Spinnaker has two new limited-edition versions of its Hull and Croft diving watch ranges, and in both cases the focus is on the dial details – it all depends on whether you’re drawn to mother of pearl or a multi-layered design in support of our friends the dolphins.
The Hull Pearl Diver Automatic Limited Edition (SP-5106) is a 300m depth-rated watch that comes in three colour versions that harness the natural iridescence of genuine mother of pearl: Frost Pearl, Twilight Pearl and Emerald Pearl.
The 42mm-wide stainless-steel case is 14mm thick and has a screw-down crown and unidirectional bezel with ceramic plate. The sapphire lens is anti-reflective and scratch-resistant and the three hands and markers are coated with Swiss Super-LumiNova.
Powered by a Japanese M-SII-NH35-D3BKW automatic movement, the watch comes with a stainless-steel bracelet. Limited to 750 pieces worldwide, the Hull Pearl Diver Auto LE is priced at £425.
As its name suggests, the Croft Mid-Size Automatic Dolphin Project Limited Edition (SP-5129) supports a charity dedicated to the welfare and protection of dolphins and their natural habitats worldwide.
This model too comes in three versions – Ocean Blue, Ocean Black, Ocean Turquoise – each featuring a luminous multi-layered dolphin pattern. Only 200 individually numbered units are available in each of the colourways. They come with a recycled rPET strap in addition the stainless-steel bracelet, as well as a Dolphin Project rPET cap.
The end of the distinctive second hand showcases a dolphin, and an engraving on the back of the case is a reminder of the progress the Dolphin Project has made since it was founded by Ric O’Barry on Earth Day 1970.
A portion of the proceeds from each sale goes directly to supporting the charity’s global campaigns to release and rehabilitate former performing dolphins and find economic alternatives to dolphin captivity.
The watches are rated to 150m and the case is 40mm in diameter but otherwise the technical attributes reflect those of the Hull Pearl Diver models. The price is the same too, at £425 from Spinnaker Watches.
Seiko Prospex Black Series Sumo Diver LE
Other timepiece releases since Divernet’s last round-up include a model new to the Seiko Prospex line-up in February. This is the 200m-rated “night vision” Black Series SPB433JI Sumo Diver Limited Edition – 3,500 units will be available.
Illumination of the low-reflection grey dial comes from high-intensity green LumiBrite Pro on the hands and indices to make the face easy to read in low-light conditions.
The Caliber 6R35 movement is automatic with manual winding and has a 70hr power reserve and precision of -15 / +25sec per day. The 45 x 13.4mm case and bracelet are stainless steel and the scratch-proof bezel ceramic.
The sapphire crystal has a magnifier and anti-reflective coating on the inner surface. The watch comes with a stainless-steel bracelet and is priced at £1,100 from Seiko.
Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph
Pricier is the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph (771), described as a fresh expression of a popular retro diver’s watch, although with a depth-rating of only 100m it would be a safe choice only for shallow underwater use.
The watch now has a smaller 40mm case, a monochromatic dial design and the option of a Cervo Volante black deer-leather strap or stainless-steel bracelet.
“The base design echoes our first diver’s watch of 1965, a visually pared-back but highly competent piece that captured the spirit of an exciting new era when recreational diving was becoming increasingly fashionable,” says the Swiss watch-maker. The watch is powered by an automatic mechanical movement with a 48hr power reserve.
The sapphire is domed on both sides and has an inside anti-reflective coating inside. There is a screw-in security crown and pushers, and a curved black dial with applied indices and hands filled with Super-LumiNova. Two subsidiary dials show continuous seconds and a 30 minutes counter, fine timing device and stop-second. Recommended retail price from Oris is £3,450.
Bulova Oceanographer GMT
There are three versions of the new Bulova Oceanographer GMT a watch that offers a healthier 200m of water resistance and echoes the maker’s 1972 Devil Diver. It has a 41mm stainless-steel case with grey IP coating, screw-down crown and black-and-white timing bezel.
Under the box sapphire crystal, the fully luminescent white dial features a black 24-hours scale and minute markers and applied round luminescent hour markers. An independently adjustable hour hand allows local time to be set quickly when juggling between two time zones.
The watch has a self-winding Bulova Caliber 3186 movement with a 42hr power reserve. Its three colourways are Blue, Rose and Lume Dial – the latter named because it glows green in the dark, enhancing readability in low-light conditions.
The Blue version (96B405), with its red half bezel and stainless-steel bracelet, costs £995 and the Rose Gold (97B215), also with bracelet, retails for £1,095. With its grey silicone strap, the Lume watch (98B407) is priced at £950, from Bulova.
Tudor Pelagos FXD
Tudor is a Swiss brand of mechanical watches that dates back to 1926, when the brand was registered on behalf of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, and it started making diving watches in 1954.
Its new 200m titanium-encased Pelagos FXD pays tribute to decades of the company’s watches being worn by US Navy divers. FXD refers to what are said to be the case’s robust FiXeD strap bars.
This new 42 x 13mm model is described as a high-performance take on the watchmaker’s original Milsub (Military Submariner) and late-1960s Oyster Prince Submariner models used by SEAL and other navy teams.
It has a satin-brushed titanium case and a unidirectional titanium bezel with ceramic insert and 60-minute graduation.
The matt black dial has applied hour markers which, like the 1969-style “Snowflake” hands, are coated in Swiss Super-LumiNova. The Manufacture Calibre MT5602 movement has a silicon hairspring, a generous “weekend-proof” 70hr power reserve and a daily running variation of -2 / +4sec.
The one-piece fabric strap with self-gripping fastening system in forest green with red central thread comes with an additional one-piece black rubber strap with embossed fabric motif. The Tudor Pelagos FXD (M25717N-0001) is priced at £3,590.
Bell & Ross Diver Tara Océan LE
The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Tara Océan is a limited-edition series of 999 units produced in a new partnership with France’s Tara Océan Foundation, which runs an oceanography exploration schooner called Tara whose crew all sport the watch. The 300m-rated watch is encased in a 42mm square case, with signature rounded corners in a matte blue ceramic.
The blue ceramic bezel with 60min scale has white Super-LumiNova markings and the first 15 minutes have an orange background but otherwise apart from the Tara Océan dedication this is the same as the standard watch released five years ago, with Calibre BR-CAL.302 self-winding mechanical movement.
The deep blue metal dial’s indices are also Super-LumiNova-coated and the crystal sapphire has an anti-reflective coating. The strap is made of blue woven rubber lined with an “ultra-resistant technical” material. The retail price recommended by Bell & Ross is £4,990.
Also on Divernet: Time machines: The latest dive watches, Modern, retro & shiny: 7 new diving watches, Dive Time: Your Guide To The Latest Diving Watches, Orient dive watches land in UK, Seiko develops its night vision, Blancpain celebrates Fifty Fathoms at 70
