The man who relaunched Triton returns with his new project: Le Forban. One of the best surprises of the end of the year.
By Olivier Müller
Jean-Sébastien Coste and diving watches have a long history. The man has already revived the Triton brand of authentic, technical and historical divers. A few years ago, he took over the Le Forban Sécurité Mer brand. It is one of the rare brands of diving watches to have equipped the French Navy in the 1960s.
A first model was born, the Malouine. The positioning of the Forban is already very clear: a watch designed and assembled in France, loaded with history, mechanical and offered at less than 500 euros. There is simply no competition – not at this price.
The new creation is called the Brestoise – all Forban models are named after major French port cities. Toolwatch with a resolutely sporty tone, the Brestoise is a tribute to the first emblematic model of the brand released in 1969. With its highly legible numerical indexes, it asserts a neo-retro personality and an undeniable watch of the seas. All the attributes of a fine diver’s watch are present, with generously sized indexes, imprinted with Super-LumiNova, and a unidirectional bezel. The movement is a Miyota, automatic, well-proven, manufactured since 1977.
In order to preserve the DNA of the original watch, Le Forban has kept the trapezoidal shape of the window and the “Lollipop” second hand. The piece is waterproof to 150 meters and has a sapphire crystal. Finally, we appreciate the restraint of Jean-Sébastien Coste on the diameter: instead of succumbing to an XXL modernization that would have hypertrophied the beautiful Brestoise, the diameter is contained – with bezel – to a very fair 39 mm – a fetish diameter for collectors, who rarely exceed 40 mm.
Our opinion: “A flawless performance? Definitely. The piece is perfectly balanced, full of beautiful French Navy emotions, perfectly executed and at a price that has no real competition. What’s more, it can be customized with a choice of four bracelets. If you were looking for a nice Christmas gift to give yourself, atypical and full of charm Made in France, no need to look further.” Olivier Müller
