By TLex Time for a second look at the AQUASCOPE, JeanRichard's new vintage inspired diver. Not surprisingly it features JR's signature tonneau shaped case albeit a considerably toned version of the original 60s design.
Plus, a first look at the Aquascope's new sibling the Aquascope MARINE with its blue dial, blue bezel and white structured calfskin strap . . .
INSPIRED Inspired from JeanRichard's divers watches of the 1960’s. Its tonneau shaped case with round opening and black external rotating bezel. Arabic numerals and indexes in luminescent material. Presented on a structured calfskin strap.
IN-HOUSE Powered by the JR1000 in-house-manufactured mechanical movement with automatic-winding Calibre 11 1/2’’’, 27 jewels, frequency 28.800 vib./hour (4Hz) with 48 hours power-reserve and a date function.
MANUFACTURED 44.50mm x 40mm polished and satin-finished stainless steel case with a 29.5mm case opening. Made up 19 components, the main body of which is constructed from a single block of high-grade steel. A screw down caseback and two screw down crowns; the 9 o'clock crown serving as security mechanism by which to lock its bi-directional rotatable divers bezel.
GLASS & DIAL A convex, anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal the window through which its matt blue or polished black dial can be viewed. Applied rhodium coated Arabic numerals (12 o'clock) and indexes with luminescent material. Rhodium coated arrow and sword shaped hands with luminescent material.
STRAP Black or white structured calfskin strap with stainless steel folding buckle.
By TLex Heads-up, those of you, who like me, have a compulsion to buy every dive watch edition in existence of whatever publication happens to be highlighting our obsession. I just picked up issue #21 of MOVMENT magazine (shouldn't there be an 'e' in there somewhere), which indecently is published in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
The dive watch content starts with a couple of nice ads for the new Corum Admiral's Cup DEEP HULL 48 and Tempvus Compvtare's two divers; the SharkWatcher and SeaShepard. The DEEP HULL 48 is a favorite, I'll be reviewing it here next month.
Next up - a 6 page feature on the new PORSCHE DESIGN P'6780 DIVER.
The main dive watch segment consists of a paragraph or two on - decompression stops plus a brief explanation of divers watch standards. Plus a selection 19 divers (surely they could of pushed the dive-boat out just a little further and come up with 20) with a few basic specs and costs of each watch. Anyway here they are:
#01 CORUM Admirals Cup DEEP HULL 48 #02 BREITLING Superocean #03 ALPINA Extreme Diver 1000m #04 MONTBLANC Sport XXL #05 JLC Master Compressor Diving Chrono NAVY SEALs #06 BLANCPAIN Fifty Fathoms Chrono Retrograde #07 PANERAI Luminor 1950 Submersible #08 OMEGA Seamaster Ploprof #09 Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk II Pro
#10 TechnoMarine Blackwatch MAGNUM (really?) #11 LUMINOX Deep Dive #12 RICHARD MILLE RM028 'Les Voiles de St Barth' #13 TEMPVS COMPVTARE SharkWatcher #14 TISSOT Sea-Touch #15 IWC Aqutimer 2000m #16 TAG HEUER Aquaracer 500m Cal.5 #17 ROLEX Deep Sea #18 BREGUET Marine Royale Alarm 5847 #19 HAMILTON Khaki Below Zero 1000m
Finally find the 'SPIRIT OF THE SEA', a high end marine watches pictorial featuring: #01 PATEK PHILIPPE Nautilus #02 BREGUET Type XXII 3880ST #03 RICHARD MILLE RM028 #04 ROLEX Submariner (new)
Most of the issue's dive watch content has already been presented here and hopefully in a little more detail, but sometimes it's nice to move away from the computer for a while, sit down with your favorite bevy and immerse yourself for 5 minutes in a piece of good old-fashioned print . . .
By TLex Co-designed by Rheinmeister's Dirk Maier and Simon Schmidt. Its 43mm German made case is constructed from high-grade 316L stainless steel. It has a screw-down crown, a 4mm thick sapphire and a water-resistance of 1000m. It houses an ETA 2892-2 (anti-shock).
A limited production of 150 pieces will be made with an MSRP of 1'150euro. The watch comes on a handmade leather strap and will be presented in a pelican case.
By TLex The Davis Diver is a diamond in the rough; the rough - a disjointed collection of cheap and somewhat tacky French fashion watches. The diamond - a handsome vintage inspired (BENRUS Type II-esque) 48mm x 15mm diver that is available with either a bead-blasted or PVD stainless steel case with what looks to be a lumed bezel à la just about every 2000m boutique diver released this year (you know the ones I'm talking about).
Its 300 meter water-resistant case houses an automatic movement with date function, the origins of which I am not sure, but most certainly from somewhere in Asia. The glass - also unknown, but for the best part of 460euro (480 PVD), I would hope it to be sapphire crystal. Finally the Davis Diver has been thoughtfully presented on either a bead-blasted or PVD Milanese mesh bracelet (recognize it from somewhere?).
'Everything always begins with an adventure. The desire to discover, to overcome, to attain. How about setting off for a far-distant destination?... Wouldn’t it be great to climb right to the top of that mountain?...
Why not descend to the very depths of the ocean?... But adventure is not only about geography or sportsmanship. It can also be about inventing something truly novel, about creating, imagining, innovating.
This book is dedicated to all adventurers, explorers and other conquerors of the impossible. It tells the story of challenges, efforts and triumphs. It also tells of a key element in many such feats: time.' Jérôme Lambert, CEO, Jaeger-LeCoultre
From JLC There are dreams… and then there’s reality. Right from its origins, Jaeger-LeCoultre has consistently sought to submit its watches to tests even harsher than those of measuring and testing devices, by confronting them with real life. And much more besides…
The Manufacture has often entrusted its time measuring instruments to explorers, champions and adventurers, whose mission is to test them in the most extreme conditions of use, in moments when precision, resistance and performance are of vital importance.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has decided to bring together all these adventures, these heroes and these exceptional watches within a book based on an original concept. Page after page, readers are immersed into the heart of the various feats depicted and described, as well as into the core of the revolutionary mechanisms that have been making their mark on watchmaking history for over 170 years.
For Jaeger-LeCoultre, the adventure of extreme watches began in 1833 in an isolated Swiss valley, when Antoine LeCoultre and his watchmakers personally tested their creations featuring innovative technical solutions by climbing the highest peaks in the Alps. This was already a genuine challenge in an era when most watches never left the cosy comfort of a waistcoat pocket…
The following years and decades witnessed the emergence of a proud lineage of action oriented watches. Each brought a new function, an original technological feature, enhanced performance, water-resistance or reliability, steadily enriching the Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmaking heritage with an incomparable sum of know-how…
When the Nautilus submarine was first commissioned to slip under the ice pack in order to be the first to reach the North Pole in submerged mode, Jaeger-LeCoultre developed the Geophysic chronometer, equipped with a case impervious to magnetic fields.
When scuba diving became a leisure sport, Jaeger-LeCoultre invented the Memovox Deep Sea, the world’s first diver’s watch equipped with an alarm. When Emannuel Coindre set out to row solo across the North Pacific, he was wearing a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph.
When Valentino Rossi, the most gifted motorcycle racer of all time, hits the track, he does it with a Master Compressor Extreme W-Alarm on his wrist.
When Jaeger-LeCoultre checks the water resistance of the Master Compressor Diving GMT, the test takes place in real-life conditions at a depth of 1,000 metres.
When Aston Martin racing drivers take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, they choose the AMVOX2 watch, the first pushpiece-free chronograph.
When three mountaineers wished to pay tribute to the most extreme watch ever developed and produced by Jaeger-LeCoultre, they took the Master Compressor Extreme LAB2 Tribute to Geophysic to the top of the world, in the Himalayas.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has chosen to present these feats, these adventures and these watches by providing a fascinating account of each in words and pictures. In this book infused with genuine passion, produced in cooperation with Stephan Ciejka, editor-in-chief of the Revue des Montres, watchmaking technology remains discreetly in the background in order to give pride of place to human beings, to dreams and to emotions.
Jaeger-LeCoultre, Extreme Watches for an Extreme World, an exclusive book dedicated to all lovers of fine watchmaking.
By TLex This bad boy, couldn't wait to take his new P'6780 Diver for a test-dive; and who could blame him?! Ladies please pay attention, this how to do your man's birthday 'right', we wouldn't expect anything less!
Click here to find out more about the P'6780 Diver, read my interview with the men behind the watch and see what were the first real world images of this amazing new watch from Porsche Design & Eterna.
As it name suggests, the Super KonTiki Heritage 1973; is a reissue of the 1973 Super KonTiki divers watch from Eterna, which is a much sort after vintage diver.
The KonTiki line of watches were inspired by Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 voyage on a balsa wood raft named 'KonTiki', which made its way across the Pacific to the Polynesian islands.
Unseen here is a caseback engraving of the KonTiki raft that the watch sports. Remaining true to the original watch, it has the same tonneau shaped stainless steel case with a 200m water-resistance, albeit with a larger 44mm dimension.
The handset differs slightly from the original only in that it has been altered to allow for a more generous application of Swiss Superluminova, making for better readability underwater.
The Super KonTiki 1973 is equipped with a Swiss automatic movement, the ETA caliber 2824-2 with 38-hours power reserve.
The watch is presented on a stunning mesh bracelet with a brushed clasp. A Limited Edition of 1973 pieces, the Super KonTiki Heritage 1973 comes with a price tag 3'300 USD.
Oh, Breguet, how you tease me! After waiting more than 5 months for a press release and a decent image of the latest version of the Marine Royale Alarm, something turns up in French! Well worth the wait, though; you couldn't hope for a finer 300m diver.
From BREGUET Marine Royale wristwatch in 18-carat white gold. Self-winding movement with alarm mechanism. Security ratchet of the turning bezel visible at 3 o'clock. Unidirectional turning bezel with luminous mark. Alarm on/off push-piece at 8 o'clock. Alarm setting push-piece at 4 o'clock. Black rhodium gold dial hand-engraved on a rose engine.
Triangular hand at the center for setting the alarm time. Alarm power-reserve indication in an aperture between 9 and 11 o'clock. Alarm on/off indicator in a round aperture at 12 o'clock. Date at 6 o'clock. Breguet hands coated with a luminous compound. Water-resistant to 300m. Sapphire-crystal caseback.
CASE White gold / 45.0 x 17.45mm / Water-resistance 300m
CALIBRE 519R Jewels 36 / Power-reserve 45hrs / Frequency 4.0Hz / Balance-wheel Regulating screws / Escapement Swiss straight line lever / Balance-spring Flat
By TLex Have I got funny taste in dive watches or does this look really cool?! SECTOR and Belgium (Congolese) world record holding free diver, Patrick Musimu have joined forces; the result an amazing new 1000m diver.
Among the many cool features of the SECTOR Shark Master are; a 45mm case, an HEV, a Swiss made automatic movement and a sapphire crystal; there are of course loads of other equally cool features . . . so go check them out for yourself (in Italian) at SectorChannelTV . . .enjoy!
