MARC & SONS Diver Watch series PROFESSIONAL MSD-028

This is the Marc & Sons Professional Diver Watch Series MSD-028 which is currently available with 8 different styles – however it will soon be configurable à la H2O Watches offering a several dial options that will even let you choose which lume you like best.



I mocked up the one down the bottom with Old Tritium-style lume and the leather NATO to give you an idea. Otherwise the MSD-028 series is a pretty versatile range of professional diver watches.



I quite like the oversized dual-crown set-up and what you can’t see here is the lovely bezel height and the rows of serrated bezel teeth wrapped around it – pretty cool.



It 46mm case is equipped with an anti-reflective Sapphire crystal as well as a Helium Escape Valve and is pressure tested up to 100 ATM. The unidirectional rotating bezel has a black ceramic inlay.

The watch is powered by an NH35 automatic movement from Seiko. Its dial (not shown here) is in blue-black with a color gradient and luminous markers. Price is around 320euro.

U-BOAT Sommerso 300M

Here’s a new dedicated divers watch from U-BOAT, who are best known (at least here) for their U-1942 and U-42 models which were actually pretty interesting watches despite their exaggerated dimensions.

U-BOAT as a brand though, have never really managed to escape their fashion-watch roots and have struggled to be taken seriously, at least in the collectors market which caters for a more discerning pallet.



So can the new Sommerso change that or does it miss the mark – you be the judge. Starting with the case which has a modest (for a U-BOAT) 45mm diameter and is made from AISI 316L Stainless steel with a satin finish.

It features a rotating bezel with calibrated markers every five minutes interspersed with numbers every ten minutes from 10 to 50. On its left side is a distinguishing crown with a patented protective device.



On the right side of the case is a lever, which can be used to lock the bezel, so presumably it is a bi-directional bezel. The watch watch’s serial number plate is also fixed on the side of the case. The caseback is sealed with seven external screws.



Powering the Sommerso is an automatic mechanical 25 jewel movement with 28,800 vibrations per hour, 4 Hz and a power reserve of up to 38 hours. The movement has been personalized to U-BOAT’s specifications so that the stem is positioned at 9 o’clock – destro-style.



A Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and a lens on the date window protects the watch face which is composed of three superimposed dials, the upper one in black with luminous beige hands and markers plus an additional counter for the 24 hours of the day.



The Sommerso has a water-resistance to 300 meters and comes on a black strap in rubber with a lining in water repellent calfskin thanks to its Kodiak (nemo fans will know this) treatment.



So what do you think? For me it’s a miss, I’m afraid. The U-BOAT brand lacks the cachet that other brand playing at the same price point have and personally I just don’t like really dig the style.

GRUPPO ARDITO Kraken 5000M Special Edition for OCEANICTIME

For your delectation, some new detailed shots plus a 2nd look at the new OceanicTime Special Edition which comes in the form of an incredible custom deep divers watch, hand-crafted in Grade 5 Titanium by Gruppo Ardito of Italy.



Gruppo Ardito is young artisan dive watch brand from Italy; a kind of Germano & Walter meets Ennebi if you will; they would happily sit alongside any Ennebi, G&W, Kaventsmann or VDB in your collection.



The Kraken 5000M OceanicTime SE is based on GA’s flagship diver, the KRAKEN – which has been given some special upgrades taking the watch to the next level in terms of looks and performance.



Initially only 10 – 15 pieces are planned as we want to keep the watch super exclusive. Its special features include:



* OceanicTime logo in white between 10 and 11 o’clock on the dial
* increased water-resistance from 4000m to 5000m
* black DLC-coated fixed bezel with contrasting silver hex-screws
* black DLC-coated crown
* 6x black DLC-coated case-back screws
* caseback sporting OceanicTime diver icon in black enamel
* simplified sandwich-dial layout minus the minute track
* articulated rubber divers strap
* black DLC-coated multi-piece roller buckle



The GRUPPO ARDITO Kraken 5000M OceanicTime SE is priced 1880€ + VAT + shipping



Optional extras include:

* a handmade Italian sharkskin strap supplied with a standard 24mm buckle + tubes to turn the roller buckle from 20mm to 24mm. 145€
* a solid CuSn12 Bronze alloy, fixed bezel. 170€



Please CONTACT Fabio of Gruppo Ardito to reserve yours now – and as always; first come first served.



Thanks for looking!

FARER Aqua COMPRESSOR collection [BRIT x SWISS]

Introducing the new Aqua Compressor Automatic collection from British watch brand, Farer who spent 18 months of design and engineering in London on the development of the collection.

The development of the Aqua Compressor collection included multiple rounds of prototyping with their Swiss manufacturing partners Roventa Henex.



There are three variants of the Aqua Compressor available – Endevour with its bright blue wave pattern dial, Hecla with its sober matte black dial, and Leven with its white dial and orange 15-min scale.



The Farer Aqua Compressor is what it says it is – a divers watch based on the a classic Super Compressor case design with dual crowns, a screwed down case-back, a compressed O-ring gasket and an internal rotational divers bezel.



Its water resistance has been achieved using the compression principle: as the water pressure on the outside of the case increases, the gaskets are naturally compressed so that the case becomes more water-resistant the deeper you dive.



The Farer Aqua Compressor is of course a modern diver’s watch so uses modern materials and has been made using the latest watch-making technologies.



Farer have undertaken a whole series of developments to engineer a compact yet highly technically capable dive watch case capable of diving down to 300m.



The watch case itself is a classic cushion style from the 60s and 70s. It measures 41.5mm in diameter by 12.5mm thick with a crystal diameter of 35.2mm and a lug-to-lug measurement 45mm.



Farer say that the cushion case style wasn’t only chosen for its style but also for its strength. In order for the architecture of the Aqua Compressor system to work seamlessly within the water, it was machined from of a solid block of high-grade 316L Stainless steel.



It was then finished with highly polished sides and case back, and given a fine decorative beveled edge surrounding the bezel, creating a subtle contrast against the brushed top of the cushion case.



The case style is characteristic of Farer with downwardly curving lugs allowing for a more compact and comfortable feel on the wrist.



The dual screw-down crowns have a spring-back release with their own gaskets assisting water-resistance.



Another Farer signature is the solid Bronze crown that allows you to adjust the time which has signed with the Frarer A logo.



The Stainless steel crown allows you to adjust the internal dive time bezel, with the classic Super Compressor hatching detail for feel.



Screwing the crowns down secures the water resistance of the case up to the full 300 meters and related water-pressure.



The Farer Aqua Compressor collection is powered by a Swiss ETA 2824-2 Elaboré Non-Date Movement.



It has a Farer custom rotor engraved with the Farer submersible wave design and finished with snailing detail. It can be viewed through the exhibition case-back.



The Farer Aqua Compressor is supplied with two straps; a black natural rubber thick-edged divers strap with a secure oversized tool buckle, featuring the Farer A and wave pattern underside -



or a 316L Stainless steel tapered bracelet with a two-way clasp and safety locking mechanism + in-built extension allowing it to be worn comfortably over a wetsuit.



The bracelet has been detailed with a brushed finish on the surface against subtle, highly polished sides with the Farer A on the clasp.



MSRP is £1095. So which one do you like best? It would have to be the Hecla for me – safe maybe but ultimately a classic style that you will never tire of.

PANERAI Luminor 1950 Chrono MONOPULSANTE 8 Days GMT TITANIO 44MM

Panerai have just recently released a gorgeous trio of green dialed watches. Of the three, this seemed the most intriguing proposition, so here it is! It’s called the Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante 8 Days GMT AKA PAM 00737. PAM00735 and PAM00736 are Radomir models.




PAM00735, like this model is in Titanium with an 8 Days movement while PAM00736 is in Stainless steel with a 3 Days movement. They can be seen together down the bottom of this post.



BTW, did you say ‘Monopulsante’ with an Italian accent? Sounds sexier, right – it basically means mono-pusher as in the single pusher located at 8 o’clock on the case that is used to activate the watch’s chrono-function.



PAM00737 has a brushed Titanium case measuring 44mm in diameter. No turning bezel of course but with the classic bridge lever device, patented by Panerai in the 1950s, to protect the winding crown and to help ensure the water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters.



The fixed bezel has a polished finish and on the caseband at 8 o’clock is the push-button which controls the start, stop, and reset operations of the chronograph with its many functions and advanced technical features.



The dial is in this stunning green (I really wish it was available on a Submersible model). It is easy to read and it clearly displays the indications of the functions of the hand-wound P.2004 caliber with a power reserve of eight days.



This is achieved by having three spring barrels in series. The linear power reserve indicator is at 6 o’clock, while the seconds counter and am/pm indication relating to the central second time zone hand is positioned at 9 o’clock.

The minutes of the chronograph are measured by the small counter at 3 o’clock and there is a central seconds hand. All the hands, apart from the GMT function, are gilded and they coordinate harmoniously with the beige markers on the green sandwich dial.



Like the other two models of the Green |Series, the Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante 8 Days GMT Titanio is presented in a beautiful green cherry wood box. Inside the box is a replacement black rubber strap and tool for replacing it plus a screwdriver.

Thoughts? I’m literally slobbering all over my keyboard!

OMEGA SEAMASTER Planet Ocean MICHAEL PHELPS Ltd EDITION

This is the Seamaster Planet Ocean Michael Phelps Limited Edition made as a tribute to the most successful Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps who has won 28 Olympic Games medals of which 23 were gold.



Michael has been a close friend of the Omega brand for more than a decade, now – 13 years to be precise and has a collection of Omega Seamasters with the PO being a favorite. Today he has one more very special 28 piece Limited Edition PO to add to his collection.



Powered by an Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph Calibre 9900 and with a striking polished white ceramic dial featuring blued applied indexes and an Arabic numeral 12 in orange, this is a very special PO indeed.



As a Planet Ocean 45.5mm model, it is of course a very capable diver with a unidirectional rotational divers bezel, in polished blue ceramic, featuring an orange rubber 15 minutes-scale and 600 meters of water-resistance.



The Planet Ocean Michael Phelps LE is presented on an integrated blue structured rubber divers strap with a blue-orange rubber underside and orange contrast stitching.



On the caseback of the watch is the Michael Phelps logo laser-etched onto the onto the Sapphire crystal back with the Cal. 9900 in evidence, just beneath it. Pretty cool!

Not a huge swim fan? Why not check out the new Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial 41mm COMMANDER's Watch.