ROLEX Deep Sea SPECIAL 'Deeply Engineered'

By TLex During the early 1950s, Rolex carried out a series of extreme and rigorous tests on a new experimental wristwatch. This special watch, which was not a dive watch was constructed from steel. It was designed with one objective in mind, to be the most water-resistant watch ever built.



By August 1953, Rolex had engineered their experimental wristwatch, which was known as the 'Deep Sea Special'. It was first tested down to 1,080 meters, approximately 3,543 feet, then to 3,150 meters approximately 10,334 feet, which it reached later that year. It was finally ocean tested a third time 3 years later in 1956 to a depth of 3,700 meters, approximately 12,138 feet.




In 1960, with the knowledge that they has gained from the making of the first two watches, Rolex begun work on the third 'Deep Sea Special', which again was constructed to be able to withstand the enormous pressures from the ocean's depths. It would remain unmatched in terms of water-resistance for another 52 years!



Its steel 'Oyster' case measured just 42.7mm in diameter, but had a thickness of 36mm. It was fitted with an 'Oyster' double-sealed crown, a massive screwdown steel caseback and 18mm thick Plexiglass acrylic crystal. The watch was powered by a Rolex 1570 self-winding mechanical movement.



This incredible watch (even by today's standards) was then strapped to the Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible, manned by two intrepid pioneers of the deep, Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh - in readiness for the ultimate field test.

On January 23rd, 1960 the Rolex Deep Sea Special, an experimental mechanical wristwatch was submerged to the incredible depth of 10,916 meter, 37,800 feet on a mega-dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point on the Earth. It survived the historic dive in perfect working order.



To this day the Rolex Deep Sea Special continues to intrigue. Its design is as fascinating as the story behind it. Engineered for extremes, its most prominent feature, the exaggerated monolith that is its crystal, was designed to withstand the 6 crushing tons-per-square-inch of pressure that are present 6 miles deep - its case, though, remains deceptively uncomplicated.

The un-guarded, oversized crown, a trait of its fine vintage. The dial that distorts under the enormous crystal as if it were already at great depth is as clean and tranquil looking as I've seen. For me the watch epitomizes both brawn and beauty.



It evokes a feeling of nostalgia as we look back fondly on the days, when making watches likes these was as much about discovering the unknown as it was about venturing into it. Sadly, but not surprisingly the Rolex Deep Sea Special watch never went into production. Beautifully impractical, but nonetheless desirable, it has remained out of reach -



so it may not come as much of a surprise that as you read this there are those, who are already working on making the unobtainable obtainable! Deep Sea dreamers, your prayers may have been answered! Stay glued to OceanicTime, where all will be revealed shortly . . .

Follow the link HERE to see OceanicTime's rare and exclusive live images of the 2012 Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA Challenge watch . . .

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage CHRONO

By TLex The Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph is a tribute to a legendary dive watch, the Memovox Deep Sea, the first mechanical dive watch to be fitted with an alarm in watchmaking history; it's mechanism was used to remind divers when it was time to return to the surface. This historical diver was fitted with a LeCoultre 815 automatic calibre. It was lovingly reproduced by JLC in 2011 as the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea.

The new Deep Sea Vintage Chrono, which will be officially unveiled at SIHH 2012 next week follows in the same vein, taking its vintage design cues such as a simple black fixed bezel (there were no dive watch standards in the 50s that called rotational bezels), a classic black dial and authentic Plexiglass crystal right of the pages of JLC's history books. Notice, too the hands and hour-markers, which have been applied with a warm orange-tinted Superluminova reminiscent of the lume used by the 1959 Memovox Deep Sea.

The watch is powered by the latest 37 jewel Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 751G with 65hrs of power-reserve. It is housed in a 40.5mm stainless steel watch case. We can't see it here, but the caseback bears the same engraving depicting a frogman surrounded by bubbles as the original Deep Sea. The watch is finished with an embossed black tropic-style calfskin leather strap so as to replicate the exact look of the straps that the historical Deep Sea models were fitted with.

This is a watch that is no doubt aimed at the connoisseur rather than diving professional, it's water-resistance is just 100 meters, but its design faithfully follows in the footsteps of its Deep Sea lineage and it evokes a certain amount of nostalgia for the days when divers were more than just divers they were pioneers of the deep; JLC delivers another fitting tribute! 

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ZLATOUST 192-ChS (vodolaz)

By TLex The Zlatoust 191-ChS Divers watches were produced in the late 1950s and 60s in the Zlatoust Clock Factory in Province of Chelyabinsk, Russia. They were supplied to almost every USSR Navy (??? ????) diver, who wore them as part of their diving equipment. Apart from their hands and markers, which were (at the time) applied with radioactive material these watches were highly visible to their wearers thanks to their enormous 60mm cases making them legible even through the small windows of the divers helmets.



These imposing looking watches, which are also referred to as 'Vodolaz' (the Russian terminology used for a diver who dives with heavy equipment, walking as an aquanaut does rather than swimming) were produced in the Zlatoust Clock Factory up until the mid-seventies, when production ceased. [For reference '?????????' the Russian word for 'diver' refers to divers using light equipment such as scuba divers or free divers using no equipment.]



The legendary Zlatoust 'Vodolaz' watches made a comeback after almost 40yrs of absence with a re-edition, the 192- ChS (featured here). Interest in the Zlatoust Divers watch dramatically increased, when one was spotted on the wrist of the former governor of the State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger whilst making an address from his Governor�s office. There has been some debate as to the authenticity of many of these watches; as not all Zlatoust �Vodolaz� watches are authentic!



However I can assure that the watch featured here (192- ChS) is the genuine article! And I have it on very good authority from an expert on Russian military watches and indeed Russian watches in general; a gentleman who I have just recently had the good fortune to become acquainted with and, who invited me to view a spectacular collection of Russian military divers at his distributorship in Taipei. One watch immediately caught my eye not least of all for its monstrous size, but also for its simplistic no-nonsense vintage military styling.



I was already somewhat familiar with the Zlatoust divers watches, but not to the extent that I have now become thanks to my new friend, who is also fully fluent in Russian and who regularly corresponds with, and was (at the time) collaborating with the Zlatoust Clock Factory on a new project of theirs (read on) . . . and so begun my education!



Many watches have laid claim to the heritage and pedigree of the legendary Zlatoust 'Vodolaz' watch, one of which includes a claim made by a well known American owned Swiss watch company, who claim to have in 1959 been commissioned to produce 100 or so watches for officers of the Russian Naval Fleet. Their popular 'Russian Divers' watch (current model) was designed; they say working from historical technical drawings of this diver. But as you will soon learn this design could not have been based on an authentic Zlatoust 'Vodolaz', but is most likely based on an interpretation of the original Zlatoust 'Vodolaz' of the types that can nowadays be acquired so easily on eBay or are more commonly seen in the souvenir shops of Moscow.

These watches are not fakes per se, least of all by definition, but they are not authentic items either even though pertaining to be. Neither are they built to the same exacting standards or specifications as the 191- ChS or its re-edition the 192- ChS are, and as such are inferior.



AUTHENTICITY So how can you tell which is which? For the most, unauthentic models can be distinguished from the real thing at glance because they are frequently fitted with protective steel grids over their glass crystals, something that the Zlatoust 191- ChS watches never possessed. Apart from 191-ChS' wooden ammunition box and paperwork, other distinguishing features should include: the absence of any text or markings on the dial (whatsoever); two fixings should be visible on the dial at 4 and 10 o�clock.



The only markings on the caseback should be that of the watch�s edition # (today an additional triangular '3 3' factory logo accompanies it). There should be no elaborate engravings or text on the caseback either. When removed the canteen crown protector should possess a second inner covering; and where the winding crown is and its rubber seal, the crown should be held in place by no less than three fixings.



The screwdown bezel of the 191-ChS, which to an extent is fixed can theoretically be removed (read on) to open the watch. However opening the case is not advised as the watch's water-resistance could well be affected; in fact such is the torque used by the Zlatoust factory to tighten the screwdown bezel, opening by hand is pretty much an impossibility. This is yet another distinguishing factor between those 'souvenirs' sold on the streets of Moscow from the actual Zlatoust divers 191-ChS / 192-ChS.



FIXED BEZELS I feel that it is particularly pertinent to this article to (do my best to) dispel the myth, that if a divers watch lacks a rotating bezel, whether that be in inner or outer, or indeed it is does not comply with ISO regulations or the such for a divers watch then it could not be considered a �true� divers watch. Try telling this to a veteran USSR Military diver or indeed one of Incursori of the Italian Navy, who both dived exclusively throughout their military careers without the need of unidirectional rotational divers bezels.



Or try to argue this point with a seasoned commercial diver and they'll no doubt put you in your place. Most commercial divers that I know will tell you that a turning ring is not a necessity for them and was in fact developed with the recreational diver in mind. However fixed bezels are still beneficial, serving as strengtheners holding in place the watches glass or crystal and do much to achieve the minimalist look of these watches that I have grown to admire.



MEGA DIVERS The 60mm Zlatoust 191-ChS (now 192-ChS) Russian Divers Watch is one of the largest divers watches ever built, but not the largest. Other mega-sized dive watches include the PANERAI Egiziano AKA �The Egyptian� that has a diameter of 60mm excluding its crown guard, its recent successor the titanium constructed PANERAI PAM00341 is also 60mm in diameter, the U-BOAT U-1942 with its gargantuan 64.4mm case (excluding winding crown) and the ENNEBI Titanic, which to my knowledge is the largest watch in existence with a mega 65mm diameter (excluding its crown guard).



Why on earth make these watches so big? I think the first observation to make is that these were not designed as, or in deeded ever intended to be used as everyday wristwatches, but as diving instruments with a specific purpose, deliberately designed to be as legible as possible under extreme conditions. Today they are first and foremost collector�s items. That is not to say (practicality aside) that they should not be worn.



ZLATOUST 192-ChS This is a re-edition of the legendary 191-ChS, which apart from its luminous material, which is now non-radioactive and an addition of logo on the caseback is pound for pound the same watch that was supplied to and used by the Soviet Naval divers of 60s and 70s. The watch measures 75x70x18mm (this includes the lug to lug length and takes into consideration its enormous canteen crown protector). The actual diameter of the case is 60mm. It has a 24mm lug width, the bars of which are fixed, not uncommon on a military diver.



The watch weighs 0.26kgs. The case, which has a hewn look as if it was almost chiseled with an axe, is constructed from stainless steel. The Zlatoust Clock Factory to my knowledge has written nothing to the actual water-resistance of the ChS-191 or 192 in any of their literature, but I am told that it is water-resistant to at least 700 meters or more.



Its movement, a 24mm hand wound Vostok 2409 with 17 jewels, shock protection and a minimum power reserve of 44hrs is accessible through the dial by means of a special key that goes into a hole beside the 3 o�clock marker. It should maintain a daily rate of accuracy of -24 to +40 seconds per day. The lume, which I should also add is exceptional is Russian made lume not Swiss and as previously mentioned is not radioactive. The watch has much character; it are its slight flaws and imperfections that give it its charm. The watch comes supplied on a hand cut rubber strap, which has been stapled rather than stitched; again it is this kind of no-nonsense styling that I find so charismatic.



Apart from being a fantastic collector's item the 192-ChS' sheer size will no doubt be of some concern even to those such as myself, who are wearing 50+mm watches. That is not to say that I won't sit at home with the Zlatoust 'Vodolaz' strapped to my wrist as I dream of deep sea adventures or that the watch is completely un-wearable. I think this will deepened on your level of passion for the watch and the kind of person you are. Nevertheless, I have some good news about a scaled down 53mm version of the diver that is soon to be released from the Zlatoust Clock Factory.



The new 53mm Zlatoust diver will house an automatic movement, will have a left-handed crown placement and will replace fixed bars with spring bars allowing for strap changes. The watch will have one last aesthetic enhancement, a small Zlatoust Clock Factory logo on its dial like the one at the bottom of the post. I am going to see this new version for myself this weekend and will be posting pictures and further details in the following days.


� OceanicTime

Please feel free to drop me a line if you are interested in either of the models discussed. I will be happy to pass your requests on to the only person I know, who is selling these watches. Please though, only genuinely interested parties should make contact. Please also kindly mark your email 'ZLATOUST'.

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OceanicTime (best of 2010)

By TLex 2010 has been a great year for dive watches. OceanicTime has presented no less than 150 new divers models and introduced some 25 new watch companies. I hope you have had as much enjoyment seeing them all as I have had sharing them with you.

Covering such a broad spectrum of dive watches that has included models from pretty much every sector of the market; Boutique, and Private Label to High End and Manufacture; the obscure Artisan watchmakers to the mainstream, the mass-produced and everything in-between; highlighting and summarizing them all has been no mean feat.

What were the watches that were presented on OceanicTime in 2010 that were the best received and the most desirable? And which were my personal favorites? I have selected 5 divers from the luxury watch market and 5 from the rest, that for me stood out from the crowd and were not only interesting, but inspirational material and the muses for some of my most enjoyable blogs of 2010.

TOP 5 LUXURY SECTOR



CORUM Admiral�s Cup Deep Hull 48 CORUM�s first attempt at a professional divers watch asserted themselves as a luxury watchmaker, who are every bit as capable of producing high-end professional divers watches as any of the other houses that have been producing them for the last 50 years or more. They delivered a diver that not only stayed true to its heritage, but has begun a new and exciting era in CORUM dive watches.



ETERNA Super KonTiki 1973 Heritage Limited Edition. No re-edition has been made with as much as integrity as the Super KonTiki 1973 Heritage LE.



AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak Offshore Diver The Successor to Royal Oak Offshore Scuba models that were traditionally only released as limited editions. The ROO Diver, which is now a part of Audemars Piguet's collection benefits from improved functionality and AP's latest in house Caliber. It�s the most coveted and arguably the most desirable diver released this year.



PORSCHE DESIGN P�6780 Diver Porsche Design�s first dive watch in more 25 years; the P�6780 is a highly engineered watch. It utilizes a special case housing. The first seen real world images were posted on OceanicTime. Stay tuned for an in depth review in June of 2011.



LINDE WERDELIN Oktopus Moonphase Complication. The first ever watch to use a photo-realistic moon-phase, LW continue to surprise and innovate.

TOP 5 of THE REST An eclectic selection of divers there is not, they probably make little sense to the average man on the street, but were watches that for me presented a rare and refreshing departure from the typical divers watches that we see released year in year out.



MOLA 923 This rare gem from Germany has a distinct point of view and great story.



HELSON Sharkmaster Boutique release of the year! A tribute to a dive watch icon. HELSON, working only form pictures masterfully pulled off an almost exact recreation of the OMEGA Seamaster 1000m; doing more than justice to the original. [Shown image from Hounddoggie of the Homage Forum].



AZIMUTH Deep Diver Avant garde designs intended for the deep. I am yet to see a production model, but if the prototype was anything to go by the production Deep Diver will be an amazing watch.



Vintage Daily Beater VDB I Artisan watch making at its best, handcrafted cases, vintage movements and a rugged sensibility that quickly found favor among connoisseurs.



LOWIN Cologne No Limits More Artisan watchmaking; this time mixing things up with a contemporary 2'000m depth rating and a not so contemporary dial complete with Roman numerals.

Wishing you all the very best for 2011! Stay glued to your screens and tuned to OceanicTime for it will bring you in the new year . . .

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