Not so long ago, we paid attention to the independent Swiss watch brand Titoni. For the review, we chose a watch with the brightest and most trendy dial of 2022. Tiffany dial and Titoni Airmaster model.
A bit of history
The brand was founded in 1919. Fritz Slup opened a small watchmaking workshop in Grenchen, Switzerland. Initially, the watch was produced under the name Felco.
In its first ten years, the brand produced iconic 1920s watches: an Art Deco men's watch and an 18K gold women's watch. Due to the high build quality, the brand received an order for 30 models from the US Army during World War II.
The turning point came in the 50s. The brand attracted interest in the Hong Kong market, but a more euphonious name was needed for the Asian market. It was then that the company received a new Titoni brand, and the meihua flower or Japanese apricot became the logo, which symbolized stability and durability.
Entering the Asian market was a success. Since 2010, the brand has been actively promoting abroad: it took part in the largest World Expo exhibition in China, opened a large gallery in Beijing and a branch in the luxury Peace Hotel in Shanghai.
Today, Titoni has its own production in Switzerland, and in honor of its 100th anniversary, the company launched the T10 in-house movement.
Let's move on to the review of today's hero. This is Titoni Airmaster, one of the brand's most popular lines. And, of course, the bright dial will not go unnoticed.
The complete set of the watch is quite classic - a solid leather box, a guarantee and an instruction manual in several languages.
The watch itself is equipped with a cast steel bracelet and has a very neat, classic case with several types of polishing. Looks impressive and neat. Finishing is made at the highest level.
As for the dimensions, the case diameter is 40 mm, the thickness is only 9,7 mm, the bracelet is 21 mm, and the distance between the lugs is 47,5 mm. I can say that the size is quite universal. This is a classic that will suit the vast majority of men. At the same time, I'm sure this option will look great on a woman's wrist.
Worth mentioning is the bracelet. Yes, even luxury brands have not the most convenient options. Everything is decent here. This is a five link bracelet and in my opinion it is one of the most comfortable. Links alternate mirror and matte polishing. The clasp is classic with buttons, without additional fixation. Although in the classics it is not needed.
Interestingly made crown. Here she is in the form of a crown. By the way, in English this element is called “crown”. The crown is not screwed down, it is convenient to use, and the end is decorated with an engraved flower - the brand's logo.
According to the functionality of the Airmaster model, everything is quite simple, these are three hands (hours, minutes and seconds), a date window at the 3 o'clock position and automatic winding. But for the classics, nothing more is needed. Here it is necessary to consider rather not the functionality, but the general concept and appearance.
And let's dwell separately on the color of the dial. This color can be called the color of Tiffany, although very conditionally. Yet Tiffany is a very specific shade. And, it seems like, its use is even patented by Tiffany & Co. However, the color is as close as possible. And yes, if this color had appeared on the watch a few years ago, most would have decided that the watch was exclusively for women.
Today, the world is changing, and top brands show bright watch models with the most extravagant shades. The Tiffany color on the dial is most popular thanks to the Patek Philippe Nautilus. A limited edition watch celebrating 170 years of collaboration with American house Tiffany was sold at Phillips auction for more than $6,5 million. The same color was also used by Rolex, which immediately skyrocketed in price on the gray market. And among the recent novelties of the Omega x Swatch collaboration, a model with a similar shade turned out to be the most in demand.
"One day" is a trend or will we get a new "standard" dial color, only time will tell. But, no matter how it happens, I am sure that this color is worthy. Yes, the watch is probably not everyday, and it certainly cannot be the only one in the collection, but on a warm summer day, this option will definitely be perceived positively.
By the way, the steel pyramidal applied marks perfectly match the dial. They are flawlessly diamond-cut in several facets, and the 12, 3, 6 and 9 marks are in Roman numerals.
Let's move on from the dial to the back cover. It is screwed here and technical information about the model is indicated. Water resistant 50 meters (5 ATM), sapphire crystal and automatic movement. In the center of the back cover we see a magnificent engraving of a ship rushing in full sail. This is the epitome of the Airmaster collection. The watch is inspired by the spirit of travel and adventure. When at full sail we rush in the wind for new experiences. I'm sure for most men who read adventure novels as a teenager, this reference will be a welcome addition.
What is the mechanism?
As I said at the beginning, Titoni has its own in-house caliber T10. His company created in honor of the 100th anniversary of the brand. However, this model uses a more massive caliber from Sellita - the SW200 movement. As for Sellita, this Swiss factory has been assembling movements for ETA for 30 years. She was one of the first to launch her own production of clones of ETA calibers, the patents for which had expired. Among other things, the SW200 movement was created as an analogue of the ETA 2824. Despite the external identity of the parts, most of the components of these movements are not interchangeable. And as the main difference, an additional 26th stone was installed on the drum bridge to reduce friction losses during self-winding.
Sellita movements are becoming more and more common and are often found in luxury brands such as Frederique Constant, Davosa, Zelos, Oris.
The SW200 caliber operates at a frequency of 28800 vph, has a power reserve of 38 hours, is self-winding, and is accurate from +/- 7 to 12 seconds per day. It is important to note that this mechanism is absolutely reliable, the watch can work for a long time without maintenance, but when maintenance is needed, it can be performed in any service due to the simplicity and clarity of the caliber.
