Triton Watches

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Triton Watches

Triton is a deep-cut diver’s brand with legit tool watch pedigree — best known for its wild 1960s-era case design, French military roots, and modern-day reissues that stay

true to the original mission: build watches to survive the ocean.

If you’ve ever looked at a vintage Fifty Fathoms and thought, “but make it even more brutalist” — Triton’s your guy.

A Little History

Triton was originally launched in the 1960s as a dive-focused brand under Jean René Parmentier, with watches built by Dodane — one of the five manufacturers of the French

Type 20 military chronograph. The most famous model was the Triton Spirotechnique, developed for La Spirotechnique, the diving gear company founded by Jacques Cousteau.

The Spirotechnique was built with serious intent: large waterproof case, external locking crown bridge, high-visibility dial, and serious water resistance. These watches

were issued to French military divers, and now rank among the rarest vintage tool watches in the world.

In recent years, Triton has been revived with modern reissues — keeping the angular case shape, left-side crown lock, and purpose-built aesthetic, while upgrading

materials and movement reliability.

What Collectors Love

Triton sits in the Fifty Fathoms / early Submariner ecosystem, but with more visual edge and military story. Key traits:

  • Left-hand crown with a locking bridge — early form of crown guard innovation

  • Chunky, angular case design — asymmetrical but ergonomic

  • Highly legible dials — bold indices, matte finishing, and no-nonsense layouts

  • Legit French military history — not marketing fluff

  • Modern versions stick close to the original design, but with better movements and materials

Signature models include:

  • Triton Spirotechnique (Vintage) — original 1960s issued divers, extremely rare and valuable

  • Triton Subphotique — modern 500m diver with left crown, titanium case, and ETA movement

  • Triton D.G.L. (Diver’s Green Line) — updated diver with internal rotating bezel and vintage cues

  • Triton Reissue LE — faithful homage to the original Spirotechnique, limited in production

Why Triton Deserves a Spot

Because it’s one of the most original case designs in dive watch history — and it wasn’t designed to look cool, it was designed to work under pressure.

Triton doesn’t just borrow vintage vibes. It is vintage. And in a market crowded with Sub clones and tired reissues, the crown lock, slab sides, and military DNA make Triton

feel like something purpose-built and unpolished — the way real dive gear should.

If you know, you know.

What’s Out There Now

Vintage and modern Tritons are both desirable — though vintage models are extremely scarce.

Expect:

  • Vintage Spirotechniques — 37–39mm, hand-wound or automatic, bakelite bezels, rare and often well-worn

  • Subphotique (modern) — 40mm titanium case, ETA 2824 auto, 500m WR, sapphire crystal

  • D.G.L. & Reissues — stainless or titanium, 300–500m WR, upgraded lume, strong tool presence

Pricing ranges from:

  • $5,000–$15,000+ for original vintage Spirotechniques

  • $1,500–$3,500 for modern reissues or Subphotique series

  • Limited Editions may climb higher based on finish and production numbers

Fed’s Take

Triton is one of the coolest under-the-radar vintage tool watch brands out there.

I’ve handled a few modern Subphotiques — and they’re beefy but wearable. That left-side crown lock is a wild detail you won’t see on anything else. And for the right collector?

A vintage Spirotechnique is grail-tier. French military dive history in a case design that still looks ahead of its time.

If you like your divers with edge, honesty, and actual field use? Triton checks the box.

Check Out Our Triton Inventory

Delray Watch is always on the lookout for unique Triton watches — especially Spirotechnique vintage divers, Subphotique models, and limited edition modern reissues.

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