ULYSSE NARDIN Hammerhead DEEP DIVE

Here’s something a little out of the left field, an actual full-on tool-diver from UN. It’s the newest member of their Hammerhead Divers’ Collection, named a little too predictably – Deep Dive, but we can forgive that because by all accounts this is a damn cool watch.



Let’s just process the design a moment. Like any member of the Hammerhead collection it is adorned with a Hammerhead motif which is all very nice – UN have even gone to the trouble of engraving a shark somewhere on the outside of the case and filling it with red enamel, but what we are really looking at is that great big un-UN-like, hulking crown-locking device where it can be found.



If you’re more of a diver’s for the boardroom rather than the bathtub kinda guy then you might not like the Deep Dive – the Diver Le LOCLE might be more to your liking, but if you like your divers to look rugged and purposeful then this might be UN’s greatest diver, ever.



To be honest crown-looking devices are for the most a superfluous feature on a modern dive watch. Do we really need to actually clamp down a crown when a simple screwed-thread will suffice? No. But like any piece of over-engineering it's a nifty little design feature that will put a smile on your face – which is good enough.



The thing is even UN are little unsure of how the new Hammerhead Deep Dive will be received as they have tentatively only planned a Limited Edition of just 300 pieces – not sure that’ll be enough – I see further iterations in the future. Then again with an MSRP of 12000CHF!



Divers features of the Hammerhead Deep Dive Ref. 3203-500LE-3/93-HAMMER include: a 46mm Titanium case with a water-resistance to 1000 meters, a Sapphire crystal, a screw-down security crown, an HEV (9 o’clock), a partially rubber-clad Titanium unidirectional rotational divers bezel and a rubber divers strap with expandable elements and folding clasp both in Titanium.



Power comes from a Caliber UN-320, self-winding movement with a Silicium spiral and anchor escapement. Its functions include: a date at 3 o'clock, front and back date corrector and sub-seconds counter at 5 o'clock. The movement has a Ulysse Nardin Performance Certificate.

So what do you think? Is this an over-designed, over-priced FROGMAN or is it instant grail material? Personally I love it and but only from a far. I hope they make more than 300.