Posts Tagged ‘Dive’
Gilt 5508 Rolex Submariner
What is there to say about the no crown guard, unpretentious, gilt tool that is the 5508 which has not already been said? The inherent lack a frills or finishing is its inherent charm. The small-crown sub is a cult favorite amongst Rolex collectors and for good reason. The 5508 was the genesis for all…
Read MoreTropical 1004 Breitling Superocean
Breitling makes watches for aviators. This is their marketing, this is their IP, and this is their history. And yet, Breitling have made some of the world’s most gorgeous pieces of submersible steel, the likes of which are often totally overlooked. These watches were designed to be highly legible underwater, robust, but also styled as…
Read More5513/7 Double Reference Rolex Royal Navy Milsub
The 5517 is a very rare 5513-derived British Royal Navy Submariner variant. There exist true milsubs which are stamped both as either 5513 or 5517. However, there are few watches which slipped through the Swiss cracks with two references engraved. Much like the 6536/8 is the rarest case engraving of the big crown era, the…
Read MoreWell-Preserved Seiko 6159-7001 Professional 300m
If you think the depth and breadth of vintage marques like Universal Genève or Enicar are strong, they are. And yet, neither really hold a candle to the world’s longest running vertically-integrated manufacture outside Switzerland. Seiko has made more dive watch offerings than I will ever be able to hold in my head. Despite that,…
Read MoreeBay Find: Tritium Service Dial Ghosted 7928 Tudor Submariner
I strive to feature wholly original watches at all times where possible, though in the world of vintage that is an increasingly grey line. Is a watch that has been serviced with a replacement crystal still original? What about a mainspring, as they pose huge risk to the entire movement if aged too far? Or,…
Read More14.755-62 Omega Seamaster 300
Trilogy Seamasters are great, but this is something else entirely. The Seamaster 300 story began in 1957 with the CK2913. In that first Seamaster 300, Omega had created a reliable water resistance with handsome lines that recalled naval pieces of WWII, decades earlier. It was a monumental success, one which Omega built upon in this…
Read MoreThin Case Doxa Sub 300 ‘No-T’ Searambler
Although Doxa’s Sub 300 is not nearly as lauded by the market as Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms or Rolex’s early Subs, it was a serious tool widely circulated in commercial and recreational diving in the late 1960s. Not widely discussed, Doxa’s first-generation of dive offerings are affectionately known as ‘No-T’s. The models had a thinner case…
Read MoreSinn EZM2 Hydro
In the late 90s, Sinn released a series of watches known as the EZM (Einsatz Zeit Messer, or mission timer in English) line, a line which would go on to prove their legendary durability and purposeful design ethos. The pieces were intended to be abused like tools, issued, and used in all kinds of specialized…
Read MoreTropical Rolex 6538 Big Crown Submariner
Here we have the mackdaddy submariner, and one of the more unique examples I’ve seen for sale this year. Before the 6538 generation, the submariner was a serious tool for those divers who required water resistance. The 6538 took the submariner to the people by way of Sean Connery in the 1962 classic Dr. No.…
Read MoreAM Milspec 1 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
Among the numerous rationales enthusiasts may give for enjoying the mad niche that is watches, history is often referenced. History, where wristwatches are concerned, may come in one of two varieties. First, there is the general historic significance a model range may have contributed to humanity: think Speedmaster to NASA or Sub to Comex. Second,…
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