Traska Freediver V5 Watch Review

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Traska Freediver V5

It has taken five years to get the Traska Freediver in for review, and we are now on version 5 or V5 as I will refer to it in this review. After five years, a lot of hype, and a lot of refinement in the watch itself, I have to say this vintage-inspired, dress-diver is a beautiful watch, and I can see why the brand gets the praise it does. This latest iteration comes in four colors, white as shown here, carbon black, mint, and sun-bleached orange (salmon). It is also a spec monster as it has a Miyota 9039 (no date) or 9019 movement, a ceramic bezel insert, a fantastic bracelet with a tool-less micro-adjust clasp, a hard coating all over, and a very clean and stark dial. Pricing for this one is $660.

Specifications

• 40.5MM Stainless Steel Case
• 48mm Lug to Lug
• 20mm Lug Width
• 10.5mm Thick
• 154 Grams in Weight
• Box Sapphire Crystal
• Ceramic Bezel Insert
• 120 Click Unidirectional Bezel
• 200 Meters Water Resistant
• Miyota 9039 Movement (as shown)
• 20MM bracelet tapering to 16mm
• Tool-less Adjustment Clasp
• 1200HV hard coating

Price $660

https://www.traskawatch.com/products/freediver-arctic-white

The Traska Freediver debuted in 2018 as their introductory piece, and through the years it has had quite a few changes. Jon, the owner of Traska tells me that he always wanted to create a stylish dive watch, a dress diver of sorts, but more a combination of a casual and dress dive watch, one that doesn’t look too much tuxedo but also not garish and toolish. Some of the changes over the years have been the hands, the bezel style and insert material, the movement, and the overall thickness and dimensions of the case. This V5 variant is said to be the last, (probably), as it has brought all of the elements together in one perfect package- A sleek masculine dive watch that can truly be dressed up or dressed down and not look out of place. 

One of the biggest changes through the years to this Traska Freediver has been the case. Originally, this piece was much beefier, with a brush, slab-sided case, more reminiscent of a Tudor Pelagos, and it shrunk a little with the movement change, from an NH35 to Miyota 9000 series, but then it shrunk again come V5, and also got a new profile and case finish. Now it is not only sleeker and more round, but those case sides are all highly polished.

And while high polished cases are not my favorite, the 1200 Vickers hard coating will keep it looking new a little longer. The top of the case is brushed, as is the case back and the majority of the bracelet, but the crown, bezel, and bracelet edges do have that high polish as well. The crown is signed with the Traska logo, and that logo is not just printed on the crown, but it’s like it is stamped in, and it stands out, beautifully. Another great feature of the case is drilled lugs. The bracelet doesn’t have quick-release pins either, but more on the bracelet later.

While the mint-colored dial is probably the most popular, and Traska may have been a pioneer of that dial color in the microbrand space, I just couldn’t help to be attracted to the white dial. It’s a beautiful matte dial with just a very light sheen to it. I know, if it has a sheen, is it really matte? So maybe I am contradicting myself, but either way, it’s a beautiful white, and the contrasting black hour and minute hand, along with a red second hand are a great touch, and just enough pop of color. The newer maxi indices are diamond cut and glimmer in the sunlight especially- aided by the box-style sapphire crystal this is just a clean, uncluttered dial, and being the no-date variant, it is very symmetrical. Don’t worry though, the date version doesn’t mess up that symmetry too much as the date cutout is at the 6 o’clock position and replaces an index.

That bezel insert is ceramic, a change from the sapphire version (and a stainless steel option) from the first and second variations of the Traska Freediver, and the bezel itself has been improved to be easier to grip, and have more crisp and precise action, and while I haven’t held or turned the bezels on the previous versions, I will say it is very nice to use this 120 click bezel. There is a slight issue though, and after a few bezels that have had this type of feeling, I have concluded that it has to be a certain type of bezel assembly. The issue is a slight wobble, which is hard to explain here, so make sure to check out the video.

The bracelet is a big standout of this Traska Freediver as well. I don’t know how the bracelets were on previous versions, but this is a great bracelet. Fully articulated, with links that can fold up on themselves, female end links, and a great smooth finish. To top of off, or close it up, however you want to phrase it, all of the Traska watches now have the slim tool-free micro adjustment clasps, similar to a few other microbrands, with a push button mechanism on the inside, and a little bit of link slides in and out of the clasp. Also included is a half link on both sides of the clasp, to dial in that perfect fit on the wrist.

On the wrist, this is a great watch. As I have talked about many times over the years, I used to wear much bigger watches. These days, I prefer something easily wearable, but I don’t want anything that looks dainty on my wrist. The dimensions of this watch are great, and I don’t want to say the word perfect, but the 40.5mm case with the 48mm lug to lug, combined with a flat case back and that bracelet, this is an easy-to-wear and comfortable watch, that happens to look great as well.

Lastly, we have the lume, and it’s applied well and looks great in the dark, but this is not going to be your all-night glow dive watch. The indices are large but they are not slathered with lume, and neither are the hands. That said, this is supposed to be a perfect blend of beauty and function, and massive indices or Lum-tec-looking plots really wouldn’t work on this style of watch, with that said, I think the lume is more than sufficient, especially for this style of watch.

I don’t know if this Traska Freediver was worth waiting 5 years to finally get my hands on one, but in a way, maybe it was. This is supposed to be the final version, the perfect blend of casual and dress in a dive watch, and Jon’s vision is finally realized. Traska is a popular brand, especially on social media like Instagram and Facebook watch groups, and I have seen a lot of hype over the years, and I have to say, I am impressed with this piece. Pricing has continued to go up over the years and with this model nearing that $700 mark, that means there is some stiff competition but I will say what won me over was the comfort. A lot of watches look good, and many are well made, but not all of them achieve that comfort on the wrist, and for that, the Traska Freediver stands out.