Traska has managed to stand tall among a very crowded microbrand watch market.  There first release, the Freediver, was a big hit among watch enthusiast.  Appealing to many, including yours truly, with a smaller case size, great color variants, and a low price, the Freediver sold out quickly.  I was fortunate enough to purchase one, and it has stayed in my personal collection since.  Considering how quickly watches come and go in my collection, this is no small feat.

Traska is back with their second release, the Summiteer, bringing a new design with some familiar cues that made the Freediver a success.

The Watch

The Summiteer sports a field watch design, with a high visibility dial and a workhorse movement. It follows the small case size design that made the Freediver popular.

Specifications

• Case Size: 38mm

• Lugs: 20mm Drilled

• Thickness: 10mm

• Crystal: AR Coated Sapphire

• Movment: 9039 Japanese

• Crown: Screwdown and Signed

• Water Resistance: 100m

• Caseback: Sapphire Exhibition

The dial has a lot to love.  First, the tone of green is different to most military green dials I see.  This sage green is light, almost mint colored, and warm.  The orange second hand contrasts beautifully with the dial, adding a little splash of life onto the visibility-first field watch design. The railroad track around the diameter of the dial adds small details, without cluttering the design.  The minimal text woks well, having only “Traska, Automatic, Summiteer” written on the dial.  This is a nice move away from the current text-heavy trend many watch brands seem to be following.  The exhibition back is a nice touch, as many field watches tend to have somber back.   Finally, blue lume is always appreciated, rather than the usual green. This color also creates a nice contrast from the green dial. 

So what makes this watch special? As a big fan of field watches (and an owner of a few), I have found that with field watches, less is more.  You can look Hamilton, Seiko, Orient, and many other brands that produce almost identical field watches (from a design stand point). Usually, what varies are the dimensions of the case.  The Summiteer brings a unique design to the table, keeping in the field watch mood.  It provides some colors that others don’t, and it packs it into a small, thin case.  Where most field watches opt for hand-winding movements to keep thickness down, the Traska Summiteer keeps its thickness at 10mm, while sporting an automatic movement.  For reference, this is thinner than the Hamilton Khaki King and the Seiko SARG007, two great watches by great brands that have a bigger diameter and thickness to them.  The case dimensions, for me, are the highlight of the Summiteer.  At 10mm thick and 38mm wide, this watch sits wonderfully on the wrist. It really is small details like this that go a long way competing against a tough field watch market.

The Summiteer will be available for preorder via Kickstarter.  You can find more about this watch on the Traska website here.  Check them out while you can. I suspect these will fly and sell out soon.

Below is an unboxing video that shows what you get when you buy this piece, including dimension measuring and a lume shot.