By TLex Lycans or werewolves as they are more commonly known, are mythological creatures that have the ability to shape shift from a human form into that of a wolf or similar wolf-like creature. The transformation is often associated with the appearance of the full moon, which arrives at the end of the 28 day lunar cycle.
Similarly in the 16th century the condition of being a lunatic, was attributed to intermittent bouts of insanity, that were said to have been triggered by the moon's cycle.
Folklore aside the moon is an incredible force of nature that plays an important role controlling the ocean and tides, which are most greatly affected by its gravity.
For the scuba diver, knowing when the next full moon will be can mean the difference between missing out on an incredible diving experience or not. Moonlight can create the perfect conditions for a spectacular night dive; increased marine activity, increased clarity of the water and a heightened sensation from diving in such conditions . . .
The LINDE WERDELIN Oktopus MOONPAHSE with is titanium case, rose gold bezel and photo luminescent ‘seven phases of the moon’ display is not just a beautifully designed, highly detailed and cleverly engineered dive watch; but a dive watch that offers the discerning scuba diver that something extra in terms of functionality and aesthetics . . .
To the casual werewolf, the Oktopus MOONPHASES’ Rose Gold bezel would for obvious reasons be welcomed over a silver one, and knowing when the next full moon is would certainly be a crucial factor in whether or not they were able to have themselves suitable incarcerated during the full moon period.
In turn it could be argued that a moon phase function could just as easily be used for determining, when a lunatic should be administered their next dosage; I’m off for mine now . . . Happy Halloween!
By TLex ARMIDA Watches have utilized well known '2000m' factory case for their latest diver. Here are a few shots of the new Armida A4 DIVER, which comes in four different versions. Two dial colors - black or blue, two sets of hour markers - dots or triangular batons, and three bezel types - black, blue or steel with blue markers. More to follow shortly . . .
By TLex Here's a very reasonably priced vintage mil-diver from Steinhart . . .
From STEINHART The sporty exclusiveness of the Ocean Vintage Military makes it stand out from other diver watches. Its solid design guarantees highest resilience as well as an outstanding quality. Within the large genre of sports diver watches the Ocean vintage military is one of the few examples in its price range which demonstrates such an excellent cost-performance ratio . . .
MOVEMENT ETA 2824-2 Swiss Made, automatic, hacking seconds, 25 jewels
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes with vintage old radium SuperLuminova, central second hand
CASE Stainless steel, stainless steel screwed and engraved caseback, 200m / 30 ATM
DIMENSIONS 42 mm (1.65 inches), without crown x 13 mm, 190g, 22m lug width
DIAL Black
CRYSTAL Domed sapphire crystal, double anti-reflection coating on the inside
BEZEL Black
INDICES Vintage SuperLuminova
STRAP Stainless steel 22 mm, screwed with stainless steel, safety clasp
By TLex ORIS have released a Limited Edition DIVER to commemorate the deliberate sinking of the USS Kittiwake in Grand Cayman, which was done in order to create an artificial reef. The Kittiwake DIVER measures 49mm and has a water-resistance of 100 bar or 1000m. It is a Limited Edition of just 500 pieces, and for every one manufactured, Oris will make a donation to the Kittiwake artificial reef project. The sunken ship's mechanical room has been dedicated to the partnership with Oris and in recognition of this a plaque has been installed there. The back of the Oris Kittiwake Limited Edition dive watch shows the logo of the Kittiwake artificial reef project with USS Kittiwake . . .
From ORIS Built in 1944, USS Kittiwake served for 54 years in many important missions around the world. This included the recovery of the black box recorder from the doomed Challenger spaceship in 1986. On January 5th, 2011, the Cayman Government oversaw the deliberate sinking of the Kittiwake to form a new artificial reef.
Limited to only 500 pieces, for every Oris watch manufactured there will be a donation given to the Kittiwake artificial reef project. The mechanical room of the sunken ship is dedicated to this partnership with the Oris plaque installed there.
Available in a ProDiver titanium case with “Rotation Safety System”, the back of this unique watch features the Kittiwake logo, together with the “diver down” warning flag on the dial, marking the association with the historic ship and its new role as a Mecca for diving enthusiasts. The black dial displays wave printing, and the indexes of the timepiece are filled with Superluminova.
The set includes a rubber strap, with an easy adjustable titanium buckle, perfect for wearing over a wetsuit. Water resistant to 100bar (1000m) the Oris Kittiwake Limited Edition is something to savour from an adventure to the Kittiwake reef in Grand Cayman.
By TLex After seeing the new DOXA Shark Ceramica XL being branded about on a couple of the forums recently, I couldn't resist a second jab at the spurious face of DOXA in Asia. This is not the DOXA brand as we know it, none of legendary SUB models feature in their dubious line up, which includes several rip-offs from Rolex and the like. And the watches will never be available for the likes of us to buy! OK, that's probably a little extreme; the range of watches are in fact available to buy, but only from specialized show-rooms across mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The DOXA showroom in Taipei told me that their collection of DOXA watches were only available to tour groups visiting from mainland China. (insert puzzled facial expression) Seems like DOXA have sold their soul, or in this case their name to the devil; don't they know that we're living in a technologically advanced age, where people have access to the internet. Has their prospective market even heard of the legendary DOXA name anyway?! I haven't come across any of the other well-known Swiss brands palming off inferior watch lines to their Asian markets either. Maybe that's because they don't have a suitable brand ambassador . . .
I guess like all great Swiss watch brands (cough-cough) DOXA (in Asia) needed a charismatic ambassador, to help carry its great name! The icing on the cake for me has to be the carefully posed yet somewhat disturbing image of Chinese movie star, Alex Fong Chung Sun (below). There's a better one of him on the DOXA site with a bunch of flowers in hand . . . you can't make this stuff up!
Yet the DOXA Shark Ceramica XL intrigues me. It clearly has no DOXA DNA (that's not necessarily a bad thing) is Swiss Chinese through and through, but it ain't too shabby looking either. Wonder if I'll get to handle one? Click HERE for full details on the forbidden diver . . .
By TLex Yesterday evening at the Dubai Aquarium, Blancpain unveiled to the world what they say is the most technologically advanced diving watch ever made and their most extreme diver to date. They weren't kidding! And as my suspicions earlier lead me to believe, the BLANCPAIN X Fathoms was in fact a mechanical depth gauge, which by all counts has the most accurate and sophisticated depth sensory system of any watch of its kind, and is packed with more features and more functions than anything currently available in its class.
The watch itself has an imposing 55.65mm x 24mm satin brushed Titanium case with a water-resistance of 300m; it houses a BLANCPAIN caliber 9918B, based on the 1315, which the current 2008 Fifty Fathoms utilizes. Its mechanical depth gauge can measure depth up to 90 meters. It is presented on what BLANCPAIN say is the most technically advanced divers strap system in the world . . .
My initial thoughts are; yes, this is certainly a technological achievement and in many ways a break through, so in that respect it does outdo 'the competition', namely the Jaeger-LeCoultre MC Diving Geographic Pro and the IWC Deep Two. However there is no escaping the fact that this is and will only be a diving instrument, to be used for its intended purpose. There's nothing wrong with that, but unfortunately that also means it won't make the grade for high-end desk divers; at almost 56mm, it's going to be far too big. In the looks department, although a marvel, it's just too complicated.
The BLANCPAIN X Fathoms might be Blancpain's first foray into the world of high-end scuba instruments, but in turn is a bit of a departure from the world of everyday luxury wristwatches!
From BLANCPAIN In the context of a spectacular event taking place in the largest aquarium in the world, the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo in the Dubai Mall, Blancpain revealed its latest diving watch. The X Fathoms revisits the characteristics of its iconic 1953 ancestor, and combines them with a mechanical depth gauge to create the most high-performance mechanical diving watch ever produced.
Depth measure up to 90 meters and maximum depth reached memory, separate indication on the 0- 15m scale with an exceptional +/- 30 cm precision, retrograde 5-minute counter for decompression stops, the X Fathoms concept watch abounds in world firsts. Its movement, reference 9918B, is based on the Manufacture-made Calibre 1315, which has already proved its worth by successfully powering several models in the Fifty Fathoms collection. Self-winding and equipped with three barrels ensuring a five-day power reserve, it is provided with a silicon balance-spring to withstand magnetic disturbances.
Its imposing 55.65 mm case made of satin-brushed titanium is water-resistant to 30 bar. It features a helium decompression valve for saturation diving and the unidirectional rotating bezel characteristic to the collection for almost 60 years.
Research and testing conducted by Blancpain show that the elastic properties and the resistance to permanent deformation of amorphous metal make this material ideal for the depth gauge membrane. This choice allows to reduce its thickness by half compared to steel and gain in precision. It also allows avoiding the risk of microcracks formation given the long-term stability of the alloy. However, the non-linear nature of the membrane deformation had to be corrected.
The ingenious solution to this problem is given by the asymmetrical toothing of the rack and pinion that linearises the curve of the membrane deformation. The individual calibration of each X Fathoms guaranties maximal precision of depth indications.
Displays result from in-depth research to offer optimal legibility, with central depth indication hands, matt black background colour to enhance contrast and three-colour luminescence to distinguish indications useful underwater. The most complex injected rubber strap ever conceived gives the final finishing touch. It comprises 14 articulated parts to ensure a perfect fit on the wrist and allow water to seep in under the watch in order to come in contact with the membrane under all circumstances.
By TLex Introducing the new ZLATOUST 193-ChS, the scaled down and slightly updated (if you will) version of the famous 191-ChS 'Vodolaz' DIVER. The legendary 191-ChS, which has become a rare and collectible item, was made in the Zlatoust Clock Factory in the 60s. It was worn exclusively by USSR Navy aquanauts, who wore the huge 60mm watch for operational use despite an application radioactive material on its hands and dial markers.
More recently, the 191-ChS was given a re-edition as the 192-ChS, which was produced minus the harmful radioactive material. However despite this the 192-ChS still remained an enormous 60mm in diameter, making it almost impossible for anyone to wear except perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger (the man, who in many ways was responsible for bringing the watch into the limelight) or other herculean types.
This meant that despite its extraordinary heritage, the 'Vodolaz' dive watch could not easily be worn by enthusiasts and devotees; not until today that is. I had mentioned in my previous ChS-192 article a Russian Military watch expert, who collaborated with the AGAT Clock Factory to re-design a 53mm version of the watch, the ChS-193. This watch is now available (for the moment in limited supply).
Apart from its scaled down 53mm case size, a new more comfortable left-handed crown placement and an automatic Vostok 2415 movement, which replaces the original hand wound 2409, this is the same 700m fixed bezel dive watch that has been hand crafted in Russia. It has been made in the same manner that other 'Vodolaz' have been since the late 50s. It looks the same and feels the same. There are a couple of minor cosmetic enhancements, though; such as a new handset, an 'Agat' factory logo (12 o'clock) and 'RUSSIA' text (6 o'clock).
Currently I don't know of anyone, who has stock of these watches outside of Russia apart from the same Russian Military watch expert, who co-designed it with the AGAT factory, who I got both my 192-ChS and 193-ChS watches from. He has just 17 pieces of the new 53mm version available and 2 remaining 60mm watches. Interested parties should drop me an emailif you would like to be put in touch with him . . .
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