Diving watch brand Triton stages a comeback with a new model Subphotique

Having been away for four decades, the diving watch brand Triton has been brought back to life with a brand new model -- the Subphotique. This comeback is down to two Frenchmen: Jean Sébastien Coste and Philippe Friedmann.

Known to fans and collectors of vintage diving watches, the Triton Spirotechnique was designed in 1962 by Jean René Parmentier, a former colonel of the French Air Force, then launched in 1963 and sold until the early 1970s. The watch was designed on behalf of Spirotechnique, a diving gear company founded by the famous Commander Cousteau.

Instantly recognizable because of its crown and hinged protection at 12 o'clock, this model was one of the first with a water resistance of 200 meters.

The DNA of the original Spirotechnique is retained

Jean Sébastien Coste and Philippe Friedmann, who were fans of the original Triton and initially had no links with the watchmaking world, teamed up to bring this mythical watch back to life. The brand was relaunched with the Triton Subphotique model in 2015.

The watch has been modernized and is now more technically sophisticated, but retains the aesthetic characteristics of the very first model, including a crown at 12 o'clock and a hinged crown-guard.

This new timepiece has a brushed stainless steel case, a unidirectional notched diver's bevel in scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and a matte black dial with luminous Superluminova C3 indices for maximum readability.

One major new feature of the Triton Subphotique is its helium escape valve to withstand decompression stages in a pressure chamber, and it now has a water resistance of 500 meters.

The watch is powered by Triton's automatic movement, and features hours, minutes, seconds and date displays, as well as a power reserve of 42 hours.

There is a choice of two types of strap: black Louisiana Alligator leather or black synthetic rubber, both of which are stitched to a black rubber lining.

The Triton Subphotique is sold exclusively at watch and jewelry stores. Prices start at €4.950.