to sapphire.

The stainless steel case size has been sized up slightly, from 37mm to 39mm, but it still feels period-correct. The black dial and lumed indices and handset all look nearly identical to the original, including the massively oversized arrow minute hand and the lollipop seconds hand. The watch also maintains its 200m water resistance rating.

The automatic movement has, of course, been upgraded over whatever ancient engine the Triton used in the early ’60s. The contemporary version is powered by a La Joux-Perret G100 movement with some custom decoration and a 68-hour power reserve. Finally, the watch is fitted with a custom-designed Tropic rubber strap that really drives home the ’60s vibes.

triton dive watch strap closeup — The watch comes on a custom-made Tropic rubber strap.

Pricing and Availability

If you’re a fan of vintage tool watches — especially ones with real provenance and unique quirks — then the Triton Spirotechnique is likely high on your wish list. It’s certainly a cool watch, as I personally love its design, find its story fascinating, and appreciate the unique innovation of its crown setup.

However. This watch is very expensive for what you’re getting.

The new Triton Spirotechnique is priced at 5,200 € (~$5,620). That’s not exactly cheap, and while I understand the original Triton was the cream of the dive-watch crop back in the day, competition is a whole lot fiercer in 2024.

For reference, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M — a bona fide icon with a bulletproof build, legitimate luxury-level finishing, and a stellar in-house movement — costs $5,600 on a rubber strap. It’s a considerably better watch by basically every metric — no offense to the folks at Triton — and can be had for the same price.

Based on the movement, materials, and finishing, $3,000 for this watch would seem pretty expensive; $5,600 just feels insane. So, while the new Triton Spirotechnique is definitely a unique and fun watch, it’s hard for me to swallow it at its price point.