CERTINA DS Action Diver COSC-Certified

Easy there tiger, put down that box of tissues!

Yes, these are new COSC-Certified DS Action Divers and yes, they do come with lovely new green and blue sunburst dials etc.



However they come with one major caveat (yes, I finally got to use that word – I’m joking I’ve used it before) –



They are all Quartz powered - via ETA F07.412 quartz, Precidrive™, COSC-certified movements no less. Functions include: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, EOL (End-of-life display).



It’s a shame really cos’ I quite like the way the dials are setup with the large Arabic 12hr and the date window perfectly balanced at 6 rather than 3.



Speaking of which, these dials proudly sport the word, “CHRONOMETER” instead of “POWERMATIC 80”! It that makes you feel better.



So what else is different? There’s a new narrow aluminum bezel which comes in the same color as the dial. That’s about it!



There are a total of four variants: black, blue, green and Titanium. The steel variants have a UK MSRP of 525GBP, while the Titan version comes in at 665GBP.



Thoughts? I'm not knocking quartz movements, they certainly have their place and I have a few myself - they're convenient but so are public restrooms. :-/

CERTINA DS PH200M 2ndLOOK

Here’s another look at Certina’s retro diver, the DS PH200M, a sort of modern re-edition of one of the brand’s historical diver’s from the 60s and 70s.



The DS PH200M actually got two releases. It initially came out in the spring of 2018 with two straps; one in leather and one striped NATO.



It was then re-released early this year on a Milanese mesh bracelet – the setup that many thought it should have been released with to start with.



Alongside the new Stainless steel shark mesh was a second NATO version. Today, we get to see all four variants together – ‘n’ see which one we like best!



Basic spec. includes a 42.8mm Stainless steel case with: a black diver’s bezel and a historic black dial dived into four quadrants by a red cross plus matching red seconds hand.



The PH200M remains faithful to its granddad (if you will) with a rounded Hesalite box glass with AR-coating on one side and a scratch-resistant NEX Scratch-guard coating on the other.



The glass has a separate mounting ring thus ensuring double security and a water-resistance up to 200 meters.



The PH200M’s case-back proudly sports the Certina brand’s cute little turtle symbol. No pics of that I’m afraid.



Power comes from a Certina Powermatic 80 movement, the same movement found in all the DS Divers (it is not COSC-certified, though). It has a power-reserve of 80-hours.



As mentioned the PH200M’s now comes with 4 different strap setups: 1x leather, 2x NATO and 1 Stainless steel mesh. Swiss MSRP is 695CHF (strap) or 745CHF (steel).

CERTINA DS Action Diver STC 2ndLOOK

Here’s another quick look at the STC watch AKA, the Certina DS Action Diver Sea Turtle Conservancy, Special Edition along with some new pics.



The watch commemorates Certina’s membership in the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which is dedicated to the conservation of Sea Turtles and their habitats.



The STC was first established in 1959, exactly 60 years ago, also the same year that Certina debuted their Double Security AKA DS Concept.



The ISO 6425-certified STC watch is water-resistant to 300 meters, and has a screw-down crown and case-back with O-ring seals as well as a diver’s bezel with a SLN coated dive-time scale.



Power comes from an ETA Powermatic 80 movement with its impressive 80-hours of power-reserve.



The blue seconds hand and WR text is a nod to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the official logo of which is featured on the watch’s case-back.



The DS Action Diver Sea Turtle Conservancy comes in a Special Edition watch-box with an STC 60th Anniversary engraved name plate as well as a DS Turtle key-chain.

ZRC Grand Fonds VINTAGE 1964 Spirit Bronze BLUE & GREEN

Go BRONZE or go home!

Geneva-based, ZRC has released these two new exclusive editions that will join the Grands Fonds Vintage 1964 Spirit Bronze, released last spring.

Crafted in the same noble metal and adorned with colored dials set off with fine stripes, these two beauties form part of a small series of just 80 pieces.



Ref. GF44125 with its blue dial combining cobalt and Klein, with a subtle denim effect – its matching blue bezel and hand-stitched strap is a Limited Edition of 50 pieces –

while ref. GF44135 with its Emerald green dial, matching diver’s bezel inlay and hand-stitched, colored leather strap is available as Limited Edition of just 30 examples.



ZRC’s debut bronze diver, the 1964 Spirit Bronze is based (as these are) on the famous GF 300, officially approved by the French Navy in 1964 and reissued in 2015.

The 1964 Spirit Bronze comes with a 40.5mm in diameter mono-block case, tested for immersions down to a depth of 1000m and equipped with a crown at 6 o’clock.



It benefits from two ZRC’s proprietary diver’s watch technologies such as their Crown Protection System TM.

This prevents the foldable-lug adorned strap from repositioning itself if the crown is not correctly screwed down –

and ECSTM (Easy Clean System) which cleans the inside of the unidirectional revolving bezel by enabling fresh water to flow freely inside and remove the sea salt.



The custom-machined bronze cases of this vibrantly-colored duo are topped with a unidirectional revolving bezel matching the dials and the leather straps.

The watches are powered by ETA “Elaborated” 2824-2 movement adjusted to +7 sec (± 7 sec/day) = from 0 to 14 sec/day.



Thoughts? The original 1964 Spirit Bronze with its special dusky dial was released in a 170 piece LE. All were quickly snapped up by collectors.

I would imagine that these will be an even hotter item. Both of them are equally appealing but if I had choose one, I’d pick green – no, blue – green, it would have to green, but blue is so nice, too! How bout’ you?

SHINOLA Bronze MONSTER

Falling leaves, roasted chestnuts, blustery weather -‘tis the season for bronze!



Perhaps that’s why bronze divers seem to be falling like autumn leaves from the trees at the moment.



Here’s another just in case you were struggling for choice – the Bronze Monster from Detroit based, Shinola who’ve looked to the 1920s for inspiration for their newest Monster.



More specifically the American, Prohibition Era and the stealth of rum-runners on Michigan’s waterways, whoever they were.



The Shinola Monster gets a 43mm CuSn6 bronze case with a brushed finish. Its case-back is crafted from Stainless steel and features a matte black plate.



The phosphor bronze used for the Bronze Monster will eventually develop a patina; however when it’s new it will have a bright golden tone.



Shinola have kindly provided a couple of images of the Monster Bronze for comparison. Which do you prefer?



The watch gets a glossy black dial with SuperLumiNova indices. The dial also features a calendar aperture as well as a diver-down flag as the 12 o'clock marker.



It is powered by the Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, which features 26 jewels and a 38-hour power reserve.



The Bronze Monster is presented on a premium teak leather strap; however it is also supplied with a Khaki NATO with a bronze buckle and keepers.



The watch comes in a special gift box, that features a Shinola Detroit foil stamp, inspired by graphic designs and packaging of the 1920s.



The gift box also includes a printed story about Prohibition along the Michigan-Ontario waterway. MSRP is 1,650USD.



Thoughts? I quite like this, not because it’s bronze but because I quite like Shinola’s Monster family as a whole, but they are little pricey for what they are imo. What do you think?

DOXA SUB 200 [SIX COLORS]

Taste the rainbow with Doxa’s colorful new lineup that includes the SUB 200, SUB 300T and SUB 1500T models being rolled out (as of November 7th) with each model offering six permanent dial colors.



Choose from: DOXA’s signature Professional orange, Divingstar yellow, Aquamarine turquoise Caribbean blue, Searambler silver or Sharkhunter black.



Unveiled at Baselworld 2019, Doxa entry level 3-hand diver has a case made of high-quality 316L Stainless steel.



With a diameter of 42mm, the SUB 200 is topped by a scratch-resistant Sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating along with distinctive curvature of an old school the domed Plexiglas.



Water-resistant to a depth of 200 meters (20 ATM), the watch features a unidirectional rotational diver’s bezel.



All the elements providing dive-relevant information, including the bezel, have a SLN luminescent coating.



The bracelet is 316L Stainless steel and features a folding clasp with the DOXA fish logo embossed. MSRP is 990USD.

It's Caribbean blue all the way for me. Which color do you like best?