The worlds most unusual watches
The worlds most unusual watches
The worlds deepest dive watches.
Ultra deep dive watches rated to go down to where the fish need lanterns and the giant squid roam.
For some people, having watches with these extreme depth ratings is for status, for bragging rights or one-upmanship.
Others appreciate and admire them for the impressive engineering levels they represent; the result of years of dedicated work from a watch making team.
For a watch company these type of extreme deep dive watches are a proof of concept and a brand statement.
Some of these watches are rated to depths beyond the deepest known ocean of 11,033m ! (Challenger Deep) and most of these deep dive watches have been tested to deeper than their ratings in order to offer the 25% safety reserve required by the ISO 6425 divers’ watches standard.
However what these “deep dive watches” do represent are watches that have survived the most rigorous endurance testing, and are therefore seriously tough watches!
If you consider that the pressure at a depth of just 10m already amounts to 10kg per square cm then you have an idea of what they need to withstand at the incredible depths these watches are rated for. For instance at 4,875 metres the pressure exerted upon the watch is equivalent to a force of 4.5 tonnes!
Consequently you can be sure that the engineering tolerances will be high. This is reflected in the design and use of materials, for instance the CX Swiss Military dive watch uses a sapphire crystal that is an astounding 10mm thick!! That’s thicker than a lot of watches!
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Rated to a depth of 3000m the DeepQUEST dive watch by Ball uses a titanium monoblock case construction to help it achieve this impressive depth rating. It is a substantial 16mm thick and also features enhanced crown seals and a sapphire crystal which is 5.3mm in thickness and AR coated on the inside. The…
The new UTS deep dive watch, the UTS 4000m professional has been released . UTS watches are the brainchild of Nicolaus Spinner and are personally assembled and tested by him in his small workshop in Munchen, Germany. It features a massive 17.5mm thick case and a 6mm crystal, which are needed to enable it…
On January 23rd 1960 the “deep boat” Trieste made an historic descent to 10,916 meters. On that occasion it was accompanied by a Rolex watch. James Cameron, National Geographic explorer-in-residence on-board the Deepsea Challenger is preparing to go even deeper this time also accompanied by another Rolex watch, the newly released Rolex Deepsea Challenge…
Water-resistant to an impressive 1,000 meters, the new Admiral’s Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive is the latest newcomer to the Extreme line. Its helium valve, its secure rotating bezel and its hyper-luminescent hour-markers make this imposing and sophisticated watch a genuine instrument for professionals. Created in 1960, the Admiral’s Cup watch by Corum is…
Aquadive, well known for the classic dive watches they produced during the 60`s and 70`s recently relaunched themselves after a period of inactivity. Pictured is their new Aquadive Bathyscaphe 300 model, a substantial piece that takes design cues from their original 70`s models and uses the exact same case from the 1970s Model 50 Depth…
Tested to a depth of 5000m in a Roxer tank the Hublot Oceanographic 4000 by has a 6.5mm thick sapphire crystal in order to withstand the pressure of these kind of depths and is certified to 4000m ( 13,120 feet). The grade 2 titanium case back is screw down and a helium valve positioned at…
CX Swiss Military Watch 6,000m (20,000 Feet) The CX Swiss Military dive watch currently holds the world record as the only mechanical dive watch that is certified water resistant to a depth of 20,000 Feet. Emphasis on mechanical since other deep dive watches are certified to go deeper but they are oil filled quartz…
Bell and Ross Hydromax 11,100m (36,500 feet) The Hydromax is equipped with some impressive technical features. Bell and Ross use a watch case completely filled with a special type of transparent silicone oil called Hydroil to protect the watch from the huge pressures. Since temperature fluctuations cause this oil to expand and compress, Bell…
Sinn UX Dive Watch Sinn UX 12,000 meters (39,600 feet) This deep dive watch vying for supremacy is the Sinn UX. This one, like the Bell and Ross Hydromax is a quartz driven oil filled watch. Sinn points out some of the advantages of using an oil filled case: “the watch is absolutely free…
Rolex Deepsea 3,900 meters (12,795 Feet) Rolex has a long diving heritage, reaching back to when it was credited with making the first “waterproof” watch in 1927. Rolex were also involved with development of the record breaking Deep dive in the Bathyscaphe Trieste, which, with the Rolex Deep Sea Special strapped to the outside…
Nivrel Shark Sea 3000m (9,000 Feet) At first glance the Shark Sea is a bit of an anomaly for a deep dive watch since it features a tourbillon, something more associated with luxury watches. Its an interesting and intriguing combination, including such a meticulously crafted function in such a robust setting as a dive…
UTS GMT Professional 2000m (6,000 Feet) Sporting a powerful, solid looking case the GMT Pro is machined and hand assembled in Germany. Still quite a young company, UTS was formed in 1991 they have since built a reputation for producing high quality dive watches. Some of the GMT Pro’s features are a divers bezel…
Schaumburg Aquamatic II 2000m (6,000 Feet) Like UTS, Schaumburg is a relatively young German company, they are based in the Lower Saxony region and were formed in 1998. The Aquamatic II is a follow up to the first Aquamatic released about 7 years ago. It comes with an Anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal, superluminova coated…
Pita Oceana 5000m (15,000 Feet) Spanish watchmakers Pita have developed some interesting and innovative technical solutions to water resistance. Pita’s Ocean deep dive watch developed two patented systems in its design. Using a “water-entry free case”, the watch has no crown and there is no seal joint between crystal and case. The time can…
Anonimo Professionale 2000m (6,000 Feet) Anonimo was founded in Florence, Italy in 1997 by respected designer and entrepreneur Federico Massacesi, whose vision was to create “unique Italian timepieces”. The Professionale is Anonimo’s high end dive model and it features a sand blasted stainless case, an innovative bezel locking system in protected position at 4…
Technomarine Abyss 12,000 meters (39,600 feet) The Technomarine Abyss uses silicone oil combined with a quartz movement. If you click on the image to enlarge it you will notice the small air bubble in the oil at the 3 o’clock position. The Abyss has a case made from stainless steel and uses a mineral…