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TRI-05 – 303 Squadron P8331 – Limited Edition
(£2,950.00 VAT incl.)
Unconventional. Dedicated. Unapologetic.
Engineered from 316L alloy in Switzerland, this stainless steel case is expertly finished with brushed and polished surfaces. A screw-down crown ensures a water resistance of 15ATM.
Inspired by the 6b/159 aviation watches worn during the Second World War, the TRI-05’s dial features the emblem of 303 Squadron: its Kościuszko badge is embossed into a subdial at 6 o’clock.
Every detail matters. Engineered on both the top and underside, our double domed sapphire crystal offers absolute clarity of the dial from all angles. Its signature convex shape pays homage to the dress watches of the ‘40s and ‘50s – our modern take on retro design.
Visible through a sapphire crystal is a disc of P8331. Each disc is displayed as it was recovered, battle scars and all – a direct connection to Piotr Laguna and the aircraft he last flew 80 years ago. The Polish motto ‘For our freedom for yours’ is engraved onto glass, while the red and white chequerboard of the Polish Air Force is a reminder of 303 Squadron’s Polish heritage.
Emitting a luminescent green colour, the pilots of World War II would use lume to great effect during night-time operations. The TRI-05's hands are filled with Grade X1 GLC3 Super-LumiNova® - a key feature for any pilot's watch.
The SW200 features in many great Swiss-made watches – including this one. It’s a dependable automatic movement with an anti-shock system and 38-hour power reserve.
This TRIBUS arrives with a signed Certificate of Authenticity in its own luxury presentation box, piano finished with a push button for easy access. An accompanying warranty card allows you to register your watch and view your online instruction manual. We believe you don’t need to hack down half the Amazon for a physical manual when you can easily download one.
How is it that a piece of metal from a Spitfire that crash-landed in boggy French farmland in 1941 finds its way into a limited-edition watch nearly 80 years later? With the help of flight logbooks, navigation charts and pilot testimonies, historians can generally piece together a sequence of events. Yet in the case of 303 Squadron’s Spitfire P8331 RF-M ‘Sumatra’, sheer good fortune not only helped with locating the arming panel that sits in the backplate of TRI-05; it revealed a whole new dimension to its story beyond those scribblings on a page.
Spitfire P8331 RF-M ‘Sumatra’ was one of the initial ten Mk IIB aircraft delivered to No.303 Squadron at RAF Northolt on 13 May 1941. It was flown by at least 15 pilots, the majority being Poles within 303 Squadron; it is credited with taking down two Messerschmitt Bf 109s – one destroyed and one probably destroyed, plus another damaged over its 52 sorties.
Its final flight would take place on 27 June 1941, piloted by Acting Wing Commander Piotr Łaguna as part of an operation with Circus 25 (Z.181) to target a steel factory in Lille. With conditions worsening, orders were altered to “Rhubarb” – searching for enemy troops, vehicles and choice targets at ultra-low level in the Gravelines area. Having located a Luftwaffe airfield near Coquelles, just outside of Calais, the flight destroyed three enemy fighters, but German Anti-Aircraft fire came in response. P8331 was directly hit by a shell, with its flaming wreck last seen diving sharply towards the earth. Piotr Łaguna was killed whilst attempting to bail from his aircraft and subsequently buried in grave no. 9, row A, at Pihen-les-Guines Military Cemetery.
This was about as much as we knew – until the research of the Łagunas Spitfire Legacy Project revealed more of P8331’s story. They made contact with Frenchman JP Duriez, the man who helped positively identify P8331 during its excavation in June 1986. The wreckage was found lodged some 3 to 4 metres under boggy farmland. Eyewitnesses interviewed in 1986 were able to tell the tale of one German soldier who threw his cigarette into the liquid left on the surface of where the aircraft had crashed into – unaware that it wasn’t water but fuel! It set alight, singeing his and his colleagues’ eyebrows and hair, much to the amusement of the locals…
Following its excavation, P8331 would be on the move again – but at a far slower pace. Identifiable parts like its engine and propellers were moved to the Calais War Museum; its dials and cockpit instrument panel were on display in another museum south of Calais. The remaining remnants of twisted metal recovered were even stored in a farmer’s barn until the 1990s before being scrapped!
The release of the TRI-05 303 Squadron P8331 Limited Edition to coincide with the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain couldn’t have been more perfect. A 303-piece limited edition that tells many stories within its 41mm case, it highlights the crucial role the Polish Air Force played during the Second World War. Just as significantly, its 2020 release was meant to coincide with the first time Polish veterans would partake in commemorating Victory in Europe Day after being controversially snubbed from the British Victory March of 1946 (Covid put that occasion on hold - for now).
