THE ODYSSEY
BUILT FOR EVERYTHING.
The Odyssey started with a simple idea.
There was a time when a dive watch was simply a tool. You bought one because it was rugged, capable, and dependable enough to go wherever you did. A watch that could handle the water could generally handle everything else life threw at it.
That idea is the ethos behind the Odyssey.
This isn't a vintage reproduction, and it isn't a homage to any particular watch. The design takes subtle cues from the classic dive watches that we all know and love while bringing them forward into something distinctly its own.
The goal was simple: build a modern watch that could go from a coral reef to a board room without looking out of place in either.
Every decision was made with that in mind.
THE CASE
40mm · 47mm lug-to-lug · 12mm thick · 20mm lugs
40mm is a size that works.
It gives the Odyssey real wrist presence without becoming oversized or ostentatious.
The 47mm lug-to-lug keeps the proportions compact enough to fit a wide range of wrists, while the 12mm thickness gives the watch the substance you'd expect from a serious dive watch without adding unnecessary bulk.
The result is a watch that feels substantial on the wrist without demanding attention.
300 METERS
The best tool watches are dive watches.
A dive watch has to withstand an environment that places demands on nearly every part of its construction. If a watch is capable at depth, it should be more than capable everywhere else.
300 meters is a benchmark for a serious dive watch, so it was the logical rating for the Odyssey.
You may never take it anywhere near that depth. That's not really the point.
The point is knowing that you can.
THE MOVEMENT
Miyota 9015 Automatic · 28,800 vph · 42-hour power reserve
The 9015 is a tried, tested, and proven modern automatic movement.
Its high beat rate, 42-hour power reserve, and slim profile give the Odyssey the performance I wanted without adding unnecessary thickness to the case.
But there was another reason I chose it - it's ubiquitous.
The 9015 is used all over the world and is readily available to competent watchmakers. If you ever find yourself somewhere that you can't send the watch back to Tertia for service, you shouldn't be stuck with an impossible repair or a movement that costs a paycheck to replace.
The Odyssey is designed to be a watch that can tell a lifetime of stories.
That means it should be serviceable long after the five-year warranty runs out.
SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL
Sapphire should be standard on a tool watch.
The crystal is one of the most exposed parts of a watch, so using something highly scratch-resistant wasn't a difficult decision.
The Odyssey uses sapphire with an inner anti-reflective coating to keep the dial legible whether you're underwater or above it.
It's not there to make the specification sheet look impressive.
It's there because it makes sense.
CERAMIC BEZEL INSERT
The bezel needs to survive the same life as the rest of the watch.
Ceramic is extremely tough, and unlike anodized aluminum, won't fade over time in the same way.
Aluminum develops a patina that can look great, but as the color changes, the contrast and legibility of the markings can change with it.
The ceramic bezel on the Odyssey keeps the markings crisp and clear throughout the life of the watch.
The goal isn't to prevent the watch from ever showing its age.
It's to make sure age doesn't make the watch less useful.
LEGIBLE, ALWAYS
A watch is only as useful as your ability to read it.
The Odyssey's dial and hands were designed to be read at a glance.
The indices are deliberately clear and uncomplicated. The hands use a custom Tertia broad-sword design, combining elements of sword and pencil hands to create a handset where the hour and minute hands are immediately distinguishable from one another.
The lume is Swiss Super-LumiNova X1 C3.
The choice was intentional. Green lume is easier to pick up in low-light conditions than many of the blue alternatives, and X1 C3 provides a bright, long-lasting glow so the dial remains readable when the light disappears.
READY FOR ANYTHING
The Odyssey comes with both a three-link stainless steel bracelet and an FKM rubber strap as the standard.
That isn't an accessory package.
It's part of the watch.
The idea behind the Odyssey is that it should always be capable. You shouldn't have to buy another strap after the fact because you decided to take the watch somewhere else.
Both the bracelet and rubber strap use quick-detach spring bars, making it simple to move between them.
The bracelet uses screw pins for straightforward sizing without specialty tools, along with a quick-adjust clasp that lets you add a few millimeters of room on the fly when your wrist changes throughout the day.
Small details, but they all serve the same purpose.
Make the watch easier to live with.
INTENTIONAL DESIGN
There are plenty of watches available for less money. Some have similar specifications. Some may even have specifications that look better on paper.
That's not a criticism. There are many good watches built that way.
The Odyssey simply wasn't designed to be the cheapest option.
I wanted to create something with its own identity and a specific purpose. That meant developing the watch around those intentions rather than simply starting with whatever components were already available and building around them.
The case, dial, hour and minute hands, bezel, proportions, and overall design were developed specifically for the Odyssey.
The entire thing has to be cohesive.
BEHIND THE ODYSSEY
There is no team behind Tertia - it's just me, Ben.
That means every design decision, every specification, and every detail of the Odyssey ultimately came down to me.
There wasn't anyone else to make those decisions.
That doesn't mean every decision was easy. It means that all decisions were done with a purpose and the total vision of the Odyssey in mind.
The Odyssey had to be a capable tool. It had to have its own identity. And it had to reflect the level of attention to detail I wanted to put my name behind.
No corners cut simply because they were inconvenient.
USA ASSEMBLY
Ideally, I wanted to build the entire watch in the United States.
At this price point, that proved to be logistically impossible.
Rather than compromise the watch itself, I chose to make the best product I could while bringing as much of the final product as possible back to the United States.
The Odyssey goes through final assembly, regulation, and quality control in the USA. Wherever possible I work with other small American businesses as part of the final product.
It's one of the ways I can keep more of the process close to home without pretending the entire watch is American-made.
WHY THE ODYSSEY?
There are a lot of watches you could buy.
There are less expensive watches. There are more complicated watches. There are watches with longer power reserves, higher water resistance, or specifications that look better on paper.
The Odyssey was never about winning a specification contest.
It was about making the right decisions.
- A size that wears well.
- A case built to 300 meters because water resistance = capability.
- A movement that's thin, proven, and serviceable anywhere in the world.
- Sapphire crystal because that should be the standard.
- A Ceramic bezel to withstand abuse and resist fading.
- A dial and handset designed to be read at a glance in all conditions.
- A bracelet and rubber strap because the watch shouldn't need an accessory purchase to adapt to your life.
- And a design that can go from a coral reef to a board room without looking like it belongs anywhere else.
All of these decisions lead back to the same idea - A watch built to go wherever life takes you.
When you put it on your wrist, I want your reaction to be pretty simple:
This makes sense.