Hodinkee
Hands-On: Traska Chronograph Tungsten Gray
It's funny the way a brand can sneak up on you. Maybe you hear the name on a podcast, and then, a few months later, you run into the brand at a watch fair, or on a friend's wrist. Still, despite repeated encounters, it's remarkable how a brand can continue to exist entirely outside your awareness. Until it doesn't. Until you somehow find a brand, or a watch, completely inescapable, unavoidable, inevitable. 18 months ago, I'm not sure I'd ever given an independent thought to Traska; today, that couldn't be further from the truth, and the brand's Chronograph (aptly named, the Chronograph) is the perfect example of why. If you don't yet know Traska, I don't blame you. Traska is just one of many small brands that have popped up over the last decade, and they've broadly followed a familiar formula: Kickstarter launch, followed by a slowly expanding stable of somewhat conservatively designed, three-handed sports and dive watches, all powered by reliable but unassuming Japanese movements, and all drawing a heavy dose of inspiration from well-known (but far less accessible) watch brands. So, if the broad strokes are familiar, where Traska has separated itself from the pack is in the details. For one thing, unlike so many other Kickstarter brands with similar stories who have come and gone with barely a whisper, Traska has stuck around and, each year, their watches have gotten better. I finally reached my tipping point with Traska last year, when I picked up a second-hand Venturer ...
