Hands-On: The Refreshingly Different Briston Clubmaster Legend Compressor

It’s not every day that I walk into the Fratello photo studio and come out genuinely surprised. That’s what happened when our photographer, Max, was shooting a set of cushion-shaped Briston dive watches, including one with an acetate case. Mike already went hands-on with the brand’s Clubmaster Legend Diver Ocean. Today, I’ll take a closer look at the slightly more affordable Briston Clubmaster Legend Compressor. Its 42mm case features an internal bezel and a simpler dial, but it’s also available in acetate.

The other difference between the Briston Legend Diver Ocean and today’s Compressor is the movement. While the Diver Ocean houses a Japanese Miyota caliber, the Compressor features a Seiko movement, also from Japan. With most of the differences out of the way, let’s take a look at the Briston Clubmaster Legend Compressor.

The Briston Clubmaster Legend Compressor

I’ll start with the dimensions because that’s another area where the Compressor differs from the Diver Ocean. Its case, either in stainless steel or tortoise acetate, measures 42 by 42 mm (excluding the lugs) rather than 40 by 40 mm. At 14.65 mm thick, it’s also slightly chunkier. Overall, though, the proportions look good, and you still get that typical Clubmaster look with the squarish case.

The all-steel version has a fully polished finish, while the acetate version is manually polished and then satinized. Both feature a polished steel bezel and polished lugs. At 2 o’clock is a non-screw-down crown for operating the internal 60-minute dive bezel. At 4 o’clock, we find a screw-down crown for winding and setting the automatic movement inside.

As mentioned, a Seiko movement powers the Clubmaster Legend Compressor. The 24-jewel NH35A runs at 21,600 vph and has a 41-hour power reserve. Like the Diver Ocean, the Compressor is water resistant to 200 meters. You’ll find that information on the polished and engraved case back.

Blue or black and silvery white

For the dial, you can choose between matte black and matte blue. In either case, you get a silvery-white inner bezel with bright red, almost orange accents. A combination of applied stick markers and luminous Arabic numerals mark the hours, and a nicely framed date window sits at 3 o’clock. The hour and minute hands are also luminous, just like the lollipop seconds hand and the pip in the bezel. At 12 o’clock, you find the Briston logo, and at 6, the model name, and some important specs. A 2.8mm-thick, domed, and ultra-resistant K1 glass crystal protects the dial.

One model, two faces

The two versions of the Clubmaster Legend Compressor offer very different looks and experiences. With the all-steel one, you get a proper tool watch that, over time, will show you where it has been thanks to its fully polished case. Apart from its unusual case shape, this version feels more like other Compressor-style divers on the market.

The brownish and slightly transparent acetate version is a completely different beast. It feels less like a tool watch and more like a fashion statement. As I said in the intro, this acetate model thoroughly surprised me when I saw it in our studio. I’d never seen anything like it before, but I think it’s a great look, and I’d love to see other brands use this material.

On the wrist

Of course, the 42mm Briston Clubmaster Legend Compressor is slightly big for my 17cm wrist. I’m glad Jorg offered to be the wrist model for these watches, as I think they look much more at home on his 18.5cm wrist (our apologies, though, as we apparently forgot to screw the crown back in for the wrist shots). Each watch comes on a comfortable FKM rubber strap in dial-matching black or blue. I can also imagine the acetate version would look great on a leather strap, as this isn’t your typical dive watch anyway.

My favorite of the two variants is definitely the acetate one. The all-steel model is a bit too polished for my taste. Besides, I love the former’s combination of a stainless steel core and lugs with an acetate exterior. I’m also curious to see what the wear and tear on the acetate version will look like over time. I guess it should be similar to an acetate pair of sunglasses.

An affordable and original diver

In conclusion, I really like the Briston Clubmaster Legend Compressor, especially the acetate version. It seems like a very original-looking diver to me, and I didn’t expect to be surprised this much at this price point. The Clubmaster Legend Compressor costs €590 / US$675 in the acetate configuration and €610 / US$695  in full stainless steel. That’s relatively affordable for such an out-of-the-box design and non-standard use of materials. I took a quick look at Briston’s website and saw a few other watches with acetate cases. However, I can’t wait to see what else will come out in the future.

What do you think of the Briston Compressor and using acetate in watches? Let me know in the comments below.

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