Look beyond the obvious derivative style with its Mercedes hour hand and such and this new offering from Edox perhaps has the making of a rather nice looking dive watch.
That is though, if you can overlook one further digression from the brand’s marketing department who have released the watch along with an intriguing yarn about the watch’s origins.
A mysterious drawing was said to be found in Edox’s archives.
This was a sketch of a long-lost wristwatch, the SkyDiver which came along with a scrawled note reading: “1973 special production in strictly limited edition.”
A long-retired Edox watchmaker shed light on the story. The SkyDiver, he said, was rumored to be a secret project for a mysterious, wealthy Swiss colonel.
The anonymous colonel wanted an exclusive timepiece for elite mountain paratroopers under his command. The watch had to be dependable and rugged – just like his troops.
He chose Edox because of the brand’s exceptional water-resistant watches, able to handle any situation the paratroopers might face - on land, air or sea. The colonel insisted on total secrecy.
Wow, I thought it was only brands like Invicta and Uboat who enjoyed telling fairy tales and other bedtime stories.
Is this perhaps Edox’s tongue in cheek way of saying we recognize our watch’s close resemblance to the Submariner.
Regardless, Edox has released the new SkyDiver, in celebration of its 135-year-long history and for aficionados of fine military watches.
Powered by an automatic three-hand Swiss movement caliber 80, the 300m water-resistant SkyDiver features a divers' bezel and a parachute motif-engraved case-back.
Its 2mm-thick Sapphire crystal and the Superluminova X1 on hands and indexes guarantee scratch-resistance and readability in poor light conditions.
Like its mysterious 1970s predecessor, the 2019 SkyDiver is a strictly limited edition to 555 pieces.
It has been presented in a special leather pouch, with an additional vintage leather strap.
BTW, it is said that on August 1 1973, the Edox SkyDiver was handed over to each paratrooper at a ceremony in the Swiss Alps.
But to this day no-one really knows if the tale is fact or fantastic fiction.
Thoughts? Actually I quite like the watch, and the yarn gave me a bit of chuckle over my morning coffee.
Now, if Edox would be good enough to present me one of these watches in a secret ceremony in the Swiss Alps I will gladly attend at their earliest convenience.
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