What if Rolex never went mainstream luxury and instead stuck to its 1950s design and horological ethos? What if the Coronet brand didn’t jettison what it did best—making quality everyday and adventure watches—instead of hyperfocusing on being the best and first at everything? Rolex never was a cheap brand, of course. But an Explorer 1 Ref. 1016 in 1968 retailed for $205 USD or $1,909 in 2025’s dollars adjusted for inflation. Today the descendant of the 1016, the Ref. 124270 (the 36mm version) retails for $8,700 USD/ That’s and a half time what the 1016 retailed for in 1968. Evidently, the two models are million light years apart from each other in terms of movement, finishing, and materials. But functionally and visually, these two watches are virtually identical. I will always be the first one to argue that we don’t have to spend too much money to have a good watch, and that spending thousands more doesn’t alter the wearing experience. It just doesn’t. 

And many of us watch enthusiasts/collectors look for a particular type of watch in order to have a particular experience. The feeling of sporting the right watch, the emotion which ensues finding said timekeeping device—the one which best fits our personality. The cogs-and-wheels-and-steel apparatus we’ve been searching for all of these godforsaken years. And this can happen at any end of the price spectrum, whether the model is an AliExpress special or a fully handmade haute horlogerie creation from an exclusive Swiss brand. This brings us to Traska and the Summiteer 36 Charcoal Black. Spiritually, a Rolex Explorer 1 alternative. Concretely, a superb watch whose spec-to-ratio value exceeds that of most watches which cost the same or a little more. Practically, a watch on which we can slap all of the most gloriously positive adjectives  unique to our niche world of horology. It’s a GADA watch, an everyday watch, a one-watch collection piece. And for $660 it could be yours today. 

Specifications 

Should we argue about specifications and value today? Are you ready to discuss what is not enough, enough, and more than enough? Well hold on to your whiskers friend because you’re about to get your mind flipped upside down by what’s to come. And if you don’t yet know about Traska then this review is going to teach you everything you need to know about the brand and what it does best. In a yet-to-be-written profile story on the brand’s founder, Jon Mack, I would quote him retailing his manufacturer’s response to his initial inquiry to get watches made: “You want to make a Rolex for the price of a Seiko.” Realistically this isn’t true because a Traska will never be a Rolex. But the meaning of this response is as follows: on the outside and with the naked eye, a Traska more or less looks like a Rolex from a finish standpoint. Mechanically, it’s radically different. 

But from a pragmatic standpoint, that of someone who wears watches everyday to do all sorts of things, a Traska functions like a Rolex. The former has enough water resistance, scratch resistance, daytime and nighttime legibility, and an accurate and reliable movement in order to handle itself well. It has enough of all essential and non-essential specs to be the perfect GADA/everyday watch, and it comes with the added—and crucial,—bonus of costing 13 times less than a Rolex Explorer 1. Anyone of you who cares more about everyday reliability and comfort rather than status and heritage will opt for the Summiteer 36 over the Explorer 1. The Traska is the type of watch discerning (saying this with loving sarcasm) enthusiasts wear everyday and wise collectors strap to their wrist instead of the Rolex in order to go about their lives. In other words, a Summiteer 36 that costs $660 will do more for you than a $8,700 Explorer 1. 

So, what exactly are we talking about here? Well, first the case and bracelet are made of 316L stainless steel and coated with Traska’s proprietary hardening compound raising the metal’s scratch resistance to 1,200HV on Vicker’s hardening scale, so eight times that of naked steel. As far as my little head remembers, Traska was the first micro/indie brand to offer such stellar scratch resistance. Then we get a Miyota 9039 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) which typically run very well with Traska; a box-style double-domed sapphire crystal (it sits proud of the bezel and has arched sides) with inner anti-reflective coating; diamond-cut hands; 100 meters of water resistance (screw-down crown and case-back;) fully articulated bracelet with screwed links and an on-the-fly micro-adjustment system; generous applications of BGW9 SuperLuminova on the hands and hour markers; and drilled lugs. All of that again for $660. 

Design 

So mechanically, the Traska Summiteer 36 probably exceeds all of your expectations for the price point. It also surpasses what most other micro/indie brands offer today. And although I know you’re about to say the idiotic thing you’re about to say, please don’t. A $200 AliExpress Special does not compare to the Summiteer 36, neither from technical or manufacturing standpoints. But I hear you and you need to keep the following in mind: even though their watches are probably made in the same factories, Traska is a standalone company and can’t compete with the business and industrial power of brands Chinese manufacturers create internally. In my humble opinion, the latter are starting to catch up with a brand like Traska as they are leaning more towards original designs than copies, but to this day I haven’t seen one which designs and creates what Traska does. And so, after another interruption, let’s talk about the design of the Summiteer 36. 

As mentioned in the introduction, spiritually this model is a sibling of the Explorer 1. There is no doubt about that. And that’s a good thing for two reasons: (1) Rolex doesn’t have the monopoly on this design; (2) historically, brands have inspired and copied each other. So why does it become a problem when a micro/indie brand does it? Exactly, it shouldn’t. And here I would argue Traska did a superb job revisiting the Explorer 1 design to make it its own. First by opting for an elegant set of polished sword hands, lume filled, complemented by a seconds hand with an arrow-shaped tip. Second, by downsizing the Arabic numerals at the 3, 6, and 9 to visually balance them with the applied hour markers—yes applied—entirely made of luminescent material. I love how the latter start from the semi-railroad minute track and end where the dial curves down at its center, adding subtle yet delightful three-dimensionality. 

The case is equally well-designed and equally inspired by that of the Explorer 1. An overall flat profile with a slight turn-down to the lugs, fully polished and slightly curved case flanks, thin and majestic polished chamfers running alongside the case on both sides, a small but functional crown (5.8mm in diameter,) a rather flat fixed bezel with a radially-brushed upper section and polished chamfer, and the vintage flare of the box-shaped domed sapphire crystal which is extremely reminiscent of yesteryears’ bulbous hesalite crystals. The bracelet has a classic Oyster-style three link construction with vertically brushed surfaces and polished outer ones, an elegant double-pusher clasp with polished chamfers, and the brand’s knot logo CNC-machined at its center. What I have bizarrely not mentioned yet are the Summiteer’s dimensions: 36.5mm in diameter, 44m lug-to-lug, 10.5mm thick, and coming with a 20mm lug width. Standard, universal, beautiful. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that the Traska Summiteer 36 Charcoal Black is yet another version of the what-if-this-historical-swiss-brand-went-a-different-direction which we’ve recently done exploring the MKII Fulcrum 39 and the Redwood Tactical V3. Indeed, what if Rolex didn’t go full steam into the luxury and mechanical prowess paths which resulted in a 4.5x increase of the price of the Explorer 1? What if the historical Swiss brand was the 1950s equivalent of a 2020s microbrand? We can run these scenarios all day everyday but in the end they won’t change what the Summiteer is at its core: a superb exploration watch, a legible timepiece, and a mechanically and technically accomplished horological creation whose value far exceeds its specs and price tag. The latter is so because this watch can do it all and better than a $8,700-Swiss watch as you and I know what we want and feel comfortable wearing today and tomorrow. 

Conclusion 

Yet another element which differentiates what Traska does from what Rolex doesn’t, as well as what the commonly named AliExpress brands don’t do, is to offer the Summiteer in different colors and sizes. While I’m reviewing the Charcoal Black version, in 2025 this model comes in this color and Pine Green, Midnight Blue and Oxblood Red in cases measuring either 36.5mm or 38.5mm in diameter. So there is a Summiteer for each and everyone of you discerning watch enthusiast—again saying that with loving sarcasm—so that we all can have our own version of the iconic exploration watch, one which we feel comfortable wearing at home, work, outside, inside, the city or the jungle, and about which we will never think I wish I had the real deal. 

Thanks for reading.