By TLex I don't make a habit of bashing dive watches, it isn't my style. I'm a true WIS-tomist and can always find some redeeming quality in each and every diver that I post, as I can with this one (discounting its dial it's really not that terrible), but sometimes things have to be said.
For me Dolphin’s diver is overkill in its most crass form. Its name 'Nuclear Warship Chronograph', which although absurd for want of a better word, could easily be overlooked on a cool mil-styled diver, but I’m afraid this isn't one.
There’s its gimmicky case which I have to admit to quite liking. At 44mm it's of an acceptable size and with a 300m WR rating I’m not complaining. Even the coin-edged bezel looks reasonable. You'll notice that the case can pivot out of its housing à la Eterna Kontiki Diver. But in my opinion it serves no true utilitarian purpose other than being a good collector of unwanted dirt and grime.
Onto the dial, this is where things start getting ridiculous. Here we find four sub dials; the first three chronograph dials with; a Nuclear Sub’s silhouette, a periscope target finder and a nuclear radiation symbol, just in case you forgot the running theme. It’s all bit silly and over the top, but Dolphin aren’t the only ones guilty of using this kind of imagery on their dials.
© Dolphin
Take a look at some of Aquanauts dive watches to see that this kind of imagery does sell on dive watches if done tastefully. Personally I could live without it, but it’s not that terrible.
For me the coupe de gras is the inappropriately incorporated moon-phase dial and crested moon chronograph hand. They’re completely unnecessary, totally out of place and for my mind a real eyesore. What were they thinking? All that’s needed now is some gaudy canary-yellow and you have makings of complete train wreck, or should I say nuclear ship wreck.
So there we have it, released in 2006, it has a modified COSC certified Valojouux 7750 Chronograph movement, 44mm stainless steel, sapphire crystal and 300m WR. You won’t see many of them about, and at around 6,000USD I'm not surprised, it’s WAY overpriced. Sink or swim?
The Dolphin Nuclear Warship Chronograph sinks for me and just in case it threatens to ever raise its ugly periscope again; I’m having it torpedoed!
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