DELMA Quattro [the ultimate decompression diver]

Delma’s long lost ‘80s baby resurfaces for the modern era as they delve deep into their archives for their latest dive watch debut – and the results are truly spectacular. 

Delma has looked to one of its rarer dive watches from the 1980s, the Quattro for the inspiration for its latest piece of aquatic horology.

The new Delma Quattro has all the hallmarks of a truly great DECOMPRESSION divers’ watch making it a must have for divers and desk divers alike. 

Delma says of their new Quattro that it has been has been designed and developed for divers with a strong focus on legibility and functionality.

Its striking appearance is defined by a unique symmetrical Stainless-steel case which subtly integrates the Helium escape valve while safeguarding its covertly placed screw-down crown from any potential impacts. 

The robust bezel is characterized with six bold notches allowing for easy grip while enhancing the Quattro’s distinctive symmetry.

However the 2022 Quattro also introduces some new tech for Delma such as their specialized Rapid Bracelet Exchange System (RBES) that enables the case to perform in 3 distinct forms. The bracelet and rubber strap can be quickly interchanged without the need for any tools. Likewise, the watch can be effortlessly fixed onto a custom designed decompression plate in a matter of seconds.

To release the watch, one simply pulls up the lever and turns the case clockwise by one hour, moving the lever from 8 to 9 o’clock. 

To attach it, the lever is positioned at 9 o’clock and the watch is turned counterclockwise while pressing it down gently until it clicks in.

The DELMA RBES is based on the bayonet mount mechanism which is easy and safe to operate in all conditions. 

In keeping with the dynamic nature of the watch, the crown possesses a special notch so it can be simply unscrewed with its bespoke tool, a coin or by hand by removing the watch head.

The aluminum decompression plate allows the watch to be directly connected with the essential data based on the research of Swiss dive pioneers Hannes Keller and Albert Bühlmann. Still today considered to be the most intuitive of their kind, their tables take the need for multiple decompression stops for deeper and longer dives into account. The plate outlines two sets of data– one for diving in the mountains 700masl and higher and one below 700masl. The decompression plate can safely be attached to oxygen tanks or other gear through its spring snap hook. The 2022 Quattro along with its bespoke accessories showcases all that Delma has to offer in terms of advancement and ingenuity while taking inspiration from the past. The OG Delma Quattro was launched in the early 80’s with a quartz movement and gained popularity with divers particularly in the US through Delma’s presence at Florida dive shows. Over 40 years later, the exclusive 999-piece Limited Edition series is powered by an automatic SW200-1 movement and is water resistant to 500 meters / 1650 feet.

The minute and lollipop seconds hands are emphasized with orange for prominent visibility while the hour hand is defined in white. 

The hands, matching round hour markers on the dial and quarter-hour markers on the bezel, are all accented with Super Luminova C5 for ultimate lucidity.

The Quattro is available with a black, blue or orange dial and with a stainless-steel or black DLC bezel ring. 

The brushed stainless-steel bracelet is equipped with a deployant clasp with pushers while the rubber strap features a stainless-steel buckle.

This extraordinary timepiece along with its bespoke accessories is accompanied by a blue leather travel case and a special box to store the watch, strap, and the decompression plate. 

The Delma Quattro Limited Edition of 999 pieces has an MSRP of CHF 1990 / EUR 2090 / USD 2390.

Thoughts? Too many watchmakers play it safe year in year out – serving up so called ‘on trend’ designs and are seldom audacious enough to deviate from said trends. 

With the 2022 Quattro, Delma dares to stand out from the crowd by looking to an era that is only now just starting to be revisited in the diver’s segment.

The new Delma Quattro resurrects a true tool diver from the 1980s and has been painstakingly developed, re-engineered and redesigned so that it can once again fulfill its purpose below the waves while offering a stylish, technical wristwatch for anyone that has even the slightest appreciation for diver’s watches.

When I first discovered Delma, I came across some pics of the OG Quattro and was immediately drawn to its functional 80s design. 

Now all these years later there is finally a modern interpretation of this very cool watch and I have to say that it far exceeds my expectations.

But what do you think? And which dial bezel combo would you go for?