By TLex Introducing the stunning new Linde Werdelin Oktopus Moon Carbon, a beautifully handcrafted high-end diver that boasts a breathtaking layered carbon case that was created using an innovative new technology known as -
3DTP™ (3-Dimensional Thin Ply) resulting in compressed carbon fibers and finely striped facets on what LW call an ‘enhanced geometric case!
Can’t say I know too much about 3DTP technology or enhanced geometry, but I know a hot new diver when I see one, and this one’s so hot it’ll leave scorch marks on your wrist!
The break-through layered carbon case is topped off with a sleek black ceramic fixed-bezel and a solid 18K Rose Gold crown engraved with LW’s Oktopus icon.
Powering the Oktopus Moon Carbon is a 23 jewel, bespoke LW caliber with an in-house photo-realistic moon-phase complication - beating at 28,800vph (4 Hz). It has a power-reserve of 44 hours.
Then there’s its 5 layer skeletonized dial with: in an house-blend brown color and dial-plate with a circular Côte de Genève finish, large numerals, 3, 9, 12 (in Rose Gold Luminova) , a Réhaut and top layer plus Rose Gold hands with cool grey SL.
The Oktopus Moon Carbon’s case measures 44mm x 46mm x 15mm. It is fitted with a Sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on its. It is compatible (as all Oktopus models are) with LW’s plug ‘n’ play Reef, dive computer that simply attaches to the top of the watch case. Water-resistance is 300m.
It I presented on an Linde Werdelin custom high-end natural brown rubber divers strap that is interchangeable with LW’s proprietary strap system.
It will be made available as part of a Limited Edition of 59 pieces, worldwide. Price is CHF19,000.
Liked this? Check two other cool new variants of the Linde Werdelin Oktopus - the MoonLITE with its ultra-light ALW case and the BluMOON . . .
By TLex Introducing Elliot Brown Watches! With almost two decades of experience Ian Elliot, co-founder of Animal back in '88, and his business partner Alex Brown, who turned down a job at Cartier because it sounded more interesting to establish Animal's watch department, where he spent seventeen good years -
have incorporated all that they have learnt from their years at the highly successful, Animal brand that they built from a single, innovative, functional product - a watch-strap that was unbreakable - to create a new British watch brand called Elliot Brown.
Today, the two have proudly put their names on a modest range of watches that includes a quartz chronograph known as the Bloxworth, a classic tech-diver designed for those who like a watch that is dressy enough to wear with your best shirt while remaining rugged enough and functional enough to endure the rigors of an active lifestyle or even a 6 month stint at the bottom of Poole Harbor [more on that later]!
Available in eight colorways and three case finishes that includes: black, sandblasted gunmetal, and brushed and polished Stainless steel. Interchangeable strapping options include canvas, solid steel bracelets, and pebbled leather.
The Bloxworth is powered by a Swiss-made 13-jewel chronograph movement with a five-year battery and secured inside with Elliot Brown's proprietary shock-absorbing steel movement housing. The 44mm diameter case is machined from solid 316L marine-grade Stainless steel and has been individually pressure tested to 20ATM twice during construction, and is fitted with a hardened anti-reflective mineral crystal for clear vision in all conditions.
The dial, hands and 0-20 markers on the bezel all have a long-lasting SuperLuminova application that provides outstanding legibility. The outer edge of the bezel is machined for a good grip, and rotates anti-clockwise, so it can only show a shorter remaining time if it's accidentally knocked. The crown and pushers are knurled for extra grip in harsh conditions.
The caseback is bolted down, not threaded, because Elliot Brown say that it's the best way of holding their shock-absorbing movement housing accurately inside the case.
Bracelets are constructed from 316L Stainless steel with solid screw-in link-pins for maximum strength. The heavy-duty clasp has micro-adjustment to fine-tune the fit or extend quickly and elegantly for use over a wetsuit. Prices range from 450 - 600GBP!
In September 2013, Elliot Brown concealed a standard production-line Bloxworth 929-007 watch at the bottom of Poole Harbor among the crabs, the seaweed and the lil-fishies, leaving it there to test the corrosion-resistance of their 316L Stainless steel.
After one month, Elliot Brown asked Steve Trewhella, a local marine wildlife expert and scuba diver to dive down to check it. It was still undamaged and working perfectly, so they left it there for a for a further 5 months! Steve can be seen wearing a gunmetal Bloxworth (above).
After its long soak at the bottom of Poole Harbor, all the watch had developed was a superficial silty-crust that was chipped off to reveal an immaculate case and a movement that was still ticking happily away - despite the effects of 6 months of continuous exposure to saltwater!
Follow the link embedded below to discover more about the Elliot Brown Bloxworth . . .
By TLex Do we really need a watch with 12,000 meters of water-resistance?! Hell, yeah! How else are we supposed to form a tangible link with ourselves and the deepest point on earth, and what else are we supposed to brag about down the pub!
As luck would have it, German watchmaker, VintageVDB seem to share my exact same sentiments and that's why they have just joined an elite club of dive watch engineers that have conquered the deep with a handmade dive watch, called the P 1070 deepsea that boasts a monumental . . . wait for it . . . 12,000 METERS of water-resistance!
So have VintageVDB set a new World Record? Well, not quite, while still an outstanding achievement, the P 1070 deepsea is now one of three of world's deepest mechanical wristwatches of which two are actually available for sale (I think).
One being the P 1070 deepsea, itself, and ONE coming from a relatively unknown Spanish watchmaker, Aeronaval Instruments Manufacturer Carlos. Although I have never seen any documentation to support AIMC's claimed 12000M WR, their watch certainty bares all the hallmarks of one that could happily reach such a depth.
Of the three 12000 meter watches, only Rolex and VintageVDB have documented evidence to support their claimed WR. The Rolex DEEPSEA Challenge watch was tested both in-house in a specially designed pressure-chamber and historically ocean-tested with an epic dive to the bottom of the Marianas Trench, tethered to a robotic arm on James' Cameron's deep sea submersible, the DEEPSEA Challenger.
VintageVDB's P 1070 was extensively tested by the Frauenhofer Institute in Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany where it subsquently reached 12,000 meters, the equivalent of 1,200 bar of pressure! However, VDB say that they, too will conduct an actual ocean test on the watch that will be undertaken by a research team in the Marianas Trench! Watch this space!
For reference, Fraunhofer is Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization. With an annual research budget of €2 billion!
They are involved in the research of everything from Energy and Living to Information and Communication and Transportation and Mobility to the technologies employed for deep sea exploration and inspection with the use of AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) as in their TIETeK - Deep Sea Robotics work.
Features of the P 1070 deepsea include: a case in Stainless steel measuring 46mm in diameter x 55mm in length x 25mm thick and a vintage Universal Geneve Microtor self-winding movement.
Divers features of the include: a massive divers bezel with 5-min click and markers, a Plexiglas acrylic crystal, a screwdown crown and caseback (the caseback is features an engraved Marianas Trench map) and of course a water-resistance of 12,000M.
Finally VintageVDB P 1070 deepsea comes on VDB's new rubber divers strap and VDB screw buckle, a handmade leather strap and pressure-test certificate from the Fraunhofer Institute.
Liked this? See my world exclusive live pictures of two of Rolex's DEEPSEA Challenge watches HERE taken while on location not too far from the Marianas Trench in Guam.
Also read my articles on Rolex's two deepsea experimental wristwatches HERE, HERE and HERE
Also read my review of the 6000M HELBERG CH1 made in tribute to the original pioneer of the deep, the Deep Sea Special!
