All great dive watches, Jason. Still, none that will knock the Pelagos off my wrist.
Two high-end divers (an oxymoron, I know) that I would have liked to have seen in the metal are the Glasshutte Original SeaQ Panorama Date and the JLC Polaris Mariner Memovox.
Both are way too pretty to take in the water, but my old eyes love a big date complication, and the Memovox divers seem like a cool complication (not sure how our marine friends feel about the alarm, though).
The Glasshutte looks gorgeous for sure. The Polaris looks too sterile somehow to me. The vintage (and tribute) ones have a warmth the latest ones lack, in my opinion.
The Blancpain Hodinkee Mil-Spec. My dream watch, full stop. Absolutely perfect for my tastes. If only I had a spare kid(ney) to give up to get one.
There's no reason I should like the B&R BR03-92 Full Lum as much as I do, but here we are. It would look the business over a drysuit with a rebreather on a deep, dark wreck.
Of all of them though, I think the Aquastar is the best combo of fun/exciting/useful/attainable. Just a fantastic re-edition. I originally didn't give the blue dial any attention, but seeing it in pictures other than the stock photos- it looks GORGEOUS. Home run all around.
Cheers to you, and the newsletter. Been such fun to read so far!
Because of a six month work hiatus this year while the film industry was shut down, I was able to get just over thirteen hours of bottom time... more than any other year prior. I dove with nearly everything in my collection this year... Pelagos LHD, BBGMT, Sub, Speedmaster, IWC Big Pilot, Vostok, Seiko, etc.. screw down crowns, non-screw down.. didn't matter! By the end of September when the dive gear was being put away, the Pelagos was the clear winner in my book... can't beat that watch.
I just took delivery of my Deepstar yesterday, so next summer the LHD will definitely have some competition. Great write-up as always. Merry Christmas.
I’m in the exact same boat, more diving this year than most others! And my Deepstar came literally one day after the last dive of the winter. Looking forward to taking it down this spring
Yes it is indeed! Been getting lots of wrist time over here. I work in tv/film too so your comment was like...well that sounds familiar ha. Happy New Year as well and here’s to things picking up in 2021!
Regarding the Deepstar, do you think it would have such a huge appeal if it A) wasn't a reissue and B) didn't have the historical connections? It's a fantastic watch but I could see it being a bit of an acquired taste for people who don't perhaps have such a connection to diving.
It's definitely an acquired taste but I do think its appeal, at least for me, is in the "big eye" single subdial, steel bezel, and classic case shape. It's a dive watch that doesn't look like a dive watch.
I bought the BB58 Blue when it came out, and flipped it within 48 hours (at cost, not profit as selling it to a friend!); I realised I really just wanted the new Sub and this felt like second best. Apart from anything else - and this is probably heresy - Tudor have not got the case right on any of the Black Bays. On the original it was far too thick, and on the BB58 it still feels too unrefined and slab-like.
I've never handled one in the flesh but I get what you're saying from the images I've seen. However...is that not the point of the BB line? To create something that incorporates Tudor's history but strikes out in a new direction at the same time.
That’s a fair point, and my comment was only meant to express how I felt personally about it. I’m probably still suffering deep regret from selling my Date Sub a few years back when they weren’t like gold dust - and now of course I can’t replace it!!
Of course of course. Given I’ve never held a sub in the flesh either I can’t talk. I love the outset case in almost every iteration but there’s something about the black bay line and those cases. Each to their own at the end of the day!
Thanks for sharing which dive watches caught your fancy this year.
Thanks for commenting on Nivada Grenchen and Ollech & Wajs. I've had those brands show up in my Instagram feed due to the platform's recommendation AI and I've always wondered about them. I really do like how their watches look.
I think I have resolved to enter my Tudor AD on Monday and come out with a hefty charge on my credit card if they have the BB58 Blue.
All great dive watches, Jason. Still, none that will knock the Pelagos off my wrist.
Two high-end divers (an oxymoron, I know) that I would have liked to have seen in the metal are the Glasshutte Original SeaQ Panorama Date and the JLC Polaris Mariner Memovox.
Both are way too pretty to take in the water, but my old eyes love a big date complication, and the Memovox divers seem like a cool complication (not sure how our marine friends feel about the alarm, though).
Cheers!
The Glasshutte looks gorgeous for sure. The Polaris looks too sterile somehow to me. The vintage (and tribute) ones have a warmth the latest ones lack, in my opinion.
I enjoyed this dive watches book, many price points, functionality and aesthetics. Thanks for sharing it Jason, keep up the good work.
My three favorites this year:
The Blancpain Hodinkee Mil-Spec. My dream watch, full stop. Absolutely perfect for my tastes. If only I had a spare kid(ney) to give up to get one.
There's no reason I should like the B&R BR03-92 Full Lum as much as I do, but here we are. It would look the business over a drysuit with a rebreather on a deep, dark wreck.
Of all of them though, I think the Aquastar is the best combo of fun/exciting/useful/attainable. Just a fantastic re-edition. I originally didn't give the blue dial any attention, but seeing it in pictures other than the stock photos- it looks GORGEOUS. Home run all around.
Cheers to you, and the newsletter. Been such fun to read so far!
Wow, comments section for this one is loaded!
Because of a six month work hiatus this year while the film industry was shut down, I was able to get just over thirteen hours of bottom time... more than any other year prior. I dove with nearly everything in my collection this year... Pelagos LHD, BBGMT, Sub, Speedmaster, IWC Big Pilot, Vostok, Seiko, etc.. screw down crowns, non-screw down.. didn't matter! By the end of September when the dive gear was being put away, the Pelagos was the clear winner in my book... can't beat that watch.
I just took delivery of my Deepstar yesterday, so next summer the LHD will definitely have some competition. Great write-up as always. Merry Christmas.
I’m in the exact same boat, more diving this year than most others! And my Deepstar came literally one day after the last dive of the winter. Looking forward to taking it down this spring
Yeah buddy.. the Deepstar is pretty nice right? Looking forward to giving it lots of wrist time. Happy New Year.
Yes it is indeed! Been getting lots of wrist time over here. I work in tv/film too so your comment was like...well that sounds familiar ha. Happy New Year as well and here’s to things picking up in 2021!
Ah too funny man! What do you do? I'm stunts, and I'm always pulling up my sleeve to get my watches in the shot!
Haha nice! I'm a colorist so I spend most of my time in dark rooms trying to make things look pretty. No cameos for my watches anytime soon!
Nice! Well, thanks for making my ugly mug look good in post!
Regarding the Deepstar, do you think it would have such a huge appeal if it A) wasn't a reissue and B) didn't have the historical connections? It's a fantastic watch but I could see it being a bit of an acquired taste for people who don't perhaps have such a connection to diving.
It's definitely an acquired taste but I do think its appeal, at least for me, is in the "big eye" single subdial, steel bezel, and classic case shape. It's a dive watch that doesn't look like a dive watch.
I bought the BB58 Blue when it came out, and flipped it within 48 hours (at cost, not profit as selling it to a friend!); I realised I really just wanted the new Sub and this felt like second best. Apart from anything else - and this is probably heresy - Tudor have not got the case right on any of the Black Bays. On the original it was far too thick, and on the BB58 it still feels too unrefined and slab-like.
I've never handled one in the flesh but I get what you're saying from the images I've seen. However...is that not the point of the BB line? To create something that incorporates Tudor's history but strikes out in a new direction at the same time.
That’s a fair point, and my comment was only meant to express how I felt personally about it. I’m probably still suffering deep regret from selling my Date Sub a few years back when they weren’t like gold dust - and now of course I can’t replace it!!
Of course of course. Given I’ve never held a sub in the flesh either I can’t talk. I love the outset case in almost every iteration but there’s something about the black bay line and those cases. Each to their own at the end of the day!
So many great releases this year. This was fun to read and dovetailed nicely with todays Grey Nato episode.
The standouts for me:
1) Hodinkee Blancpain - Love the 40mm size and no date.
2) Sinn U50 - Been waiting a long time for a reduced size U1.
3) Submariner - While not a big change, it feels long overdue given how much I've always disliked the old maxi case. I'm loving the new one.
One of my favorites that wasn't listed in the article is the Seiko SPB185. If I like it in the metal as much as I do in pictures, I will be buying it.
Yet another piece of great writing. It is always useful to hear someone identify good tools that have been put to their intended use.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy Christmas.
Another very informative read!
Thanks for sharing which dive watches caught your fancy this year.
Thanks for commenting on Nivada Grenchen and Ollech & Wajs. I've had those brands show up in my Instagram feed due to the platform's recommendation AI and I've always wondered about them. I really do like how their watches look.