In a fast-paced world, slow and steady progress is not often the chosen growth path for small watch brands. However, Traska has chosen this path and, as a result, has cultivated a passionate and dedicated following that loves the brand and its strategy. I have been keeping an eye on Traska over the past couple of years and have become increasingly curious about its offerings. So when I heard about the latest iteration of its popular Commuter series, I jumped at the opportunity to review the Commuter 38 Adriatic Blue. After wearing the watch for several weeks, I can already reveal that it has become one of my favorite experiences with any watch this year. Let me elaborate on that.
When I first took notice of Traska, the Venturer particularly charmed me. As I’m a fan of GMT watches, it fits my go-to watch style. However, I quickly found that the Floridian brand had cleverly built a collection with an attractive aesthetic that connects the different models. Rarely does a brand stick steadfastly to a clear design vision and apply it to all its models. If you browse Traska’s current collection, you will see that its five base models all have the same case silhouette and bracelet. With that as a solid canvas, the brand then creates the different models based on functionality and a specific feel. This has resulted in a diverse collection of watches that all instantly display the Traska design signature.
The story of the Traska Commuter 38
But that’s only half the story because the team at Traska also steadily improves the functionality and quality of its releases without significantly raising the prices. This has gained the brand many loyal fans, and even without having spent time with one of Traska’s watches until recently, I was already one of them. But it’s not that we haven’t covered Traska. Vincent has repeatedly waxed poetic about the brand, including a profile highlighting its various remarkable achievements. He also wrote about my initial favorite, the Venturer GMT, and the Commuter series I’ll focus on in a minute.
What I love is that this young brand takes a consistent approach and keeps optimizing its offerings without feeling the need to change them drastically. While this is a familiar strategy, not too many watch brands have applied it successfully over the years. Still, the one that has become famous for it happens to be the most famous watch brand in the world, so we can’t deny that it works. As Traska was founded in 2018, we still have to find out whether this will work long-term, but I salute the brand and its management for sticking to this path.
A perfect example of this steady approach is the Commuter series. The Commuter 36 debuted in 2021 as a great daily watch. In late 2023, Traska decided to expand the collection with the Commuter 34 and the Commuter 38. On top of that, the brand has introduced new dials with every drop, including ones in different colors and with different finishes, from sunburst to semi-matte and full gloss. With this expansion, there is a Commuter for all wrist sizes and tastes.
The Traska Commuter 38 Adriatic Blue
I had a chance to try out the Adriatic Blue version of the largest model. It’s one of four currently available Commuter 38 variations. The other three are the Oxblood Red, Sterling Silver, and Slate Black. Besides dial color, another choice you must make when selecting any Commuter model is whether you want a date window at 6 o’clock. For the review, I requested the dateless version because I was intrigued by its clean aesthetic.
But let’s first discuss specs. The Commuter 38 has a 38.5mm stainless steel case with a 46mm lug-to-lug and a 10.5mm profile. It’s a beautifully proportioned, nice, and slim case with a branded screw-down crown. But it gets even better when you realize that without the box-style double-domed sapphire crystal, the case is only 8.75mm thick, which is quite remarkable. This gives it a beautiful, slim fit that is an absolute joy on the wrist. But we’ll get to that later.
The case has a brushed finish with polished chamfers and flanks. It is topped with a radially brushed bezel with a polished chamfer. The finishing is beautifully done and adds those little hints of visual brilliance that make it a joy to behold. Notably, you can see an elegant stack of polished surfaces where the case band’s polished chamfer joins that of the bezel.
A fantastic bracelet and a scratch-resistant coating
The watch comes complete with a 20mm-wide three-row Oyster-style bracelet with a beautiful 4mm taper to the clasp and quick-release spring bars. The fully articulated links allow you to stack them, which is a playful testament to the bracelet’s incredible flexibility. The bracelet utilizes single-headed screw pins and a clasp with push-button release and a beautiful perlage finish on the folding arms for extra visual brilliance. This clasp also comes equipped with a brilliant toolless six-step micro-adjustment system.
Simply push the button down, and you can size the watch perfectly. This is the best of the many toolless micro-adjustment systems I have seen from smaller brands. The clever thing is that the steel end piece of the bracelet that comes out upon extending the bracelet is just as wide as the bracelet itself. We don’t see that often, and it is so satisfying to see an extension of the bracelet rather than a smaller piece of steel pop out when you size it.
Another reason to highlight the bracelet before the dial is that both it and the case are treated with a scratch-resistant coating. We’ve seen other brands apply this, like RZE and VPC, and it works miracles. After a solid two weeks of wearing the Commuter, still seeing a pristine brushed clasp with the brand’s logo is an absolute joy. As your potential daily driver, the Commuter reassures you that you don’t need to be afraid of scratches.
The looks of the Traska Commuter 38 Adriatic Blue
Let’s move on to the dial and the overall aesthetic. It’s hard to deny that the Commuter series has strong Rolex Oyster Perpetual vibes, but that doesn’t bother me one bit. I love the Oyster Perpetual a lot, and in a world of derivative designs, I appreciate a well-balanced one taking inspiration from a watch that I adore.
The dial design is straightforward but stylish. It features a full set of applied baton markers filled with white Super-LumiNova. On the dial’s perimeter, you will find the open minute track with slightly larger markers for every five minutes. The diamond-cut baton-style hands match the style of the indexes and also feature white Super-LumiNova, which lights up blue in darker conditions.
The Adriatic Blue dial is a wonderful shade of grayish blue with a nicely subtle sunray pattern. Its true beauty only reveals itself fully in broad daylight. I am very picky when it comes to blue and green dials, but I love this shade of blue. The logo and brand name grace the dial on the upper half, and the word “automatic” does so on the lower half.
The latter refers to the Miyota caliber 9039 that powers the watch. It operates at 28,800vph and has a 42-hour power reserve. The caliber is part of Miyota’s premium offerings, and after Traska regulates it in four positions, it offers an accuracy of -10/+20 seconds per day. The choice of movement plays a big part in keeping the prices affordable. On top of that, the 9000 series has proven to be a very reliable series of calibers for many small brands.
Wearing the Traska Commuter 38 Adriatic Blue
After wearing the Commuter 38 for a couple of weeks, I am nothing short of blown away by what Traska has achieved with this offering. Thanks to its slim profile, incredibly comfortable bracelet, and attractive looks, the watch wears like a dream. Even with a busy schedule full of different watches, I find myself going back to the Commuter 38 all the time. If you are constantly changing watches like we do at Fratello, you rarely find a watch you connect to beyond a frantic ongoing exchange of timepieces. But I found love for a great daily watch with this Traska Commuter 38, especially considering its price of US$670 (roughly €575).
For that money, there is no better watch. It truly is that simple. The watch wears great and feels sturdy and well made. Add the intricate finishing and great eye for every single detail, and the Commuter 38 could easily be double the price and still be worth it. With the many watches we get in the office for review, it becomes increasingly harder for brands to impress us. But when a watch is executed as well as the Traska Commuter 38, it stands out immediately.
Final thoughts on the Traska Commuter 38
This brings us back to Traska’s overall approach. Creating watches with the clear goal of steadily improving them works incredibly well for the brand. Looking at the entire collection, all models are in the US$600–750 range (roughly €575–645). Considering what you get for the money, I would label Traska as the best in class in every category of watches that the brand offers.
While I love the Commuter and the Venturer most, the brand also offers two great dive watches, the Freediver and Seafarer. Lastly, the Summiteer is a great modern field watch. All of them are affordable and were created with the same clear vision in mind. It’s hard to fault Traska for its magnificent efforts to create great, affordable watches. It really is that simple, and sometimes, the simplest things lead to the best results. The Traska Commuter is the perfect proof of that.