CORRIGIA 3000m Diver PROTOTIPO A

Here’s a quick tease of a new deep diver from the German Panerai strap specialists, CORRIGIA. 

This is the Prototipo A which is being made in honor the strap-maker’s 10th anniversary (I think that’s correct) - 

and I can think of no better way to celebrate such an occasion than with an extreme mechanical diver.

As you might expect coming from a specialist in straps made for Panerai watches, the Prototipo A borrows a styling cue or two from the famous Italian brand such as its bezel studs and the inclusion of crown-lock. 

The details on this watch are few and far between but going from the renders shown here we can be sure of a few things:

the case is water-resistant to 3’000 meters and includes what looks like an HEV (left lateral case side), it boasts a special case-back with not one but three spy hole for observing a mechanical movement – 

the dial has a faded vintage blue color with old tritium colored hands and it will come equipped with beautiful handmade (in Germany) leather strap. 

You can follow CORRIGIA on IG which is where I got this info.

H2O Watch AMBER ABYSS for OceanicTime + TITANIUM PACK

It’s as dark as night 8’000 meters below but there’s a deep orange beacon penetrating all that black – the new H2O Amber Abyss for OceanicTime! Here’s a quick teaser for a forthcoming release from H2O Watch and OceanicTime, the H2O AMBER ABYSS for OceanicTime plus Titanium Pack.

Based on the Kalmar 2 OT, the Amber Abyss is water-resistant to an astounding 8’000 meters. 

Not only this the new watch which is (a final edition if you will) boasts a whole load punchy orange features yet to be fully revealed.

In addition to the watch itself which is made from Grade 5 Titanium, the Amber Abyss will come with an H2O Titanium Pack that includes: 

a credit card sized heat anodized Titanium knife / tool plus a high-quality Titanium pen. More details to follow shortly!

 

SEIKO Prospex STREET SAFARI Steel AUTO & SOLAR

Seiko expands its trendy Street Safari Tuna Can collection with four new references: a pair of Caliber 4R35 powered automatics and a pair of Caliber V131 solar-powered models.

All the new references get Stainless steel cases with steel shrouds as well as lovely new sunray-effect dials plus bi-color bezels with 15-min. scales to match their dial markers. 

The two autos; SBDY073 (blue) & SBDY075 (green) are larger models measuring 43.2mm in diameter by 12.6mm in height and with a lug-to-lug measurement of 44mm.

Meanwhile the two Solar models: STBQ003 (blue) and STBQ005 (green) measure just 38.7.2mm in diameter by 10.4mm in height and with a lug-to-lug measurement of 40.4mm. 

These are JDM refs. due for release next month but likely these new models will rollout worldwide in no time at all.They each come on green or blue rubber straps.

The autos are priced 64’900 JPY (incl. tax) / 59’000 JPY (excl. tax) approx. 565USD while the solars are priced 59’400 JPY (incl. tax) / 54’000 JPY (excl. tax) approx. 510USD.

Thoughts? These are pretty cool watches – they're looking a lot less toyish in steel and dare I say more sophisticated with their sun-ray dials. What do you think?

STOP WHALING in JAPAN

YEMA x WORN & WOUND Superman MAXI DIAL Limited Edition

Here’s a Maxi Dial that’s truly earnt its name. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the term “maxi dial” (i.e. not a die-hard watch nerd) – 

I think you need merely glance at this new Superman LE from Yema and you’ll have a pretty good idea where it got its name from cos’ you don’t come across such prominent dial markers every day – they’re huge!

The term maxi-dial is most associated with Rolex Submariners and GMTs that have been given larger than usual hour markers and handsets but it’s pretty much used describe any dive watch boasting larger than usual lumed hour markers. As far as diver’s watches are concerned the bigger, bolder and brighter the hour markers are the better because legibility is king – or in this instance with the Superman, legibility has literally become its super power. The Yema Superman made its debuted appearance in 1963 with 300 meters of water resistance along with a unique system from locking its timing bezel in place. Today this innovation has become just one of the Supeman’s trademark features along with its famous shovel-shaped minute hand.

Over the decades since, several Superman variants were created, including the Superman II, which boasted some of the largest dive markers to ever grace a dial, earning it a “maxi” designation. 

This quirky yet charming vintage reference has become the source of inspiration for a collaborative release with Brooklyn, NY based watch retailer, Worn & Wound.

The first collaboration between Worn & Wound and Yema, the Supeman Maxi Dial Limited Edition mixes classic dive design with rugged, military-influenced details. 

Drawing from the oversized markers of the Superman II, the LE has a highly legible dial with a bold, aggressive attitude.

The 39mm, 300m Superman case has been fit with an edge-to-edge black bezel with fully lumed 12-hour scale, and still features Yema’s signature locking mechanism. Powering the Superman Maxi Dial LE is the YEMA2000 caliber. 

Designed and developed in-house, the YEMA2000 is the newest generation of Yema’s proprietary movement, featuring 29-jewels, hacking seconds, 42-hour power reserve, and a frequency of 28,800 bph.

Additionally, the YEMA2000 is regulated in four positions and has a daily rate within +/- 10 seconds. The Yema x Worn & Wound Superman Maxi Dial LE is limited to 300 pieces. 

It is listed at 990USD and will ship in March 2021.

Thoughts? Never underestimate the power of big punchy hour markers these are very appealing and look they could pack quite a punch lume-wise. 

What do you think – which brand’s model would you most like to see given the maxi treatment??? 

 

OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M America's Cup CHRONO with CHRONO LOCK

Omega is celebrating its role as Official Timekeeper of the 36th America’s Cup with the launch of a new Seamaster chronograph which has been engineered to keep race-time securely locked-down! This handsome looking yacht racer is the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M America’s Cup Chrono which boasts some very cool new tech: a new chronograph lock-system, a quick-change strap and water grip AKA rubber pushers, a fitting timepiece for anyone competing or indeed merely spectating the 36th America’s Cup as presented by PRADA. Constructed from Marine-Grade Stainless steel, the 44mm in diameter SM Diver 300M Chronograph comes with a lovely blue ceramic dial and matching bezel ring, which features a white enamel dive-time scale. And helping you get a better handle on the watch in the high seas, Omega has thoughtfully included soft-touch rubber pushers, ergonomically designed to work efficiently in the wet all the while lending an additional pop of red and blue. Meanwhile its laser-engraved wave-pattern dial features a ‘regatta countdown indicator ring’ in red anodized aluminum. This features an hour disc beneath the sub-dial, as well as a red anodized aluminum minute and rhodium-plated small seconds hand inspired by the shape of a boat hull. The central seconds chronograph hand, also in red anodized aluminum, carries an America’s Cup on the counterweight. The new exclusive CHRONO LOCK system is included to secure the chronograph functions when required – even more so when marking time on the water, as sailing at high speeds leaves no room for error. As with all great commemorative watches, the event and year is clearly marked and highlighted in bold. On the Alveol shaped case-back, engravings filled with blue lacquer spell out “36th America’s Cup” and “Auckland 2021”. Omega’s Seamaster Diver 300M America’s Cup Chronograph has a metal bracelet and additional rubber strap, both equipped with the new Quick Change system. A single press of a button releases the pins from the watch-head, enabling the wearer to switch easily between the bracelet and the strap without the need for those pesky strap changing tools - arrrrgh I hate them! Powering the new America’s Cup chronograph is Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 9900, a reliable seaworthy (if you will) movement. Finally a special presentation box in the colors of the America’s Cup, keeps the watch safe and secure when it’s not on your wrist further adding to its collectable appeal. Thoughts? There are two ways of looking at this watch – either you feel that the new tech AKA the CHRONO LOCK has further cluttered an otherwise beautiful silhouette – and let’s face it there are now five protruding elements on the case - or you feel that further pushing the watch’s utilitarianism is the way to go because at the end of the day, folks this is tool watch, right?

Personally I think the watch looks incredible with the colored rubber pushers and the new CHRONO LOCK and cannot wait to see this new tech filtering down into other Seamaster chronograph models in the future. 

What do you think – sink or sail?

 

IANOS Avyssos

Here’s something very cool to kick the week off – a new Swiss made diver with an ancient Greek soul or perhaps we could say a Greek diver with a modern Swiss heart beating within, or is it modern (the beating heart that is)? 

Introducing the Ianos Avyssos (Greek for Abyss), a new diver’s watch that combines the brand’s two major inspirations on its unique dial: the Antikythera Mechanism and Kampanelopetra.

Discovered on a sunken Roman-era shipwreck near Antikythera Island in the Aegean Sea, the Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient Greek hand-powered orrery (model of our solar system) thought to be the first analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes, decades in advance. 

Ianos have drawn inspiration from this highly complex ancient mechanism to create the watch’s movement indictor found on the dial at the 6 o’clock position.

A requirement of any diver’s watch adhering to industry norms for diver’s watches is to be able to show that its movement is indeed operating – 

this can be done with a traditional seconds hand or in this instance a rotating disc with a design that echoes that of a 2000 year old mechanism.

The legendary Kampanelopetra is an ancient diving technique used by Greek sponge divers. 

The Symian sponge divers and the Kampanelopetra technique through the legendary dive of Stathis Hatzis, Greek freediving history spans millennia.

Paying homage to the sponge divers who found the Antikythera wreck and their ancient heritage, Ianos have incorporated the iconic Kampanelopetra design into the dial as hour markers, a symbol of the divers' unbreakable spirit in the face of daily danger and adversity. Furthermore, in order to accentuate this ancient diving technique and the age of the Antikythera mechanism, the dial has been texturized with a sandpaper-like finish to give the watch a more used and vintage feel in line with classic vintage divers, the numbers and minute indicators have been cut-out to create a sandwich dial.

Meanwhile the body of the Avyssos is every bit as intriguing as its face. 

The 44mm in diameter Stainless steel case is fitted with a scratch proof Sapphire crystal, a steel diver’s bezel with engraved dive-time scale as well as screw-down crown. The case is water-resistant to a depth of 300 meters.

The bezel features a screw-like design to define the watch's functional utility and provide better grip in and out of water while the case itself has been thoroughly thought out and designed from the ground up. 

Its slightly curved shape hugs the wrist while its slanted sides provide a slimmer profile that looks and feels much smaller than it is.

Aiming to enable functionality, utility and comfort, the case-back features a deep channel in which a NATO strap can be passed through and concealed. This way, the need for springbar tools is totally eliminated. As continuation of the watch’s inspiration, the Avyssos features an open case-back with a circular window mirroring the design of the Antikythera sub-seconds mechanism through which the balance wheel can be seen. And finally that modern Swiss heart I was talking about is in fact is not so modern after all as it relies on a good old fashion hand-wound system. The Sellita SW 216-1 mechanical manual wound movement comes with 42hrs of power-reserve.

Thoughts? This is a diver that respectfully follows all the codes of dive watch design minus all the tedium that tends to come along with that. 

Because dive watches are characterized (in fact so often judged) on the legibility of their dials – they can get a bit boring but the Avyssos adds intrigue with its clever use of textures evoking the ocean - 

not in a predictable way with wave patterns and such – you truly get a sense of ancient Greek sponge divers from it and that’s very cool.

Also only a few new diver’s watches come up on my radar that immediately elitist such an emotive response – mine was “that’s pretty damn cool” which is usually followed “that’s pretty damn expensive” only with its list price of 1’000CHF, the Avyssos is in fact pretty damn reasonable. 

The hand-cranked movement was unexpected but, again it adds interest to the watch and is very much in keeping with the overall theme of the watch. In summary, to coin a word taken directly from Greek – kudos!