Three of the best bronze watches – a retro trend we are happy to see continue
Watchmakers Spinnaker, Tudor and Zenith release three prime examples
Ever the professional, I’ve also used this downtime to look over some new watch releases and check out some trends and I’m happy to report that bronze is still a thing. The bronze trend – that is watch cases made from the metal alloy – appeared a few years ago with particularly fine releases from the likes of Oris, Panerai and Montblanc. In a way an augmentation of the retro trend, the use of bronze gives the watch case a patina or “been around the block” look and, coupled with classic styling and a well-worn leather strap, looks great. We haven’t reached Peak Bronze yet, thankfully, and this week we’ll look at three more pieces that cut the mustard.
Spinnaker is a young brand I haven’t featured all that much before but the Tesei Bronze Edition (above) is its first “Swiss Made” watch, and it is quite simply gorgeous. The 43mm aged-bronze case accentuates the 1940s/50s dive-watch design, although, let’s be honest, you’re never going to take this bad boy for a swim even though it is water resistant to 300 metres.
Features include a unidirectional bezel, a date window and, inside, a Swiss Selita SW200 automatic movement. This is a chunky and heavy watch (it is bronze, after all) and comes with a thick-cut Italian leather retro strap, so you’ll always be aware of it on the wrist.
Released on October 18, the watch is priced at US$850 (there’s a special pre-order price of US$599), which makes it Spinnaker’s most expensive timepiece to date but the Swiss Made badge, the movement and, of course, the great use of bronze are worth the premium.
