Diving watches 2: back to the abyss
Once again, Frank Sans C couldn’t resist the siren’s call. As promised, here is episode 2 of the diving watches series with Seiko, Omega, Louis Vuitton, Cuervos & Sobrinos, Flik Flak and Ralf Tech. Let these sea watches put a spell on you…
SEIKO, Prospex GMT
This reinterpretation of the Seiko Prospex de 1968 is a diving watch with a GMT function and an up to three days power reserve. The 42 mm wide new Prospex has a beautiful green dial on which luminescent hands and indices contrast, which allows a perfect readability even in deep waters. The golden hand indicates a second time zone, and a date’s aperture breaks through between 3 and 4 o’clock.
Water resistant up to 200 metres, the steel case is equipped with a uni-directional bezel with a ceramic insert, along with a screwed-down crown and case back. These technical features are what make this watch both high-performance and precise, especially with the automatic calibre. This watch is also available in an ice blue limited edition with a carefully textured dial, the Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean, and with a black dial – suggesting the dark depths of the ocean.
€1,700
Click here to read the Seiko Prospex GMT full technical sheet.
OMEGA, Seamaster Diver 300M 60 Years of James Bond
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of James Bond, the Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond 60th anniversary pays tribute to the iconic saga. The watch is embellished with many nods to the famous British spy, such as a blue dial with a laser engraved wave pattern inspired by James Bond’s Seamaster Diver 300M from GoldenEye (1995). This 42 mm steel edition has all the equipment of a diving instrument, such as the unidirectional bezel.
The anodized aluminium watch is decorated with an appropriate “60” instead of the usual triangle, which will be loved by collectors as well as divers. The latter will of course appreciate the green luminescence of the emblematic digit and of the minute hand. But the 300 metres water resistance and the helium escape valve are not to be forgotten. A last detail but not the least, the Master Chronometer certified calibre has a beautiful sapphire case back, where a remarkable animation of the movies’ openings plays. James Bond’s silhouette appears inside a revolver barrel that rotates at the pace of the lollipop skeleton seconds hand. Look out! This is a true collector’s item you will be lucky to get your hands on.
€8,900
Click here to read the Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond 60th anniversary full technical sheet.
To get further, see also : “8 montres pour Poséidon !“.
LOUIS VUITTON, Tambour Street Diver Chronograph Skyline Blue
More than just a timepiece, the Tambour Street Diver Chronograph Skyline Blue is an actual design piece like only La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton knows how to make. There is no rotating bezel on this 100 m water resistant diving watch, but there is an inside raised flange that can be adjusted thanks to a crown at 10 o’clock.
This beautiful design sets two shades of blue in contrast with one another and is a true invitation to exploring the sea. It received the divers’ watch prize of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2021. This steel chronograph has a large 46 mm case engraved with the twelve letters of the Maison, which are each placed in front of an hour marker. This urban and sporty watch has a navy-blue rubber strap with light blue signature touches. It is equipped with an easy and intuitive interchangeable system.
€9,505
Technical details:
Stainless steel case with a blue PVD coating
Case diameter: 46 mm
Case thickness: 14 mm
Sun-brushed navy-blue dial with unidirectional rotating flange decorated in light blue
Central second hand
Small second counter at 3 o’clock
30-minute chronograph counter at 9 o’clock
White hands, digits and indices coated in Super-LumiNova luminescence with light blue accents
Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Mechanical self-winding movement visible through the sapphire case back
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph
Power reserve: 42 hours
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour
Water-resistant to 100 m
Interchangeable rubber strap equipped with Louis Vuitton patented system
Stainless steel pin buckle
CHANEL J12
The Chanel J12 will get its own Frank Sans C video introduction after summer. For those who cannot wait, we invite you to watch “les montres de vacances”, a video with Jean Lassaussois in which you will be able to admire the perfect design of this iconic designer watchmaking brand.
CUERVOS & SOBRINOS, Buceado Caribe
Cuervos & Sobrinos is a renowned brand for watch connoisseurs, and a little less known for the novice, but the brand invites everyone to travel. Indeed, in 1862, Don Ramon Cuervo created his first jewellery shop in Havana. His nephews joined him in 1882, and they created Cuervos & Sobrinos together. Then, the Maison grew and became global. Fortified by this success, the brand opened a manufacturing in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the motherland of watchmaking tradition. Nowadays, the brand is well established as the Fréret-Roy boutique situated on rue Danielle Casanova in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris resells some of its pieces, such as the Buceado Caribe.
This watch has a blue rubber or leather strap. This 43 mm steel edition has a stunning blue dial which evokes the azure shades of the ocean. This 200 m water-resistant instrument stands out by an ingenious push-button system at 4 o’clock. It unlocks the crown at 2 o’clock to adjust the rotating inner bezel. The diver can then watch for the diving time. As for the main crown at 9 o’clock, it is used to set and wind the movement.
The Peseux 224 automatic calibre has a 38-hour power reserve, and it is manufactured in the new “Fabrique d’Horlogerie Peseux SA”. A true diving watch, the Buceado Caribe has hands and indices covered in luminescent treatment that allow a perfect readability even in the depths of the ocean. Note the originality of the cigar box shaped case.
€3,000
FLIK FLAK x MIRACULOUS
Kids too can wear diving watches! The Miraculous movie was released in July, which is the perfect occasion for a presentation of the Adrien model, a watch in the effigy of one of the main characters of the animated movie, Cat Noir, who is known for saving Paris against Hawk Moth and super villains with Ladybug (Marinette). This watch is made of Rilsan®, a material made of castor-oil seeds. The case is 34,75 mm wide and has a rotating bezel that calls an actual diving instrument to mind. This 30 m water-resistant mini model is the perfect companion for memorable aquatic adventures. Powered by a quartz movement, this watch has a recycled PET strap with black and green and white coloured strips in the colours of the superhero. Note that this quite resistant watch is machine washable at 40°C. Moreover, another model exists with Cat Noir on the strap.
€60 / €52
Showstopper: RALF TECH, WR1
The Ralf Tech WR1 may not be up for sale anymore, it deserves some attention as it broke an impressive record. On the 5th of July 2005, French diver Pascal Bernabé beat the scuba diving world record reaching a -330 metres depth.
He went down for 35 minutes in pitch-black water without any assistance nor any rescuing possibility, and it took 9 hours to get back to the surface while replacing his air tanks 26 times and marking many decompression stops. A human achievement shared with the Ralph Tech, which was named WR1 for the occasion. This is also a technological feat as no other limited-edition watch had ever been that deep at a scuba diver’s wrist. One detail failed to escape our tick-tock fanatic: “-320 m” is written on the dial! How could Pascal Bernabé go 330 m deep with a 320 m water resistant watch?! Ralf Tech founder Frank Huygue declared that the world record was supposed to hit the 320 m mark, but the diver went a few meters deeper. A nice but inconsequential anecdote, as this impressive instrument has been tested up to 400 m.
Technical details:
RTA00X® self-winding mechanical movement
25 jewels, 28’800 a/h, 4Hz, incablocs
44 hours power reserve
Waterproof to 400M / 1200FT
Approved and certified according to the “diving watches” ISO 6425 norm
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, calculation of immersion time
46 mm (without the crown) 316L surgical steel case
Matte black dial
3,5 mm thick anti-reflective sapphire crystal
C1 “Superluminova®” professional luminescent index
Screwed-down unidirectional steel bezel, black and red aluminium insert
Screwed-down reinforced crown
Screwed-down case back engraved with serial number
Black silicone strap, 24 mm lug width, 24 mm buckle
Limited edition of 500 pieces
See also:
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