The latest sports watch with a military 'do-it-all' style from Swiss company Traser is the new P69 Black Stealth collection. It comes in several colors, and in this article, I present the P69 Black Stealth Sand models, references 109860 and 109861, with a NATO-style strap and a rubber strap, respectively. According to Traser, the P69 Black Stealth collection brings the brand 'back to its roots,' presenting a series inspired by the original 1989 collection designed for 'tactical forces.' It's a nice story, but frankly, I'm not sure these [admittedly handsome] watches are more connected to the brand's core values than other Traser models. In other words, it's not that the P69 doesn't follow the direction set by Traser with its first watches in 1989, I just don't see how the P96 does this more than most of the brand's other products. Nevertheless, it's a novelty.
P69 Black Stealth is also a nice watch with a pleasant color variety and a good set of features at an affordable price. These are not the largest Traser watches I've reviewed, but they are quite bulky and need to be worn snugly on the wrist. The case of the watch is a new concept by Traser, inspired by the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak design, like other military-style watches. The case width is 46 mm, but with the crown, it approaches 50 mm. The case thickness is about 15 mm, and the lug-to-lug distance is 58 mm. The case is also water-resistant to 200 meters, with a flat sapphire crystal with AR coating over the dial.
Part of this product's name, P69 'Black Stealth,' refers to the matte black PVD coating of the steel case. The matte surface easily collects fingerprints, but a soft cloth can handle that. Although the concept of the Traser P69 is simple, overall it's pleasing thanks to its refined lines and ability to feel modern while remaining traditional Swiss-made watches.
Around the dial is a bidirectional rotating bezel. Finally, we have a Traser with a ceramic bezel insert, and the bezel's bidirectional movement makes the watch unique. It's not ideal for diving watches (such a bezel with bidirectional movement is technically considered unsafe for underwater timing), but otherwise, the bezel, rotating in both directions, should be a light novelty for many. The fully black ceramic bezel is equipped with a small tritium gas tube at the 60-minute mark as a luminescent indicator.
The Traser dial starts with a steeply inclined flange ring, on which a minute scale is placed. The minute scale is accented with slightly raised glossy black markers, interrupted by small applied frames of hour markers in matte steel. Inside each of them is a self-illuminating rod with a tritium gas tube, produced by MB-Microtec, Traser's parent company. They created the so-called trigalight markers (small tritium gas tubes), and these tubes are used in various applications, including tactical weapon sights and a range of chronometers.
On the T-25 dial (a measure of tritium volume in watches) of the P69, tritium gas tubes are used in each of the hour indices and each of the hands. Two additional tubes on the dial are positioned horizontally and are part of the Traser logo. The dial - with 12- and 24-hour scales - is striking and attractive, yet simple and restrained, despite its visual 'depth.' The hour and minute hands are interesting in that they are partially polished, partially skeletonized, equipped with a tritium gas tube, and also covered with matte black coating on most of their length.
Besides the sand-colored dial for the P69 Black Stealth, Traser offers watches (at launch) with a dark green dial with orange hands (109858 and 109859), in black with orange hands (109854 and 109855), and in blue with black hands (109856 and 109857). The sand color variant is probably the most interesting, given its clear summer desert feel, but it can also pass for the color of mountain rocks for explorers and climbers.
The rubber strap is quite comfortable and of higher quality than you would expect from most watches in this price category. In fact, the strap costs about $40 more than the NATO-style strap, which is by no means budget. One of the things I continue to admire about Traser is not only their pragmatic approach to watch design but also their desire to make their products look and feel Swiss Made without charging the inflated prices of some other Swiss brands.
Inside the P69 Black Stealth is a Swiss-made quartz movement, presumably manufactured by Ronda. The movement offers time and day/date complications. The date and day of the week discs are black, which, although not as perfect as matching the dial color, is more fashionable and in theme than if they were standard white.
While the Traser P69 Black Stealth is a product for some but not all, it is a true embodiment of the core values that Traser tries to bring to its watches. Despite the P69 being as practical as some of the first Traser watches, it is also quite a modern product in design and features, making it clear that Traser is keeping a close eye on the rest of the wristwatch community. The pros of the P69 model include an attractive case shape, a well-readable dial, and a fair price. The different color options also help more buyers fit the P69 Black Stealth into their active lifestyle.
The price for the Traser P69 Black Stealth watch is 495 Swiss Francs with a NATO-style strap and 535 Swiss Francs with a rubber strap. More detailed information can be found on the Traser watch website.