Posts Tagged ‘Diver’
Big-Triangle Eberhard Scafograf 300
If last round’s Nivada Datomaster represents one of the most niche enthusiast chronographs ever produced, surely this is the diver’s equivalent. The Submariner and Fifty Fathoms are generally regarded as the world’s foremost early dive watches. However, Doxa, Gruen, Breitling, and this Eberhard were all there from the very start. Despite that truth, few outside…
Read MoreBlancpain Fifty Fathoms Aqua Lung ‘No Radiations’
I am continually perplexed that lovers of dive watches know the Fifty but have not yet made familiar with the civilian version. Yes, there was a civilian model. The Navies of France, Germany, and the United States all used the Fifty Fathoms and in so doing made it a relatively famous and desirable tool. Blancpain…
Read More50s Gruen Precision Ocean Chief
In a speech given to a group of investors and businessmen in 1920, Dietrich Gruen stated, ‘It has always been our aim, ever since I started the Guild idea, to foster those ideals of the ancient guilds, of quality and craftsmanship; to make useful things in a beautiful way, under ideal surroundings. We believe in…
Read MoreValue Prop: Bulova 666 Super Compressor
Rarity is no guarantee of greatness and complication does not necessarily improve usability. To prove the opposing truth, I give you the humble EPSA Super Compressor Bulova 666ft. Bulova’s take on the generic Ervin Piquerez case design was characteristically purposeful. A simple dial, signed twin crowns, and engraved case back were all Bulova needed to…
Read More1 of 150 Blancpain ‘Barakuda’ Fifty Fathoms
No, this is not the proverbial Swatch group reissue. Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms is arguably the most influential dive watch of all time and inarguably the first ‘modern’ dive watch (by modern, I mean a uni-directional rotating bezel with substantial water resistance). While borne to meet the needs of the French Naval Combat Divers, the innovative…
Read More7005-8050 Seiko 70m Diver
If what you’re after is no-nonsense vintage Seiko that that simply tells the time with a minimal level of pretense, you don’t have to pick up that 18K 5646-7005 Grand Seiko. You don’t even need a 6159-7001 Diver. If one wanted to get aggressive in Japanese functionality, it would be difficult to find a more…
Read MoreP810 Cornavin AMF Diver
I’ve never admitted this here, but there are certain very uncommon watches for which I’ve made a mental contract with myself. The commitment is this: if I ever see one in the wild, I will start up a conversation with its wearer no matter how difficult the circumstances may be. It takes a not insignificant…
Read MoreMk4 1680 Rolex ‘Red’ Submariner
The 1680 was not Rolex’s first Sub with a red line of text (that was probably the 6536/8), but it was the most widely-distributed watch to do so. It was definitively Rolex’s first Sub to introduce a date complication to the Sub line, which was distinct amongst its competitors. Ever curious where the famed cyclops…
Read More‘Pre-T’ British Military Omega Seamaster 300
Quite recently, a 5513/7 milsub sold at auction for 350K USD. I understand that. Two Russian oil magnates drunk on free Krug champagne with one man in Oakleys laundering money for Sinaloa and sky’s the limit for valuations. However, what I will never understand is just why Omega’s broad-handed 300 results pale in comparison. Released…
Read MoreEU Jaeger Lecoultre Tribute to Deep Sea Alarm Memovox
It’s difficult to tangibly describe to non-watch-obsessives just why the Deep Sea is as cool as it is. The model, released next to the Fifty-Fathoms and original Submariner, met divers’ needs through a completely fresh design. Rather than a rotating bezel to externally time intervals, the Deep Sea had an internal alarm mechanism which would be…
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