The Retter Mistral, a fine and accessible dress watch with style

Dishes is not a brand that many are familiar with since its first watch was launched only a few years ago, the 22 Automatic. It was a solid first effort with the ever-popular integrated sports watch aesthetic, but the Mistral that followed is a more mature and elegant dress watch, with a truly ultra-thin case (a term a bit too wave). The case and dials feature interesting, well-thought-out designs that go beyond the microbrand norm, while the hand-wound Swiss movement really completes the package. It's a big step up from the 22 Automatic, which was already an impressive inaugural watch, and it comes at an acceptable price to boot.

There is an interesting approach to the design of this stainless steel case, which was initially intended to have an interpretation of the classic Corne de Vache horns of the 1950s. The look of soldered lugs on such a thin case just didn't work, it That's why the team created a multi-piece design with a central plate holding the lugs, which would then be hidden by a thin shell in tandem with the bezel and caseback. The seamless result gives the impression of perfectly integrated lugs on a case only 6.8 mm thick.

The diameter is 38mm and 42.4mm between lugs. With the double-domed AR sapphire crystal, the overall height is 7.4mm, which is still very thin. The exhibition case back is secured via six screws and displays a nicely decorated ETA movement. Water resistance is quite impressive at 100 meters with a push/pull crown.

The case is only half the show as the dials are also unique, especially for such a thin piece. There's real depth with three levels and a total of five parts, almost creating a 3D effect when viewed from the front. The inner center section has eight vertical grooves, while the small seconds subdial is a notch below with a nice chamfer. The top tier (third) is an outer ring with applied indexes and a lovely track of small dots with slightly larger counterparts every five minutes. The spade-shaped hands and indexes feature Super-LumiNova inserts and the dials are available in three colors: Midas Gold, Arctic Silver and Forest Green. The gold and silver variants feature thin layers of 18k gold or silver fused to the surface, while the green dial features a PVD coating.

The Retter Mistral is powered by caliber 2105, based on ETA's hand-wound 7001 (only 2.5 mm thick). It's a premium movement that the brand has regulated to +/-10 seconds per day, although this parameter is largely respected in practice. The functions are simple with hours, minutes and small seconds in the center at 6 o'clock. Custom decorations include a bead-blasted anthracite finish (on reworked decks), beading, and hot-blued screws.

The bracelets are also a little special, designed in France by revered bracelet maker Jean-Rousseau. Dyed goatskin and an Alcantara lining are used, while the tanning and stitching are all done under his hands in Paris. The straps go from 20 mm at the case to 16 mm at the pin buckle, and their thickness goes from 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm. Strap colors include beige (for the gold dial), gray (for the silver dial), and green (for the green dial), but white, blue, and red are also available separately at $229 each.

The Retter Mistral is available for pre-order tomorrow (June 18, 2024) with shipping scheduled for November 2024. They are not specifically limited, but only 100 of each color will be made for the initial launch. The pre-order price is $1,595, which is certainly not cheap, but very reasonable for what is offered. For more information and to place an order, please visit retterwatches.com.

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Sponsored article: This article is sponsored by Retter Watches. However, it reflects the opinion of the author and has been written in accordance with MONOCHROME's editorial policy.