Introducing: Trilobe's Trente-Deux, With Their First Manufacture Movement and First Bracelet

What We Know

There’s something big going on over at Trilobe. The French brand has released what is probably the most significant shakeup for the brand in recent memory, with the new Trente-Deux, an integrated bracelet sports watch that features one of the brand’s signature dials. Time is still told on a display with an aperture for the minutes, a subdial for the running seconds, and a peripheral hour display where the hour disc rotates to line up with the pointer at 12 o’clock. The case and what’s inside it are both completely new.

The first thing you might notice is that the Trente-Deux has an integrated bracelet, a first for the brand. Actually, any sort of bracelet is a first for Trilobe, but this bracelet, with the long faceted lines running from the case flank to the dropped-down section of the integrated lugs and polished center links, has a lot of contrast against the brushed surfaces. Then there’s the crown guards, another first, which adds to the sportiness. The case measures 39.5mm by 10.15mm with a 46.18 mm lug-to-lug. There’s a fluted bezel with mirror-polished ridges and microblasted grooves, while the sapphire crystal has a multi-layer ARDUR anti-reflective coating and a fluted push-button crown.

Announced alongside the bracelet, the most significant achievement is the new in-house movement that was entirely conceived, designed, developed, machined, crafted, decorated, and assembled in Paris within the new Trilobe Manufacture. Fun fact, their new facility used to be a factory for processing potatoes (it’s true, the brand had to clear out hundreds of pounds of leftover potatoes before they could start renovating).

That’s neither here nor there, I guess. However, what is important is that the very circular design of the front contrasts with an interesting, angular, and partially squared plate on the back, featuring a large, open automatic rotor. The finishing style is largely traditional French, with brushing and graining taking center stage, as well as angles along the edges of components such as the balance cock and cover plate. The plate itself, according to CEO Gautier Massonneau, is designed to cover the less attractive parts of the gear train, rather than hiding any bad finishing. The unusual display doesn’t yield a very conventional (and attractive) gear train, so the aesthetics are supposedly stronger this way.

The Trente-Deux comes in two dial variations, black or blue, with a sunray-finished center section of the dial. The numerals are pad-printed with grained discs for hours and minutes, and a seconds wheel combining azurage and Clous de Paris, with a guilloché circular chapter ring featuring a satin-brushed and mirror-polished finish. The retail price for either color is €16,500.

What We Think

Sometimes I forget just how young Trilobe is in today’s market. The brand has a very slow-and-steady meets creative approach. Everything from time-telling to brand storytelling has a certain level of understated confidence that supports the product in a very mature way. But in the understatement, you might miss that this is a remarkably impressive release. I had the opportunity to see the watch in person at Geneva Watch Days last week and took several pictures, so I’ll reserve any additional thoughts for the upcoming Hands-On story.

One thing that I will mention is that the bracelet is incredibly comfortable. I tried it on with my colleagues Andy and Jeff Hilliard (who heads our Limited Editions), and it fit comfortably on all our varying wrist sizes. Yes, creating a new bracelet design is a near-impossible task, but this one doesn’t resemble any of the iconic designs that are often copied. Combined with their signature dial and interesting new movement, it’s a very compelling new offering from this still young French brand.

The Basics

Brand: Ressence
Model: Trente-Deux

Diameter: 39.5mm
Thickness: 10.15mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Dial Color: Blue or black matte sunray finish
Indexes: Pad printed numerals with grained discs for hours and minutes, and a seconds wheel combining azurage and Clous de Paris guilloché circular chapter ring with satin-brushed and mirror-polished finish
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 50m
Strap/Bracelet: Stainless steel with double folding clasp engraved with the Trilobe logo

The Movement

Caliber: Trilobe X-Nihilo calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Diameter: 35.2mm
Thickness: 7mm
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Jewels: 34
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: In-house movement; Warranty of 24 months from the date of delivery or handover in person

Pricing & Availability

Price: €16,500
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No

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