It’s all in the shape – The Trémont L003

Shapes are everywhere, and in watches, the round case is by far the most ubiquitous. It does make sense as 12 makers or hours can be arranged in a symmetrical way making the dial pleasant to the eye and of course, easy to wear. That said there are round watches that are unconventional, not many but there are some and the L003 from Trémont is one of them.

There is no denying that the L003 takes heavy inspirations from the 1972 Cartier Pebble made in London. The smooth shape and the roman numerals give a retro vibe that whispers elegance, but it doesn’t shout it.

At the beginning, when I saw the L003, I was apprehensive on how much it looked like its French counterpart, but more I learnt about Cartier’s history, and particularly this model, that I was completely fine with it. The fact is that Cartier London only produced 6 of these watches since 70s, and only one these came into auction for more than 403 000 CHF. This is an incredible amount for an object that probably will never be worn; hence I love that the L003 exists.

I was lucky enough to get hands on with the 2 upcoming references (the silver and gold tone one) and after spending more than a week with both, I’ve decided to add one to my collection, hopefully this review would persuade you to make a choice of a watch that can be considered timeless, let’s begin.

The specifications

It is hard to judge a watch with no lugs, the specifications can read a large number, but the watch will always wear smaller. In the case of the L003, the diameter is 33mm which feels right because of its style, it the case was larger the watch would feel more like a cartoon version of an elegant companion.

The mirror polished finish is nice and smooth, it reflects any type of light that hits the watch making the L003 feel like jewellery, an ornament on your wrist and I mean this as complement.

A nice effect to highlight on the dial is that the bottom part of the elongated numerals creates a circle in the middle if the watch. This is a subtle but important detail which gives another visual dimension to the array of shapes we can find in the L003. At the end of the day, the watch is perfect square inside a round case but re- arranged in a tilted position allowing triangular lines to be visible, it is quite charming.

In both versions the dial has this galvanic finished and in the gold case variant, there is a hint of yellow tint to make the look even more luxurious, or at least that was the effect that created for me. The sword blue hands also make a good contrast against the dial, and under the curved glass, the effect is quite striking, I am hoping the pictures make justice.

Powering the L003 we can find a Miyota 9T22, easy to maintain and to live with. I was surprised on how much I like a good battery power watch; it is easy to live with and being honest, is not an everyday watch, it could have been in 1972 but nowadays, this type of watches are reserved for more special occasions.

The L003 also has a lovely design pointy crown which keeps the watch ticking and provides 30 meters of water resistance, not bad for a non-screw down crown watch.

On the wrist

Specifications are important but how it wears is much more what we are here for. On my 6.25 ich wrists, the L003 wears like a charm, it is small but it feels right. The thinness of 6.8mm also helps on how it looks and feels, it is sleek and with the right shirt or even a polo, it would bring that old class status back in a second.

The watch is clearly a unisex piece. My wife took also the watch for a spin, and I have to say that because of the accessibility of the price (more on that later), this could be a great 2 watch collection to share, I might have to go and get the steel version also, which means that yes, I went for the gold.

The watch feels at home on the weekends, sure at the office works well but it just feels as a relaxed watch, it doesn’t have a seconds hands bothering to tell that you must do something, it is a watch to complement an outfit, to remember that tomorrow is Sunday and not Monday.

The leather strap and matching buckle are also well crafted. The leather was smooth and pleasant to the touch, I was worried about this part because with no lugs, the strap needs to be a good one so, it is great to see that the guys at Trémont did not hesitate to use Italian leather. I could also see this watch to be worn on a milanese strap, it would be playing time when mine arrives.

Concluding thoughts

As you can tell, I really liked this watch, it is an eye catcher and with only 156 examples out there in the world from the Cartier version (150 from the re issue plus the 6 originals known), it would have been impossible to experience a shape like this.

It is also important to talk about the price. The L003 is 139 GBP in the pre order window and 212 GBP afterwards, this is a remarkable price for a well-made object that brings so much nostalgia and attitude, specially when we are seeing ultra modernist designs that at least, I do not feel a connection with.

As mentioned previously, because of the price, I would consider adding 2 for the collection, one for me and the other one for the missus, that way she would stop stealing mine all the time.

It would be great to see what the guys from Trémont do in the future, the attention to detail to execute the L003 was very good and not just considering the price but in general. A well-made object is always welcome.

For more information please visit: https://tremontofficial.com/

Technical specifications

Case material - Stainless steel

Dial - Tilted square (white, beige)

Glass - Durable curved

Case dimensions - 33mm

Case thickness - 6.8mm

Band - Italian soft leather, pin buckle (Silver/Black), (Gold/Brown)

Movement - Japanese Miyota 9T22

Water resistance - 3 ATM (30 meters)