When Stephen Chidwick arrived to play the €150K Short Deck event at Triton Madrid today, there was something different about him. There was something spectacular glinting on his left wrist.
Last night, Chidwick won the Short Deck Main Event here at the Casino Gran Via, and banked €1.8 million. But he also won something that money can’t buy: the exclusive Triton Epic X Skeleton timepiece, created by the luxury jewellers Jacob & Co, which only Main Event victors on the Triton Series can boast.
“Beautiful,” Chidwick said, when asked about the watch immediately after strapping it to his wrist last night. And he now wears it proudly as he returns to action. The only other person with a similar item is Henrik Hecklen, who won his in the No Limit Hold’em Main Event. Hecklen spent the hours after his victory showing off his new accessory around the exclusive players party as his celebrations kicked off.
This brings great pride to both the staff of the Triton Series and Jacob & Co — the result of an exclusive collaboration that underlines the Triton Series’ commitment to offering a complete luxury experience for its players. The timepiece is designed to be both stunning but functional; something that Triton Series players will do everything they can to acquire.
The initial response to it has been universally positive, yet one more detail to match Triton’s most lofty ambitions.
Triton Poker has a very simple aim: to be the very best at everything it does. Its staff talk about creating the Champions League of Poker, or liken its four-stop season to the Grand Slams in tennis and golf.
Triton already hosts the most prestigious poker tournaments, with the very best player experience. It visits the most dynamic cities and the most exclusive properties. It hosts the highest class live streams and recorded broadcast content. And it has an industry-leading app for players and fans to follow all the action.
Its new partnerships are with similarly market-leading brands that cater for the most demanding and most exclusive consumers — adding even more prestige to Triton’s exceptional all-round offerings.
“The Triton philosophy is to inspire and give back to the poker community by creating the elite stage for the world best players to compete,” says Chng Zhen Wei, Triton’s head of business development. “Triton also seeks deliver exceptional service to all stakeholders with the highest level of integrity and professionalism, culminating in the full Triton experience.”
He adds that Jacob & Co share this core philosophy. “Jacob & Co also puts its customer in the forefront, which is in tandem with Triton’s mantra as such having two companies that goes all out to give nothing but the best to the customers. This partnership would ideally create an exclusive brand alignment for both companies, allowing customers to express their individuality at the highest level.
“We look for partners that are exclusive, be bold to express themselves, to be a part of the world-class Triton experience and the poker community.”
Ruyi Xu, Regional Brand Director of Jacob & Co, visited Madrid for this first Triton Series stop since the partnership was signed. Some of Jacob & Co’s other exquisite timepieces were on display outside the tournament room, and Xu was keen both to showcase Jacob & Co’s products, and to meet Triton’s players to learn more about their lifestyle and demands.
“Triton is the perfect stage for the most elite poker players and businesspeople — and these are also our potential clients,” Xu explains. “Being here with the players and with Triton allows us to get to know the players. We can come to events and meet these people face to face, and understand their requirements and desires. We share their experiences. We can produce timepieces to reflect the life of an elite poker player. We can forge an emotional link with players.”
She adds: “Triton is also keen to produce a complete experience for its players, even outside of the poker, and as a luxury brand, we can be a part of that.”
All good partnerships offer benefits to both parties, and Xu laid out what Triton can bring to the esteemed jewellers — already one of the world’s leading jewellers.
“Triton has a very high standing in the poker community, and can offer Jacob & Co a lot of exposure,” Xu says. “It has its very popular live streams and social media channels, and its games are broadcast on TV in Asia, North America and Europe. We can appear in those broadcasts too.
“Triton gives us an audience of the kind of people for whom Jacob & Co can offer a lot. No other luxury brand has entered this world. It’s a new universe for us, but it’s been a great start.”
Xu says she hopes the partnership can extend to several years, in keeping with the manner of luxury timepiece production, where quality is prized much more highly than haste.
“Producing timepieces of this quality doesn’t happen overnight,” Xu says. “It takes sometimes up to 10 months. So I would imagine a collaboration to last two or three years. Jacob & Co produces very high end timepieces. We are an American company, but we produce timepieces in the Swiss watchmaking tradition, which takes a long time. So we hope for this to be a long partnership.”
As for the Triton Series watch itself, it’s an incredible piece of work.
It’s a 44mm skeleton timepiece designed with the personalised Triton logo integrated beautifully at the 12 o clock position as a part of the skeleton mechanism. It also features a rose gold face and the exclusive CHAMPION mark on the case-back, to celebrate the achievement of the Triton Champion.
Xu says: “The Triton Epic X Skeleton is the result of an exclusive collaboration with Triton. A lot of thought has gone into the design.
“Most importantly, this is a luxury watch but it can be worn every day. It is light and comfortable. It has a light titanium case, and a soft leather strap, which is very comfortable to wear over long periods, like a sport watch.
The skeleton timepiece means you can see all its intricate mechanisms; you can see the manual winding coil. You can see the ruby on the balance spring, which is the heart of the watch. The jewels protect the wheels.
The skeleton designs are very popular, and you can see the integrated Triton logo, in the well-known Triton black and gold colours. The Triton logo is part of the mechanical elements. It’s not just for decoration.”
The Jacob & Co stand in the Triton tournament lobby was highly popular, with many Triton players, and others who find a home at these series stops, visiting to learn more about the exceptional jewellery. “We offer players a boutique experience, without having to go to the boutique itself,” Xu said.
The Triton Epic X Skeleton is already the most sought-after accessory in the poker world. And long may this partnership continue.
Photography by Joe Giron/PokerPhotoArchive