Beautiful, elegant business watch. Verified details. Proven mechanism for years. Chronometer certified by COSC. Pleasant sensations from the watch on the hand and in the hands. The flagship line of the brand with a name and history. And not a single obvious flaw.
Titoni. Long history without superfluous stories
The history of Titoni is notable for the fact that there are no dark stories in it: the company managed to get through all the pitfalls that life threw at it.
In 1919, Fritz Schlup founded the Felco company in Grenchen, Switzerland. At that time, it was already one of the centers of the Swiss watch industry - for example, Eterna and Certina originate from there, and in the 80s Breitling moved its headquarters there.
Soon Felco began to supply watches abroad. In the 20s and 30s, Felco watches sell well. In the 1940s, everything is also good: like many other Swiss companies, such as Longines and IWC, Felco trades on two fronts during the war. The company's website mentions only the supply of watches for the American army, but in fact Felco made watches for the Nazis.
After the war, Felco (more precisely, Felca - the company was renamed in 1943) continued to trade around the world. In the quartz crisis, she survived and even remained independent. Unlike many more famous brands - Breguet, TAG Heuer, Eterna - neither Swatch Group nor other holdings bought it. It remains a family company to this day: in 2022, the fourth generation of the Sloop family began management.
“How did they manage? And how is Felca related to Titoni in general?” - you ask. The answer to both questions is East.
I'm going east
Unlike most other Swiss manufacturers, Felco relied on the Eastern markets (perhaps this helped it overcome the quartz crisis).
From the first years of operation, Felco began to export watches not only to Germany and the rich USA, but also to Japan. In the early 1920s, only Seiko made their watches there, and Felco must have found demand there.
In the 1950s, after the war, Felca was also active in the east, for example, producing watches for India and the Middle East.
In 1952, specifically for the Eastern markets, Felca launched the new Titoni brand. Its logo, the Chinese plum blossom meihua, symbolizes resilience in China. The new brand was used in parallel with Felca, but proved to be more successful. In the 1980s, 90% of the company's watches were produced under it, and in the 1990s it was decided to leave only one brand - Titoni.
Titoni is not well known in the west because its key market is Asia. 80% of Titoni watches are sold here (half in China) and the main marketing activities take place.
For example, the world's largest Titoni boutique opened in Shanghai (2011), and the 95th anniversary of the brand was celebrated in Hong Kong (2014). And in Asia, the brand is known better than here.
Titanium Master Series. Still the flagship
Titoni 83188 are part of the Master Series. It is the pinnacle of the Titoni hierarchy, a line of COSC-certified mechanical chronometers on ETA and Sellita movements. The Master Series remained the most expensive line even when Titoni introduced its in-house caliber, the T10, created in 2019 to celebrate the company's centenary.
T10 is not exactly better than ETA and Sellita, but it is the pride of Titoni. A caliber is called a manufacturing caliber if the company was able to independently design it and produce it independently. Purists consider as manufactories only those companies that themselves make all the watch components in general: from the case to the balance-spring. There are few of them, this is the level of Rolex and the Seiko empire. But even if you do not judge so strictly, to be a manufacturer means to enter a narrow prestigious club.
However, the watch communities pay attention to the play on the words "manufacture" and "in-house" in the official release of the Titoni T10. And “in-house” is also called, for example, someone else’s caliber modified inside ... In general, this secret is great, and it’s not very important for us now.
Nevertheless, even after the appearance of watches on its own caliber, the Master Series remains the most expensive line of three Titoni watchmakers. More expensive - only a couple of especially resistant 600-meter carbon divers that stand out from the Seascoper line. Then the lineup of "Masters" on Sellita SW470, then - the anniversary line "1919" on T10, and then - "Masters" on simpler ETA and Sellita. Such as ours.
And I must say, our Titoni 83188 deserves to be called the flagship line.
Clock face. Take and admire
Even a quick glance captures the beauty of the Titoni 83188 dial. It is beautiful from a distance: the color of dark chocolate and the smallest "sunbeams" played on by sectors of reflected light.
The close-up pleases even more. Not a single flaw, not a single quibble! Marks are voluminous overhead metal bars with mirror polishing and a groove for lum in the middle. The bars, by the way, are not simple, but octagonal in plan - small chamfers have been removed on the vertical edges. I like the logo flower: when a watch has such small, complex, carefully polished details, it gives the impression of quality and meticulous workmanship. From the inscriptions - only the important ones: brand, line, COSC certification. The inscriptions and minute markings are printed clearly, the markers are set symmetrically. The frame around the date is in the general style, but simpler: also metallic and polished, but flat.
Leaf-shaped (Feuille) hands are partially skeletonized. This combines a comfortable size with elegant lightness. The arrows are symmetrical: the shape and size of the “slit” corresponds to the part filled with lum. The minute and second hands are the perfect length: the second reaches almost to the outer edge of the markers, the minute a little further than the inner.
The hands and markers are filled with milky white super luminous, which echoes the white date window (the printing in the window is also even, of course). I do not like the white date on dark dials, but thanks to the right color of the hands and marks, everything turns out harmoniously. And in the dark, the lume glows pale green for a long time, and reading the time is quite comfortable.
Crowned Corps
The case is medium in size (diameter 41 mm), but due to the narrow bezel it looks larger. However, the sense of touch cannot be deceived, and in the hands it feels small and pleasantly weighty. Finishing does not strike the imagination: everything is quite “suit” polishing. The body tapers slightly downward, like a bowl, and the lugs are two-story. The edges are clear, not blurry. The shape of the lugs and the design of the dial reminded me personally of Cuervo-y-Sobrinos, although in principle this is just a general element of vintage style. Sapphire crystal convex, but just a little - I would not have noticed if I had not read about it in the description before.
There are exactly two bright details on the Titoni 83188 case. The first is a bezel with an unusual “curved” profile. To notice this, you need to peer at the clock, but then you understand where the slightly unusual reflections in the photo come from.
The second and main detail is the crown. It has a non-standard shape in the form of a high crown, and the notch is made in the form of alternating arches. The first starts at the top and does not reach the bottom of the crown by a millimeter, the next starts from the bottom and does not reach the top by a millimeter, and so on. I have never seen such a notch. And the multi-layer end of the crown is just a song!
Deep inside the tall crown lies a dark green layer of glass, enamel, or something similar. On it is a voluminous plum blossom made of polished metal. All this is filled with transparent varnish (?) in the form of a convex lens, the top of which protrudes slightly above the edges of the head. It looks like a cabochon, only voluminous, deep and encrusted with steel. Probably the best crown I have ever held in my hands.
The bracelet is also very good: five links, with a longitudinal hollow of the inner links, with clear edges, with a deep logo engraving on the butterfly clasp. With polishing of all surfaces, including the internal parts of the links. And do not even ask how many scratches this polishing will collect when the bracelet is rubbed against tables, window sills and other hard surfaces for several months.
Behind, too, there is something to see. To begin with, on a protective film with a QR code that gives out an individual watch number (however, on the Titoni website, I still did not understand what to do with it next). The same number is printed on the back of the watch, and on the official renders, a plug is indicated in this place - “H1234567”. Well, an individual number engraved on a serial watch is cool!
The back cover is also elegant - with six screws, with sapphire crystal. And you can see through it...
By the way, what exactly do we see?
The mystery of the Titoni chronometer
On all sites, including the official one, the description of model 83188 states: "Caliber - ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1". But few of the sellers write what exactly is in the watch. Perhaps this is encrypted in the reference or reflected in the price - but I don’t know how.
On the one hand, there is not much difference. Both manufacturers are Swiss. ETA's name is louder: its history as a movement manufacturer began at the end of the 18th century, and several technological breakthroughs are inscribed in it - for example, the automation of setting watch stones. ETA is now part of the Swatch Group. And the Sellita factory has been assembling movements under contract from ETA since the 1950s.
In the 2000s, ETA decided to reduce the supply of movements to companies outside the Swatch Group, and around that time patent protection expired on a number of ETA movements. Independent manufacturers using the ETA tensed, and Sellita seized the opportunity to make a clone of the most sought-after ETA caliber, the workhorse of the Swiss watch industry, the 2824-2. The clone is called SW200-1.
The original 2824-2 is a reliable movement that has been proven over the years (this year it will be 40 years old). It is found in watches of different brands, is common and does not create maintenance problems. SW-200-1 looks about the same, not inferior in performance and quality. The only difference is that the dimensions differ by fractions of a millimeter from ETA, plus the 26th stone is added to the “clone”. For what? Don't know; perhaps the reasons are technical, or maybe legal and marketing (“we don’t have a copy!”).
On the other hand, I wonder what's inside! Through the watch window, you can see from the characteristic elements that this is Sellita.
Stylish-fashionable-youth QR code and Sellita SW200-1
The Sellita SW200-1 has four gradations, which differ in the accuracy of the course and the type of anti-shock device (and the price, yes). The COSC criteria correspond to the highest gradation - Chronometr. Such mechanisms are adjustable in five positions, should keep an accuracy of no more than -4 / +6 seconds per day and have an Incabloc shockproof device. Watches with Incabloc are slightly more accurate, stronger and easier to maintain than with Novodiac, which comes in cheaper gradations. But the power reserve is the same for all - 38 hours.
The Sellita in our Titonis is nicely finished. The caliber is roded, the bridges and plates are decorated with perlage, and the self-winding rotor is custom-made, with an engraving filled with gold paint. The engraving of the classic building is the emblem of the Master Series collection (other Titoni collections also have their own emblems - for example, the globe is engraved on the casebacks of Cosmo King watches).
Very accurate and quite comfortable
Well, now to the point - in the sense, to the experience of using the watch.
On the hand, the Titoni feel quite large. After all, they are weighty, and the ears are slightly bent, and the distance from ear to ear is 48 mm, and they are visually perceived as rather big. But of course, the watch is not so big that it really "pulls the hand." And they crawl under the cuffs like pretty ones - the profile is smooth, and the thickness is quite comfortable 10,8 mm.
The metal hands are hard to see in the play of the dial, but the milky white lume is perfectly visible on them. Let's add a wonderful anti-glare (I think it's double-sided, since in many positions the glass is not visible at all) - and we get a very decent readability.
But the crown is more beautiful than comfortable. When the hand is bent, it sometimes rests on the wrist, and the grip is such that it can only be twisted with short movements. But the tactile sensations are very good: the ZG is pulled out very tightly, hinting at the quality of the seals (here the WR100 is without thread), and rotates with a small but noticeable effort. The fingers “understand” that they are translating a reliable and well-knocked mechanism. The date also clicks instantly, with a clear click.
The bracelet is tactilely even better than it looks. It flows in the hands - heavy, absolutely flexible, like fabric, and at the same time without a hint of play, comfortable and balanced. It is assembled on screws, like in Rolex and IWC - beautiful, but not the fact that it is convenient. It is assumed that in the watch salon the bracelet will be adjusted to your hand, and for fine adjustment there are "full" and "half" links. But if, for example, the hand began to swell in the summer heat, then you don’t run into the master. So, if you take this watch, take it on a great bracelet, but immediately buy an interchangeable strap 21 mm wide.
As for accuracy and power reserve, I spent a test day, during which I carefully recorded what and when I was doing with the watch. So, after a complete stop, I shook them to start and set the time to 07:05. During the day I wore it in the office, and at 18:19 I put it on the table at home. The watch stopped at 14:13 pm the next day, 31 hours after wearing and 20 hours after stopping. But I don’t have any questions, since I obviously didn’t finish them: I walked less than 5000 steps with the watch, I didn’t really wave my arms. On the other hand, this is a typical use case.
Conclusion: the power reserve is enough for everyday wear, but hardly enough to postpone the watch “until the day after tomorrow”. But the accuracy pleased: for the test 24 hours, 11 of which the watch was on the arm, and 13 - on the table with the dial up, they went only 5,4 seconds, confirming compliance with the COSC standard.
You ask: how is it for a long time? I don't have an answer. I am in the office every other day, and at home I wear a smart watch. Any mechanics, except perhaps for three daily clocks, will stop in this mode. And I did not do a special long-term test drive.
In general, the watch is quite comfortable and successful for everyday wear, but still not the most comfortable in the world.
Packaging and paper
For the first time I write about this in a review, but what can I say - they deserve it! These Titoni have a luxurious lacquered box with a spring lock, packed in as many as three cardboard boxes.
Admired for three whole minutes before floating into the depths of the closet. Well, when will watch companies give you a choice: a useless luxury box, a couple of percent discount or a simple and usable travel case?
Also inside was a leather wallet with a warranty and an extended warranty (filled), as well as a COSC certificate (blank).
Summary. Flawless
I can't say better about this watch than my other half: "When you're wearing this watch, it seems that you're about to go to an important business meeting." And the truth is: Titoni 83188, of course, is not a pure suit, but quite official. I don't see them with anything less than smart casual. And on something less restrictive than a leather strap. I also see them like this:
Yes, they are flawless. Not the most modern mechanism, but in the maximum gradation. Not outstanding performance, but high reliability. Not flashy, but elegant. Not a high-profile brand (at least in Russia) - but quality in every detail. And let's add a touch of exclusivity to this: not every watch is made by an independent company with a century of history and is individually numbered.
Did I like this watch? Yes.
To whom would I recommend this watch? For those who are ready to buy Swiss mechanics in this budget. Quality, design, name and characteristics - everything is on the level.
Subjective assessment. Flawless and elegant.
