The Speake Marin Resilience is back. Even though, as its name implies, it never really went away, since it is one of those watches that is designed to last a lifetime. Speake-Marin’s most classic watch design is now available in a titanium version, along with a newly designed red gold version that is sleeker, slimmer, and contains an in-house movement for the first time.
The Resilience is a pure classic design, with clean lines and a minimalist dial, yet it’s an outlier among traditional dress watches. Several signature features and tweaks to the typical dress watch design aesthetic make it stand out despite its understated style. There is the blue chapter ring which is matched on the dial with large “Foundation style” blue-steeled hands, along with a tiny blue screw just above the six o’clock marker. These elements are a tribute to Speake Marin’s original Foundation Watch, the first design to bear the brand name. Originally, the screw locked the dial in place. Today it doesn’t require the screw but it’s included to complement the blued steel hands and to provide a visual balance with the Speake Marin logo above. Another purely Speake Marin touch is the small seconds dial positioned at 1:30. It appears for the first time on this model.
The Power Of Polished Enamel
The main feature of the Resilience has always been its luscious, oven-fired vitreous enamel dial, which is practically indestructible – hence the name. The color of oven-fired enamel fades extremely slowly over centuries, and will never tarnish, so it keeps looking new for far longer than standard dial treatments. It will also never go out of style.
Speake Marin uses Japanese white enamel, which is recognized for its superior quality. The dial starts with a plate made of Inconel, a nickel and chromium-based alloy that withstands high temperatures and therefore does not deform. In a process known as dry enameling, the plate is micro-beaded to make it more porous and allow the first layer of enamel powder to fix and melt better. The plate is then placed in an oven at a temperature of approximately 800 degrees Celsius for about five minutes per layer of enamel. This process is repeated five times, with each layer fusing with the previous one to form a uniform and smooth surface. It is then hand-polished to achieve a perfect white mirror finish. This expanse of white enamel is contrasted with oversized black Roman numerals for a stark black and white contrast, combined with the blue highlights that make it recognizably Speake Marin.
The effort that goes into creating this dial naturally dictates a movement that is superior and finished to high watchmaking standards. The refresh includes the in-house automatic caliber SMA03, which enables Speake Marin to apply its signature positioning of the small seconds at 1:30. It is a slim caliber, with a thickness of 3.9mm, which makes it perfect for a refined dress watch. It includes an integrated micro-rotor that delivers a 52-hour power reserve.
The main plate is coated with rhodium and is entirely finished with circular graining. The bridges receive the same rhodium treatment for a bright, white finish and are decorated with côtes de Genève stripes. The beveled edges are polished using the anglage technique. The micro-rotor is microbeaded, sunbrushed, and covered with a plate bearing the topping tool from the Speake Marin logo.
Classic With A Twist
The tubular, Piccadilly-style case is also distinctively Speake Marin, and unique in the world of dress watches, with its visibly screwed-in lugs and narrow stepped bezel. Recently reimagined by renowned designer Eric Giroud, the case now boasts shorter lugs than the original shape and more fluid lines, refining its elegant yet distinctive aesthetic. It is also very wearable, at 38 mm in diameter and 10.5 mm thick. Like all Speake Marin watches, it was designed and assembled at Le Cercle des Horlogers, they brand’s dedicated in-house workshop.
Speake Marin is not a high-volume brand, which means the Resilience is a rarity among traditional dress watches. In a room full of three-handers with sparse dials and Roman numerals, it is a rare sight. It stands out as something unique – a classic with a twist.