Making the 90s great again – The Argonaut from Tennet Watch Corporation

Styles are cyclical, everything that was hot at some point becomes lame and after a while, like a zombie it raises from the most obscure places. This thought applies to almost every industry like fashion, food and of course our beloved watch hobby.

A few years back, everything from the 60s was considered amazing, small proportions and attention to details. We then saw how integrated steel sport watches from the 70s dominated (and still are) the watch scene, and now, we are seeing that the radical colors and sharp edges from the 80’s are back.

But what about the 90’s? it is often a period that is odd to replicate, design was left behind in search for functionality and reliability, refinement was the new norm, flair was not. Think of it in automotive terms, the Toyota Corolla dominated the market by being the most reliable and well built vehicle, but we can all agree that visually, it was not the most exciting.

The watch industry had its moments and I am sure that this design era will comeback, what would be the unsung iconic hero that the industry will focus on? If I would have to put my own money, it would be going to dive watches. Back then, the SKX was an institution, Panerai was the watch that everyone talk about but no one saw, Tag Heuer was the watch to have and the Omega Seamaster Professional was the grail.

Focusing on the Seamaster Professional, we have screamed to Omega to make a version that looks back at this beautiful, simple but refined watch (that word again). They heard us at some point and gave the 60 years of James Bond edition but it was too big and clunky in my opinion. Here is where Tennet enters the scene with their new Argonaut.

Do not get me wrong, the Argonaut is not a watch inspired by its Omega counterpart, it is a watch that has characteristics from the period of all watches but with a unique twist and design that I was just dying to see in a modern object.  

Tennet is a company that do not releases watches to follow the hype, in fact, I think they are ahead of what is coming, so if you want to check how potentially the future would looks like, stick around.

The specifications

They got it right from the beginning, the Argonaut case is 40mm in diameter with a lug to lug of 48mm. I would say that it wears much smaller because of the 12mm thickness and thin bezel, I quite like it. The material for this case is 904l steel which is more corrosion resistance and also has a different hue. This particular steel is above in terms of quality over the regular 304, also other brands like Rolex use it regularly, it is a great surprise to see it here.

Why do I say that the design comes back from the 90s? well look at that aluminum bezel insert and 20mm bracelet, everything becomes more apparent. We enjoy how that bezel will age (more on that later) and also how that bracelet hugs the wrist, we have become so obsessed with exaggerating tapering at the clasp that we forgot how a good bracelet should be made. The bezel itself has this lovely groove that is easy to grip while is flushed with the case, everything very tidy.

The dial is where the party is at, the petrol blue appears dark and almost black but as soon as the sun hits the dial, everything will become alive, the brushing the elegance and that refinement. The teardrop motif is all over the Argonaut, it has become the design language from the brand and we enjoy how it interacts with this diver. The hand set is large and unique, we have never seen anything like it but despite the design flare, they are more functional that many watch out there, precise and sophisticated at the same time. The look very thin and as soon as they interact with each other, a new composition appears on the dial, just lovely.

Then we have the applied markers which are a mix of rounds ones with tears at every 15 minutes. Just like the hand set, they all have C3 Superluminova and glow nicely in green and as soon as they come out of the dark, the beige indices make the Argonaut quite warm and collected. The bezel is also lumed, but using BGW9 which radiates in blue, again another touch from the 90’s where lume was bright and easy to distinguish.

These crown guards are a first from the brand and that eagle beak style fit well with the watch, the round crown with the domino style keeps in line with the rest of Tennet’s catalogue and controls the Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1b. The movement is precise and not sure if the brand has done anything to it but the silence from the rotor is outstanding together with the precision in terms of timing, the Argonaut is running at COSC levels.

Thanks to the screwdown crown, and beautiful elaborated closed caseback, the Argonaut has a water resistance of 300 meters. This is a serious diver but it can also be worn as a causal watch, it is a tank, a light one but still a tank.

On the wrist

I must say that this is a watch that I now quite well by now because I had it for quite a bit. It has been my most worn watch this year. I took it to a conference in Athens which included a windy hike to the Parthenon, then to Tarifa in Spain where it got its sun and sea water dose plus to the office in rainy London. Despite the variety of places, the Argonaut never felt out of place, and never disappointed, it’s a GADA watch.  The thinness of the watch meant that my 6.25 inch wrist could accommodate it everywhere and the micro adjustment clasp made wonders where the temperature dominated the day. The links are solid and very thin as well, which makes it wear like a second skin, I quite enjoy the high tolerance between case and end links, there is no gap just precision engineering.

The bezel was perfect for timing short events and keep my meetings on track and of course to do those morning runs, nothing disturbs the Argonaut, is that good.  

The antireflective coating is also very good, legibility was already assured with the large hands and contrast between dial and markers but it is nice to appreciate how well is made and how good it looks under the sapphire crystal, you feel that you might be able to touch that lovely handset.

I wanted to try the watch with a different strap and surely that it would look good but the bracelet it’s just to good to let go, it feels an integral part of the case and because of the amount of adjustment, its going to stay that way for a long time. I was thinking that drilled lugs should have been a must but because the bracelet does include quick release, the result is a much cleaner profile. Also, drilled lugs might interrupt that lovely high polished bevel, in other words, it is better this way.

Concluding thoughts

As you might be aware, this is a watch that I love to use, that I would love to own. Not many times I want to have a watch that could collide with another one I have (in this case another diver) but the Argonaut brings a different proposition for me, as a reviewer and as a collector. Perhaps is that nostalgia from the era where I could only dream of a watch like this, but now it is on my wrist.

Coming to the elephant of the room which is quite small, the Argonaut its prices at 911 GBP for its pre-order price, this will become 1138 GBP after production and for us, even then is a complete bargain.

This is a watch that not only is original but also well made, it has all the big details from brands that are offering watches with the same movement at 3 times the price and to be honest, they are not spectacular, they make you feel that you are paying for the name.

Tennet Watch Corporation will be around for a bit and I am keen to stay to see what other variations of the Argonaut will appear, but the petrol blue with that aluminum bezel, just has my heart. I am also curious to see the effect that the sun, salt and sea water did for this particular watch how it will age, maybe I need to put the trigger pronto or I might not get the chance.

Make sure you check them out and get this unique piece a great price. Hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

For more information: https://tennet.watch/products/pre-order-tennet-argonaut

Technical Specifications

CASE

Material: 904L Stainless Steel

Size: 40mm

Lug to lug: 48mm

Lug side: 20mm

Thickness: 12mm

Water Resistance: 300m

Crown: Screw-down Crown

DIAL

Finish: Sunray

Indexes: Polished silver with Swiss Superluminova

Hands: Polished, filled with Swiss Superluminova

Lens: Double dome sapphire crystal with inside AR coating

CASEBACK

Screw-down caseback with embossed graphic

MOVEMENT

Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1b

Mechanism: Automatic

Hacking seconds

Power Reserve: 38 hours

Accuracy: +/-12 sec/day up

BRACELET

904L Stainless steel bracelet with screw pin and quick release spring bar

316L Stainless steel on-the-fly adjustment buckle with etching logo