ZRC Grands Fonds 300 FMCG 60th ANNIVERSARY

By TLex Here are a few cool photos taken of the 60th anniversary of the FMCG (French Mine Clearance Group).



A special event that was held on June 26th 2015 at the GPD in the Toulon Arsenal, the Southern French base on the Mediterranean Sea -



in which 6 members of the FMCG where congratulated for their mine clearance actions during 2014-15.



ZRC, who were the Official partner for the ceremony were proud to present each of the 6 Navy members a Grands Fonds 300 as a reward for risking their lives doing their call of duty.



A day prior to the ceremony, ZRC were at their training base to try on their gear particularly the diving kit of the commandos �



who have been testing the GF300 in real conditions such as: hull, anti-diver steel net, sunken armor truck and plane inspections.



Follow the link to read my in-depth REVIEW of the ZRC GF300.

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RISTOLA Plongeur UTC 1stLOOK

By TLex Here�s a preview of an upcoming dive watch brand from La Chaux-de-Fonds, right in the very heart of the Swiss watchmaking territories.



The idea behind the RISTOLA Plongeur UTC was to build a professional divers watch that could be every bit as appealing to the casual scuba or offshore deep sea diver as it is the traveling executive or company director sat in his board meeting.



Specifications of the Plongeur UTC include: a 43mm Stainless steel watch case with 300 meters of water-resistance.



The Plongeur UTC is an ISO 6425 certified divers watch. Its special divers features include: a 120 click rotational divers bezel, an automatic Helium Escape Valve, a 3.8mm domed Sapphire crystal with AR-coating on its inside.



The Plongeur UTC will be powered by an ETA 2893-2 UTC (24 hour time) with a COSC certification. 24 hour time, date and dive-time can all be checked on its stepped black dial.



The Plongeur UTC will be presented on a tapered Stainless steel engraved bracelet with fine adjustments. It will also come with the NATO band, a 2 year international warranty, a spring bar tool and an option for a leather band with a steel clasp.



RISTOLA are currently in the tooling stage of the Plongeur UTC and plan to have a prototype ready by the end of January / beginning of February. Just 300 production pieces will be made.



RISTOLA do have a website, which you can find by following the link embedded, below but I believe it is a work in progress.

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AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak Offshore Diver CHRONOGRAPH

By TLex AP Said �Let there be color!� � and there was color! A colorful new collection of ROO Diver Chronographs have joined the ROO Diver family, which just last year received a bit of a revision itself with a new exhibition caseback and a new white dial variant.



Now into its sixth year of production, the ROO Diver has been released in a total of 5 versions over the past few years; each can traces its roots directly back to AP�s first divers model, the ROO Scuba. [CARBON] [CERAMIC] [FORGED] [QEII] [SCUBA] [STEEL] [WHITE]



Four bold new colors including: blue, green, orange and yellow have been chosen for the collection. The blue version with the yellow accents is definitely the best looking of the bunch with the orange version running a close second. The blue version is Ref. #26703ST.OO.A027CA.01, the orange version is Ref. #26703ST.OO.A070CA.01.



The ROO diver Chrono features a Stainless steel case with a glare-proofed Sapphire crystal and caseback, black ceramic chrono-pushers and a screwdown crowns. It is water-resistant to 300 meters. The diving function indicator has been highlighted in color for better readability at depths of up to 300 meters.



Its dial is with AP�s signature �M�ga Tapisserie� (waffle) pattern, color-matching counters, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands (yellow minutes hand for blue version) with luminescent coating, blue rotating inner bezel with diving scale and zone from 60 to 15 minutes in yellow.



Powering the ROO Diver Chrono is an AP Calibre 3124 / 3841 Manufacture movement with: 59 jewels, a frequency of 3,00 Hz (21'600 alternances/hour) and a Monobloc rotor in 22-carat gold.



The new Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph is presented on a color-matching rubber divers strap. They are available exclusively from AP Boutiques Worldwide.

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LINDE WERDELIN Oktopus Moon Gold 3DTP CARBON

By TLex Talk about taking the classic gold watch and turning it on its head! Seen through a prism of light �



the new Oktopus Moon Gold 3DTP Carbon is a watch that is unmistakably of LW�s forward-thinking and innovative design DNA while belonging to the realm of luxury and sophistication.



Few watches manage to achieve such a toolish look with gold; even fewer brands are consistently creating watches with such a perfect balance of luxury and utility.



Black and gold are contrasted throughout its design: from the in-house moonphase complication at the center of the Oktopus Moon,



to the photorealistic, luminescent moons sitting on a golden disc, and outwards to the 3DTP bezel and 18k Rose Gold outer case.



The 3DTP used for the bezel differs from traditional carbon fibre composites or forged carbon, as it involves a technique of layering thin sheets of carbon that took many years to master,



with a further two years to perfect the iconic, angular case of the Oktopus.



This is the first time that LW have used a carbon bezel. 3DTP was chosen because aesthetically the layered carbon and surface treatments give the illusion of depth as the bezel catches light and reflects it back to its wearer, while still being a hard and scratch-resistant material suited to the bezel.



Pairing carbon with 18 karat rose gold creates a stark contrast between sport and luxury, while still being a functional combination for diving thanks to the anti-corrosive properties of both carbon and gold.



Linde Werdelin�s in-house moonphase complication sits at the heart of the Oktopus Moon Gold 3DTP Carbon, a statement of Linde Werdelin�s adventurous spirit, and directly applicable to diving.



The moonphase complication serves real purpose, an easy way for the wearer to track the full moon and plan the best time for night dives.



Another stunning watch from LW, you�re aware this is a full-on dive watch, but at the same time, it is also a really fine piece of horology and a desirable luxury gadget to boot � kudos, LW!



The Oktopus Moon Gold 3DTP has been released in a limited and numbered series of 59 pieces, priced at CHF 35,000CHF.

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H2O Kalmar I STEEL 2016 preORDERs

By TLex Pre-orders for the new KALMAR I 2016 are now open. Even if you aren�t planning on pre-ordering the new Kalmar I, I highly recommend taking a look a H2O�s product CONFIGURATOR -



that allows you chose from a veritable smorgasbord of options that will allow to create your own personal Kalmar I in steel.



A Stainless steel case housing either a Swiss made ETA 2892 or Japanese made Miyota 9015 automatic mechanical movements. The case can be had with crown placed either on the right or left (destro) side of the case,



A total of nine different dial types / colors, 4 handsets, 10 different bezel types such as � ceramic, DLC, Sapphire inlaid, Steel or Bronze and of course the choice of straps or Steel bracelets.



H2O have a Pre-Order Special: in addition to the standard Stainless steel bezel and crown guards, they are offering 1x DLC bezel + 1x DLC crown guard DLC + 1x Bronze bezel and 1x Bronze crown guard set included FREE of charge, so you�ll be able to personally reconfigure watch to your hearts delight!



All returning H2O customers will get a FREE black handmade HORWEEN leather strap with their orders. The max value of this special accessory package is worth 520USD.



Prices start from 700USD. PRE-ORDERs will close at the end of January with deliveries starting from mid-February.

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BREITLING Chronomat 44 BLACKSTEEL

By TLex The Chronomat is more unique than ever with the launch of the Chronomat 44 BLACKSTEEL, as this new version of Breitling�s flagship model once again reinvents itself with a some exciting new design features!



Okay, let�s deal with the elephant in the room; Breiting have given this new Chronomat square counters! While some of you are gonna absolutely love them, many of you might be scratching your heads saying � why?



I appreciate the move to freshen up the Chronomat but the square counters just aren�t doing it for me � perhaps they�ll grow on me over time!



So what else is going on with this brand-new take on the ultimate sports chronograph? Its 44mm steel case has been treated by with a high-resistance carbon-based black coating as are many of Breiltling�s special editions divers.



The unidirectional rotational divers bezel now features black rubber-inlaid numerals, at 12 o�clock a large orange luminescent dot facilitates the countdown of dive time. The equally black dial boasts three new square counters; reminiscent of instrument panels, they are in line with Breitling aviation heritage.



Another brand-new feature is a special strap that combines a military-style anthracite high-tech fabric exterior with a rubber lining for excellent comfort.



Further featres of the watch include: screwdown crown and chrono-pushers, a water-resistant to 200 m (660 ft) and a Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01 self-winding chronograph chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) - powered by a black rotor that is visible through the Sapphire exhibition caseback.

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DEEP BLUE Daynight MIL OPS Diver TRITIUM T-100

By TLex Deep Blue presents its newest model, the Daynight MIL OPS Diver Tritium T-100.



Its 316L Stainless Steel case measures 44mm in diameter x 15mm thick with a lug to lug length of 51mm and a lug width of 22mm.



Power comes from a Citizen made Caliber 9015 automatic movement.



Divers features include: a screwdown crown and caseback, a Sapphire Crystal and a ceramic divers bezel with a Tritium Tube at 12 o�clock. Water-resistance is 500 meters / 1650 feet.



Its Sunray dual circle dial comes in either: back, blue, orange or white. The white version has a white ceramic bezel inlay to match. The black dial version can come with either bezel color.



There are Tritium Tubes on the dial, bezel, and hands: at the 12 o'clock Position there are 2 Orange Tubes. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 each have a single Blue Tube. While the hands have Orange Tubes, the hour hand has 2 and the minute hand has a single Orange Tube.



The Daynight MIL OPS Diver Tritium T-100 comes on a steel bracelet with a push button deployant with divers safety clasp priced 799USD.

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