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Dive Watch Edition: 3 Stunning Timepieces to Rock on Wrist
As alluring as the sea, check these three dive watches on Gnomon Store
May 05, 2021
If you're just diving into a massive workload at your desk or spending time deep underwater, one thing is certain: a dive watch would be a perfect addition to your wrist. These high-performing, beautifully built, and unquestionably utilitarian timepieces for daily use don't need frequent scuba diving. In this post, we'll go over three strong dive watch, their features, and our top picks for the best to help you get started with dive watch.
Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 Ref. AL-525LBG4V6B
Case
The Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 Automatic isn't a small dive watch, measuring 44mm wide by 13mm thick, but the lug-to-lug length is a generous 49mm, meaning that the watch fits flush on even my flat 6.75” wrist. The case and bezel have nice satin and high-polished finishes on the edges, which contrast nicely with the vibrant anodized bezel insert – in this case, red.
Unlike the other watch with oxblood bezel, the Alpina Seastrong Diver 300’s (which is available on Gnomon Store) bezel is a lighter, more cheerful shade of red that complements the rest of the polished elements on the watch. Instead of embracing the ceramic trend, Alpina chose to keep things simple with an aluminum insert, which would have looked out of place here.
Bezel
The spinning action of the bezel is crisp and satisfying, with no play. The edges aren't very grippy, but with a new collection of serrations every ten minutes, there's plenty to catch even with wet fingers. On the bezel insert, there are 12 raised, luminous hour markers, with the first 20 minutes also becoming luminous – an unusual touch. It would have been a better surprise if the lume on the dial and hands matched the lume on the bezel, but that's a slight quibble – after all, this isn't a Panerai.
Strap
The rubberized nubuck leather strap, which added to the watch's style quotient without betraying its proclivity for water, was one of the more fascinating design choices on the early iterations of the Alpina Seastrong Diver 300. By the time the Seastrong was released this fall, Alpina had ditched the vintage-style strap in favor of an embossed, integrated rubber strap. Granted, it isn't the most inspired design feature of the entire package (especially considering it was recycled from the previous generation Seastrong), but it serves the purpose well enough and keeps the Seastrong's intent as a capable dive watch intact. Fans of bracelets should take note: Alpina will begin selling the Seastrong on a new bracelet next year, but if you can't wait that long, the watch looks great on a number of third-party bands, including my personal favorite: shark mesh.
Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto Green Ref. H82375161
The latest Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto Green Ref. H82375161 is a new color model that joined their military dive watch in 2020. Hamilton's military scuba dive watch, like the Khaki series, are tool watches. You can get one on Gnomon Store, and here we have provided you with the short review.
Case
The case is made of steel and measures 40mm wide by 12.95mm thick (though more with the matching green NATO strap seen here), with a lug-to-lug distance of 50mm. The 100M water resistance doesn't qualify it as a serious diver's watch, but it's perfectly suitable as an everyday or weekend watch.
Dial
The hands and indices are lumed and highly legible, and the sapphire crystal appears to be dual AR coated by Hamilton. With a date window between 4 and 5 o'clock, a 24-hour track, and a red-tipped seconds hand, Hamilton kept the dial simple and utilitarian. The aluminum unidirectional bezel is also pleasant to the touch, but the pip is not illuminated, which is a convenient fix for Hamilton in the future.
Movement
I'm fine with Hamilton's decision to use an enclosed steel case back rather than an exhibition caseback. The H-10 movement, which is an updated ETA 2824, has an excellent power reserve of 80 hours.
Strap
The Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba auto is available in many colors, the most recent of which is this green edition. There's an all-black model, a black model with orange accents, a black model with blue accents, a blue model with white accents, a blue version with orange accents, and now this green model. All of them come with matching black or blue rubber and fabric straps, as well as bracelets. Since there isn't a matching green rubber strap, this variant is only available on a fabric strap or as a bracelet.
Yema Pearldiver
A jet black aluminum unidirectional diving bezel is housed in the YEMA Pearl Diver - Bracelet. Because of the substantial grooves for a secure grip and smooth rotation, operating the bezel is a pleasurable activity. Above all, the bezel insert is made of aluminum and has a charming neo-vintage vibe that goes well with the overall design. The bezel glows a bright green hue in the dark thanks to C3 Swiss Superluminova treatment on the triangle marker at 12 o'clock, as well as the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. Breathtaking isn’t it? It’s now available on Gnomon Store, and below we have the short review for you.
Dial
The dial is where the true beauty of the YEMA Pearl Diver: the Bracelet showcases. The hands and hour markers on the deep matte black dial are handled with cream hue C3 Swiss Superluminova lume, which gives the watch a pleasing look of old radium used on divers in the past. The hour and arrow-shaped minute hands are also given a black PVD treatment, which contrasts beautifully with the white lollipop sweeping seconds hand. The watch has perfect vertical symmetry due to the lack of numerals on the dial and bezel, which is a rare design feature in dive watch. A 3.5mm thick piece of hesalite superdome crystal protects the dial, adopting a true antique look as the crystal provides exciting distortions in various angles.
Crown and Case
Because of its screw-down crown and screw-in case back, which are proudly signed with YEMA's historic rest, diving prowess is uncompromised as a competent diver with a water resistance level of 660 ft (200m). The oversized ‘big crown,' which is devoid of crown guards, pays homage to the classic 1950s dive watch style. For your underwater diving experiences, this amazing dive tool watch comes with a 20mm neo-vintage style stainless steel bracelet with a diver's extension set.
Movement
The second-generation in-house Caliber YEMA2000 automatic movement, a stepped-up version of the MBP1000 Caliber, powers the YEMA Pearl Diver - Bracelet. With optimized materials, this magnificent movement achieves slightly improved precision and longevity, with a good power reserve of approximately 42 hours. YEMA watchmakers perform rigorous accuracy tests on this 29 jewel movement, which beats at a pace of 28,800 beats per hour. Furthermore, the movement is exquisitely painted with stripes and stunning finishing, demonstrating their superior craftsmanship in creating an in-house movement.
