The Somerset is the first model from the new watch brand Tennet. The company is based out of the small Asian city-state of Singapore: a hot spot for watch collecting and enthusiasm. There have been a number of start-up watch companies from Singapore over the years, and the results are typically very interesting, ranging from vintage-style models to innovative new creations. The Somerset is somewhere in between, offering a fresh design in a package that is rooted in the culture of vintage dress watches that have interesting case designs. The Tennet Somerset is original and modern, but thematically feels connected to watches that were produced around 75 years ago. Currently, Tennet have four versions of the Somerset, with two of them being featured in this review article including the silver-dialed Somerset Moon and the red-dialed Somerset Vermilion.
The overall theme and design of the Somerset is good, and only requires an interest in the type of timepiece that Tennet was trying to go for: namely, a manually wound time-only watch in a 38mm wide case with a designer twist. Detailing was very important to Tennet, and accordingly, both the Somerset watch case and dial are filled with little nuances that often elude the interest of newer or smaller brands at this price point. Take the crown, for example, which goes to great lengths to both look original and also provide good traction for your fingers. This is important, given that this watch requires manual winding. More details abound on the dial, including a variety of levels, polishes, and textures. The layout of all the elements is of course familiar, but again, the company went to great lengths to ensure that the Somerset doesn’t look like it is emulating anything else on the market.
In many ways Tennet gets the detailing on the case correct, but I will advise the brand to go easier on the polished surfaces in the future. The hour markers and hands are a nice shape and well-proportioned, but just a bit too round-polished and thus too reflective. The more correct way to render them would be with flatter polishes that refract light differently. Tennet actually goes out of its way to state that the box-style sapphire crystal has 5-6 layers of AR coating on it, though there is still some glare due to the underlying light that is being reflected back up to the crystal from the dial. The hands and hour markers are given SuperLumiNova for darkness viewing (which is nice), and the overall symmetry and lack of unnecessary text on the dial are highlights. Overall, the dials of the Somerset watches are very good, with just a few small tweaks necessary to result in near-perfection.
Tennet actually says on its website that part of the intention with the Somerset watch was to make something with “sporty aesthetics.” Personally, I don’t see that, but rather an avant-garde dress watch for enthusiasts. With that said, the case does offer 200 meters of water resistance without a screw-down crown (which would have been a bit annoying for a manually-wound watch), which is impressive. Actually, in a lot of ways the Somerset case is the best part of the watch, especially for those who really like the 38mm wide size. I personally prefer slightly larger watches, but can easily see myself wearing this watch with long sleeves (probably quite rare in warmer Singapore) or with formal attire. The 38mm wide steel case is close to 11mm thick (Tennet mentions that the case is 9.5mm thick without the crystal, but the crystal adds about 1mm to the thickness) and has a modest 46mm long lug-to-lug distance. The case looks so visually interesting mainly because of the design of the lugs and their flanks, which seem to be inspired by certain Omega DeVille watches and other vintage timepieces. The case is also contrast polished, with some polished and some sandblast-finished sections. I like that on the rear of the case Tennet includes the “motto” it created for this product series (which is “Nolite Timere” – essentially meaning “don’t be afraid”), and the name of the model itself.
Even though the Tennet Somerset case is thick enough to accommodate an automatic movement, the company chose to go with a manually-wound movement. That’s probably because the founder of Tennet likes manually-wound watches, and designed a product for himself. Manually-wound watches can offer a more connected, tactile relationship between the wearer and the watch that many enthusiasts enjoy. I personally prefer automatic watches, but I have plenty of respect for manual mechanical movements and feel there is a place for at least a few of them in my collection.
The movement Tennet decided to use was the Swiss Made Sellita caliber SW210 in “top grade” form. This watch movement operates at 4Hz with a power reserve of about two days, and you can see it through the sapphire crystal caseback. The view of the movement is rather nice, and it sure helps that this grade of the movement comes with blued screws and surface polishing. What I found a bit strange, though, was the accuracy claims made on the Tennet website (I won’t repeat them here since they might be subject to change), which are far worse than what I believe this movement typically performs at. Either Tennet doesn’t want customers calling for free servicing if the watches don’t perform to a high spec, or it is severely undermining the typical rate results of the SW210 manually-wound mechanism (which can easily be regulated to chronometric performance).
Each of the Tennet Somerset models comes with a unique strap color that is produced for the company by watch strap specialist Delugs. The 20mm wide tapering leather straps are of a high quality, and make good use of color and contrast stitching. The straps also come on quick-release spring bars, making them easy to remove when needed. Currently, the Somerset Vermilion with its metallic red dial is the boldest of the bunch, with other Somerset dial colors currently including a deep blue (the Lagoon), black (the Onyx), and the Somerset Moon’s classic silver dial. More colors of the Somerset will probably come in the future.
As a debut watch, the Tennet Somerset is pretty good. It wears comfortably, looks attractive, and offers something that the timepiece market isn’t already flush with. There are little things that Tennet could continue to improve, such as the texturing and polishing on the dial, as well as trying to reduce the case thickness (which clearly is important to the brand). Alternatively, it could also experiment by offering an automatic version of these watches, since a new case probably wouldn’t be necessary to house it. Overall, I think a lot of people (especially those who enjoy smaller watches) will enjoy the Somerset, and I further believe that the Tennet brand probably has a lot of good ideas for the years to come. Price for the Tennet Somerset watches is $1,200 USD. Learn more at the Tennet watches website.
Necessary Information:
>Brand: Tennet
>Model: Somerset (Moon & Vermilion versions as tested)
>Price: $1,200 USD
>Size: 38mm wide, ~11mm thick, 46mm lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: As an avant-garde dress watch to go with formal attire.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Lover of expressive vintage watches that wants a newer timepiece from a start-up brand.
>Best characteristic of watch: Overall attractive design, easy to read, and comfortable on the wrist. Nice case with good water resistance. Nice use of colors.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Case is a bit thick given the movement. Dial would be improved if hands and hour markers had a bit less reflectivity.
