To be completely honest, I have to admit that I never expected to like Trilobe’s newest watch as much as I did in person. Maybe the burnout of “sportification” or over-integration of every bracelet has finally gotten to me. Maybe I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that not every design is better with a bracelet. Whatever the reason, I glazed over the release of the Trilobe Trente-Deux (thirty-two in English) in the deluge of releases from Geneva Watch Days. Then, after seeing the watch in person, I discovered that there is a lot more to this watch than I expected.
The design of the Trilobe Trente-Deux is likely familiar to the enthusiast community, but that’s a double-edged sword. There’s an obvious similarity to the Patek Philippe Nautilus, with the left “wing” on the caseband balancing the design against the crown-guards on the right. The bracelet shape also echoes the design, but with polished center links that are more angular. And as much as I am usually very critical of watches that I feel too close to other ideas, in the metal, the Trente-Deux doesn’t feel that way at all.
One benefit is that the brand retains a strong identity because of its unusual and creative dial layout. The Trente-Deux uses the display of the Nuit Fantastique (like the Hodinkee Limited Edition). A trio of discs rotates in a captivating display. The hours at the periphery, with the appropriate hour always at the top, are indicated by the brand’s logo. The minutes are displayed on a disc, with the smallest, sunken disc referenced with another pointer in the frame. Finally, the running seconds disc is larger, placed below the minutes, and because of its size, it draws your eyes to the subtle motion of all the discs.
I also appreciate the use of texture of the dial. The center dial has a soleil radiating from the subsidiary seconds, which itself has a combination of Clous de Paris guilloché in the center with azurage at the edge. The hours and minutes have a pebbled grain texture, but there’s an added depth and shadow to the minute disc as it’s set slightly below the rest of the dial plane.
But while the dial or case gets the attention, the achievement for Trilobe is inside the case. The Parisian brand is only seven years old, and yet it has recently taken a serious step few brands its age would take in recent years by opening its own manufacturing facility, located in Ivry-sur-Seine (just 20 minutes from Paris). While the brand has a studio in the 9th Arrondissement (or Opéra district) of Paris, where it designs, prototypes, and assembles its watches, a manufacture is a whole different prospect. The brand’s first watch used a movement designed by Jean-François Mojon and made by Le Cercle des Horlogers. Now, with their own multi-axis machines on hand, the brand is able to make the significant components of a moment themselves. Proof in the metal: the Calibre X-Nihilo is the first nearly completely in-house movement from Trilobe.
The brand says that—from mainplates, wheels, bridges, oscillating weights, and pinions—80% of the movement is made in-house. Like many brands, they still source their jewels, mainsprings, and hairsprings from outside sources. But they provide all the decoration, design, and other manufacturing in-house, bringing a higher degree of verticality to their brand.
As for the Calibre X-Nihilo itself, it has quite an unusual design. Both geometric and open, but dominated by a very unusual rectangular main bridge, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. Running at 28,800 vph and with a 42-hour power reserve (a slightly weak running time), the movement features a very prominent balance with four adjustable screws for more accurate regulation. It’s also a large-diameter movement, despite the reasonable case size—a 35.2mm by 7mm movement against an overall 39.5mm by 10.15mm case measurement—which feels airy due to the highly carved-out rotor. Most brands won’t remove that much material for fear of losing inertia to wind the movement, but Trilobe has apparently made it work.
However, like the dial, the movement’s aesthetics are also quite unusual. The balance cock adopts a traditional design commonly found in other French watches, but, along with the grained movement plate, it is the only truly traditional element here. I asked Gautier Massonneau why they chose not to show off more of the gear train, and I admired his honest response. “It’s not that great to look at,” he told me. Fair enough.
The compact 39.5mm by 10.15mm case with 46.18mm lug-to-lug looks thicker than the specs on paper, but doesn’t wear it. The fluted bezel complements the dial finishing quite well and keeps the watch grounded in a traditional-leaning aesthetic that complements the rest of the brand catalog and aligns with the more formal touches, like font and dial finishing.
The spring-loaded double-folding clasp is the same as the ones used by MB&F and Richard Mille (which are supplied by Chanel). The only real downside to the design is the lack of quick-change for possible rubber straps and zero micro-adjustment.
But all of that is just specs that could have been apparent when reading a press release. Handling the watch won me over, but it really wasn’t until I put it on the wrist that it clicked. Passing it around the table to my colleagues, Andy and Jeff, who both have very different wrist sizes than I, it was remarkable how well the entire package worked. With a reasonable lug-to-lug length, the case drops off quickly, allowing it to fit a wide variety of wrists. Really, it’s a home run of a product from top to bottom that should work for almost everyone.
The price at release was set at €16,500 as a test for the first run. Now, as the brand moves into full-time production as a part of the permanent collection, the price is €17,500. While the increase pushes the watch over the $20,000 price point (before tax and tariff), the Trente-Deux represents a really interesting option for the brand and a marker in a period of growth not just for Trilobe but for a very hot French watchmaking scene.
For more on the Trilobe Trente-Deux, visit the brand’s website.
Mark Kauzlarich
2025-10-14 14:58:00