It isn’t everyday that we are presented with a new take on a classic genre of watches. Because most of what we see has been done before and reimagined, reinterpreted again and again, to present something familiar but ever so slightly different. But rarely something that makes us think At last, someone came up with something actually new. Especially when it comes to dive watches which are, statistically and anecdotally, the most popular type of watches in the world. And so it was ten years ago as it is today. And it makes sense that they are constantly in high demand: they tend to be visually versatile and mechanically robust, endowing them with the required qualities to be everyday, GADA (go-anywhere-do-anything), and one-watch collection timepieces. When one is not dreaming of a Rolex Submariner one is dreaming of a Seiko 62MAS reissue or a Longines Legend Diver. Brands would like to stop making divers but they can’t because we enthusiasts and collectors can’t stop asking for them. 

Thus brands either re-interpret or recreate the genre. 

Most of the time, it is the former. But rarely, it is the latter. Because to come up with a new design and concept for a type of watch that has been made a million times since the 1950s, in all watchmaking countries in the world, well it requires creativity, time, and energy. Resources too few brands decide are sound to invest in which is why we rarely see new dive watches. Of course, I wouldn’t be saying all of this if today we would not be looking at a fresh take on the genre, because that’s exactly what we are about to do. The latest singular diver to catch my eye is the Trematic T-Five Beigua Maris Shadow, an Italian designed and Swiss made underwater exploration toolwatch whose name is inspired by the seashores of Mount Beigua, in northwestern Italy, a pristine natural environment where the mountains majestically flow into the Mediterranean. Also one of Europe’s richest titanium reserves which was serendipitous because the T-Five is made of Grade 5 Titanium—you know, the expensive kind. 

Specifications 

Whenever we talk about the cost of watches we talk about what they are made of and whether or not their price is justified. And this includes the cost of the materials and parts which are of various qualities, the cost to assemble and finish them whose quality also operates on a sliding scale, and the cost to quality control and market these damn machines. There are certain materials and components which instantly raise the cost of watches as steeply as a space rocket shoots from earth into space. For example, the sought-after grade 5 titanium which most brands avoid because of its higher-than-acceptable cost to acquire, work, and finish. This is the case because the more commonly used grade 2 titanium is entirely made of titanium whilst grade 5 is composed of 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium, two elements which are respectively highly resistant to corrosion and strong which reinforces the hardness and durability of the alloy they are mixed with. Therefore grade 5 titanium is not only light but tough, thus perfect for a tool watch. 

To this Trematic added multiple finishes to give character to the grade 5 titanium case, with gorgeous juxtapositions of sand-blasted and polished accents we will get back to later on. The Italian brand was set on creating not only a visually striking timepiece (which we will also get back to in a jiffy) but a robust one, for example equipping the T-Five with a screw-down crown and case-back to add a more-than-respectable 300 meters of water resistance, which is what professional divers need and recreational divers dream of. An ultra domed sapphire crystal equipped with three layers of clear inner and outer anti-reflective coating, sitting proud of the bezel by a few millimeters, adding a little something of vintage underwater horology whilst providing a crystal-clear view of the dial underneath. The sapphire is so clear actually that, upon opening the box and seeing the T-Five for the first time, I thought Trematic forgot to put a crystal and it felt as if I could touch the dial with my finger. This was a first for me in six years. 

Trematic went far beyond the grade 5 titanium and the high water resistance however, as it also picked a pretty neat caliber for its diver, the now very popular La Joux-Perret G101 which ticks at 4Hz and comes with 68 hours of power reserve. That is a lot of juice for a mechanical movement which allegedly is perfect so that your watch will tick on Monday morning after you dropped it in the watch box on Friday evening. Though if it were me, I wouldn’t want to detach the T-Five Beigua from my wrist. We also get a unidirectional bezel with 120 finely torqued clicks, composed of a matte ceramic inlay and a grade 5 titanium assembly (phew,) excellent applications of BGW9 SuperLuminova on almost every single element you see on the dial and bezel, and two very neat FKM straps—one vintage Tropic-style with a traditional pin and buckle system, and a thick, finely textured one equipped with a deployant clasp. Lastly, the case of the T-Five measures 39mm in diameter, 45.5mm lug-to-lug, 11.3mm thick, and comes with a 20mm lug width. 

The price for all of this you may ask? A meager €1,200 or $1,391 USD roughly. 

Design 

Evidently, we already got a lot of serious horology with the T-Five by simply looking at what it is made of. Grade 5 titanium case and bezel, 300 meters of water resistance, a crystal-clear sapphire, excellent lume, and a good movement. And that is where most brands would have stopped in terms of what they would offer because that is a lot already, and they would not bother putting as much time and effort in designing something interesting to perfectly and symbiotically complement the specifications of the watch. But Trematic did and that alone could have warranted adding another grand to the price tag of this diver which wouldn’t have shocked me. Because the market is such today that many so-called higher-end independent brands (which operate and are structured like microbrands) charge more than $1,400 USD for watches which are mechanically and technically inferior to the T-Five and aesthetically much less unique (inspired) than it is. And all of this is what makes this particular underwater exploration device so interesting. 

For the overall dial design Trematic went back to the Archivio Uno 502 we looked at before, in the use of Dauphine hands, rounded numerals, flint-shaped hour markers, and central minute track. I personally loved the design language of the 502 which was itself inspired by a vintage Trematic, however, with the T-Five it is the very first time that I see these kinds of design elements being implemented onto the dial of a diver. Where different sometimes equals weird here different equals clever. The polished vintage-looking rounded numerals are now three-dimensional blocks of lume, the faceted flint-shaped markers are now flat blocks of lume as well, the Dauphine hands remained polished but were widened and beefed-up to welcome large quantities of luminous pigment, and the seconds hand was fattened and is now equipped with a lumed triangle. To the central track were added rectangular lumed elements which emphasize the hours or five-minute increments, and the dial is made of a dégradé grey dial which superbly darkens at its periphery. 

The case is no less impressive and I actually do not know whether I am more in awe with it or the dial. The grade 5 titanium received a dual finish which both adds a strong utilitarian aspect to the case and concurrently raises its degree of elegance. On the case flanks, upper sections of the lugs, and most of the crown, the alloy was sand-blasted to a fine level, whilst the chamfers above and below the mid-case, bezel assembly, and a ring on the outside of the crown, were polished to a mirror finish. The duality in finishes visually work superbly well with the dégradé dial and the matte appearance of the bezel inlay, indeed creating a sort of perfect visual symbiosis and symmetry. Moreover, whilst the dial and bezel are composed of the same design elements (the rounded numerals and flint-shaped 12 o’clock marker,) the octogonal crown clashes with it but naturally flows from the angular case and double-chamfered mid-case, together creating their own little ecosystem which lives alongside the one created by the dial and bezel. 

By Genta, what a fabulous horological creation. 

The Heart of the Matter

I do not wish to claim that no other brand has ever accomplished what Trematic has done with the T-Five Beigua Maris from a technical standpoint, but shoot me, I bet none has ever been able to offer this particular mix of specifications for €1,200/$1,391 USD. From a value standpoint alone the T-Five blows most other divers I’ve ever seen out of the water and to smitherins once they’ve reached earth’s atmosphere (in a reverse-scientific kind of way of course.) And visually, it is superbly executed and unique. Not only in the way Trematic mixed together design elements which, in principle, should have never worked together—please do not pretend that Dauphine hands on steroids should make sense on a dive watch—but in the way the brand created two design languages—one for the dial and another for the case—which alone should each belong to another timepiece but which together here work oh so…symbiotically. Moreover, the T-Five is also very well manufactured and finished to pretty high standards, which further increases the norm-defying nature and value of this watch. 

Conclusion 

Once again we were proven that watch brands can innovate still and offer us new horological experiences. Even though most days it might appear so, we have yet to have seen it all in watchmaking thanks to micro and independent brands such as Trematic which continue to push the boundaries of value and design in ways we thought were no longer possible. What is further interesting about the T-Five Beigua Maris Shadow is the fact that today’s Trematic (as opposed ot the first iteration of the brand) did not revive another older model, but instead built from the 502’s refreshed design language to create a new collection on its own and which naturally belongs to the small but growing catalog of the Italian house of watchmaking. The T-Five also exists in Marina (blue-green) and Desert (sand yellow) variants and all are immediately available for purchase on the brand’s website, which is something also quite rare nowadays. 

Thanks for reading.