ULYSSE NARDIN Diver X SKELETON

Not all dive watches are created equally! Some of them end up looking like this, the striking result of a fusion between the world’s haute horologie and diver’s watches. This is the new Diver X Skeleton from Ulysse Nardin; it sports a bezel made from blue Carbonium®, a material that UN debuted for FREAK X Carbonium ®.

An incredibly lightweight aerospace material, Carbonium is said to be one of the most robust and highly durable materials ever developed by men in white coats. 

It is created using the same type of fibers used for the fuselage and wings of the latest generation of aircraft.

And because its manufacturing process involves the use of use of waste materials, it has a 40 lower environmental impact than other carbon. I’m sure Greta would approve, right?

The high-performance material is created using a complex process which involves subjecting carbon fibers, which have a diameter of only 7 µm, to high pressure and temperature conditions. 

Much like forged carbon the end product forms a random pattern that ends up making each watch unique.

Limited to just 175 pieces, the Diver X Skeleton’s 44mm case is made from UN’s Titanium Blue; it has a water-resistance of 200m – which isn’t exactly abyssal but you have to remember that this is a fully skeletonized dive watch. 

The case btw has been micro-beaded on its sides with satin polished lugs, which have been coated in blue PVD.

Meanwhile the watch’s key feature has to be its dial complete with that big-f#ck-off “X”, an integral component on any UN X Diver. 

In this instance UN magically connected its hour markers to the dial, so that they have the illusion of floating.

In order to achieve the sensation of depth, overlaid layers were used to emphasize the tiered construction of the central “X”. 

Different levels of finish were also employed to create a play of light, further accentuated by the transparency of the skeletoninzed, UN-372 Manufacture movement.

The Diver X Skeleton comes on a rubber strap in either ocean blue or supercharged orange with an element adorned with the Ulysse Nardin anchor also in orange. MSRP is 21’000CHF. Thoughts? Sure this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but despite its mad scientist vibes, you can still see that at its heart it’s still a dive watch, a bonkers looking but it wouldn’t look at all out of place strapped over a neoprene clad wrist.

But what do you think; surely not all dive watches should look like they’ve plucked out of a time capsule from the last century? 

 

SQUALE Drass GALEAZZI

Introducing the new Squale Drass Galeazzi which is possibly one of if not the coolest dive watch collaborations of the year. Squale has teamed up with Drass Galeazzi – who might they be I hear you ask? 

Well, they are leading subsea industries and technology specialists creating solutions for defense, commercial and medical diving industries.

For example they manufacture saturation diving systems that include: SAT diving bells, hypobaric chambers and rescue systems as well as numerous other offshore and deep sea diving solutions.

Back in 1937, Drass held the Galeazzi world record for immersion with an Atmospheric Diving Suit, and they have been at right at the forefront of commercial diving systems ever since. 

Above's a pic of Roberto Galeazzi Sr. with his deep-sea atmospheric diving suit. Yes, he was totally badass.

Btw some of you might have come across the DRASS name here on OceanicTime, as the Italian subsea specialists also dabbled in a bit of dive watch manufacturing themselves. 

I have still have ONE of their watches.

Today with this new very awesome collab’ from Squale and Drass Galeazzi, the Squale Galeazzi professional diver’s watch is born; resulting in a superb dive watch that pays tribute to the past while delivering a modern avant-gardist aesthetic. The watch itself is inspired by the iconic Squale Master, its polished steel case offers impermeability up to 500 meters thanks to a 4mm-thick Sapphire crystal and is also equipped with a Helium Escape Valve, so that it could be worn by anyone working in the subsea industries. The watch has a classic style thanks to a simple black bezel paired with old radium colored hands and markers all the while combing to produce a vintage aesthetic that commemorates the extraordinary histories of both brands.

The dial features both the Squale logo at 12 o'clock and the classic Galeazzi logo at 6 o'clock with the company’s full trading name “DRASS GALEAZZI TECNOLOGIE SOTTOMARINE” (submarine technologies) around it. 

This logo also found on the watch’s solid Stainless steel, screw-down case-back depicts a diver's an early deep sea diving helmet, a well-recognized of the pioneering experience of underwater exploration.

The Galeazzi logo found on the case-back comes along with the watch’s serial number of this remarkable limited edition collaboration. 

The Squale Galeazzi comes with a smooth, black leather strap adorned with elegant grey inserts for a perfect retro look. A microfiber strap is also included in the box. This modern material guarantees lightness and comfort.

Finally the watch is presented in a functional IP67 certified box designed to transport and protect sensitive equipment and materials. 

It is equipped with an automatic pressurization valve, to guarantee resistance to water, dust and impacts. 

The watch is powered by an automatic Swiss made Sellita SW200 movement. MSRP is 1’285USD.

Thoughts? Squale are doing some INTERESTING things these days; I can’t wait to see what they do next? 

Let me know if you’d like to see a Squale x OceanicTime collab’ in the future?

PANERAI Submersible Bronzo BLU ABISSO

Introducing Panerai’s new Submersible Bronze Blu Abisso AKA PAM1074, the latest boutique only edition Submersible, and one that like 2017’s PAM00671 combines Bronzo and Blu in one exceedingly handsome Submersible.

Panerai are brand that are probably more familiar with bronze than most having worked with it as far back as the mid-1980s when they created a bronze variant of the legendary Mille Metri military prototype watch for the Italian Navy; 

however they didn’t actually debut their first production bronze timepiece (PAM00382) until 2011, kicking off a of bit niche trend which is still going strong today and which is why since then they have released a number of bronze Submersible models.

But what distinguishes the 2021 Submersible Bronzo apart from its predecessors is that unlike them it has been executed in a more manageable 42mm diameter rather than 47mm which has typically been used in that past such as for PAM00671. This means that the wider luxury watch buying public which includes those ladies and gents that don’t fully appreciate the virtues of wearing diving clunky instrument-sized watches can now enjoy some of Panerai’s more specialist timepieces.

Thrown into the mix with along with the patinated bronze case (and its components) as well as the abyss blue dial is some old school colored beige SuperLuminova adding that finishing vintage touch. 

Powering the new limited to 1’000 pieces, Submersible Bronze Blu Abisso is an in-house P.900. automatic caliber with 3 days of autonomy. The P.900 can be viewed though a hypoallergenic Titanium case-back. MSRP in the US is approx. 15’900USD.

Thoughts? Bronze and blue is a great look! As to 42mm; honestly while I do still wear larger watches; I think that 42mm is the way to go. But what do you think?

 

CHRISTOPHER WARD C63 Sealander ELITE

Christopher Ward debuts a new sports diver with hidden talents! A first for the Anglo-Swiss brand, the newest model from Christopher Ward makes use of a retractable winding crown – which btw is said to be one of only two or three of its type in use in the watch industry. The crown of the new C63 Sealander Elite has been neatly recessed into the side of the watch’s case thus maintaining its silhouette but more importantly increasing comfort because naturally there is no possibility of the crown riding against your wrist.

Another key feature of this elitist little pseudo diver is its brand-new 40mm Light-catcher™ case which has been crafted from Grade 2 Titanium making it a featherweight, weighing in at a mere 45g. 

In addition to the aerospace material the case is also said to very wearable owing to is ergonomic design.

The new case and crown technology is backed up by a finely detailed, hand-finished dial which sports a set of cut-out ‘windows’ around its perimeter allowing you to see through the watch and into its inner-working but also reducing weight at the same time. 

Seriously; weight saving? Hmm, I wonder just how many milligrams were shed?

Meanwhile a subtle black date aperture can be found at 6 o’clock on this intriguing new dial which btw is finished in a utilitarian, texturized (sandpaper-like) matte black. 

The dial is also fitted with high-visibility hands. The indices and hands – have been directly influenced by those found on the C60 Trident diver’s watch range – and have been filled with Super-LumiNova® Grade X1 BL C1.

Being an “elite” variant, this Sealander is powered by an elaboré-finished Sellita SW200 automatic chronometer movement with a Colimaçoné-decorated rotor which can be viewed through a Sapphire exhibition case-back. 

Water-resistance btw is limited to 150m as this isn’t technically speaking a diver.

Thoughts? Crowns can dig into your wrist but honestly I’m not sure I’d want them to be tucked away into the case. Imo a watch silhouette that lacks a protruding crown is a bit of a bizarre look but then again so is also true of so called (by me) big-f#ck-off crowns. 

With that said I certainly appreciate the innovation and obvious attention to detail lavished on this neat little watch. It’s all very nice but perhaps more suited to snowflakes than shark wranglers! 

But what do you think; CW certainly hasn’t allowed the grass to grow under their feet – they are steaming ahead.

ZELOS Hammerhead 3.0

ZELOS has just dropped a new hammerhead diver’s model and like its namesake - it’s utilitarian in its design, it loves the ocean and it has big teeth! Zelos first introduced the Hammerhead in 2016; 

it was a diver’s model that had been designed from the ground up yet recalled those funky watches of the 1970s; 

however it was made using the latest in watchmaking technologies. Today Zelos has introduced the third generation of the Hammerhead, which is now slimmer and so even more wearable than before but that’s not all.

With 300 meters of water-resistance and CNC-machined diver’s bezel with nicely pronounced teeth it is a watch that has been designed to handle whatever abuse might be thrown at it above or below the waves. 

It is also even easier to read in the murky depths thanks to refined hands and indexes which allowed Zelos to use even more lume than before.

The Hammerhead with its distinctive cushion-shaped case has also received an angular facelift thanks to new CNC machined facets which have been given alternating finishes to further accentuate all those angles. 

Meanwhile a highly double domed Sapphire crystal tops off the Hammerheads case adding that final vintage touch while an ergonomically-designed oversized, lumed crown (offset for comfort) could even be opened with gloves on.

There are 8 versions of the new Zelos HAMMERHEAD - here are its key updates at a glance: 

*Reduced overall thickness, from over 17.5mm for the V2 to 13.5mm 

*Angular bracelet design reminiscent of the V1 bracelet 

*Quick adjust clasp to allow for easy bracelet length changes 

*Simpler hands and indices for larger and brighter lume area 

*Mixture of sandblasted and brushed surfaces for a rugged presence

Thoughts? Same great watch (which btw I still have a 2016 version of) but with some interesting new design elements such as the alternating brushed and blasted facets and technical enhancements such as increased lume. Which is your favorite?

 

ORIS Aquis Depth GAUGE 2.0

The next time you lose your rubber ducky in the bathtub or have to dive to the bottom of your pond to unclog the water pump you’ll be able to know just how deep you went. 

In fact you’ll be able to know exactly how deep all your dives are from now on thanks to Oris’s new and improved Aquis Depth Gauge - the second-generation of which has just been launched.

Introducing the new Aquis Depth Gauge, arguably one of the world’s most innovative depth-meter watches, it works from the scientific principles of the Boyle-Mariotte Law to create a gauge that clearly measures depth during a dive.

Ori’s patented system works by allowing water to pass through a hole cut into the watch’s sapphire crystal at 12 o’clock and into a channel milled around the outer edge of the crystal. 

This creates a watermark that corresponds to a gauge clearly indicated in yellow on the dial.

While the new model still works off of the very same science as the gen. one it has and refined the functionality of the original thus delivering even higher level performance thanks to three key improvements. 

So what are these three key improvements that have been implemented into the latest generation of the Aquis Depth Gauge?

Firstly there’s the Depth gauge system itself – with the new watch, the process used to mill the channel into the outer edge of the crystal has been refined so that accuracy and legibility of the gauge has an increased.

Then there’s a Meters to Feet conversion chart – this can be found of the watch’s case-back which has been re-engineered so the meters to feet conversion chart is always set at 90 degrees to the 12 o’clock position. 

For divers relying on the chart on a regular basis, this should greatly enhance their experience of the watch.

Finally Oris has equipped the new Aquis Depth Gauge with the new patented Quick Strap Change system allowing you to switch from stainless steel bracelet and rubber diver’s strap quickly, safely and securely without the necessity of a tool.

In addition to the above – Oris has also scaled down the case size from 48mm (old model) to 45.8mmm. 

The dial text btw now is all in white and yellow whereas before I believe their was a line of red text.

Powering the new Aquis Depth Gauge is an Oris 733 Cal. automatic movement with hours, minutes, and seconds plus a date window at 6 o’clock with an instantaneous date, date corrector, stop-second functions and a power reserve of approx. 38 hours. 

The watch is available as of May 2021. It has a Swiss retail price 3’700CHF (steel) or 3’600 CHF (rubber) and is presented in a waterproof Pelicase dry-box.

Thoughts? It’s good to know that at least someone is still offering a mechanical depth gauge in their current lineup. 

This one isn’t quite as technical as say an IWC Deep Three or JLC Diving Geographic but it’s actually available to buy and it’s priced realistically. 

Meanwhile if you have 30K or more knocking about, you could get yourself as used Blancpain X-Fathoms.