STEINHART Ocean Vintage Military MAXI Limited Edition

By TLex Limited to just 300 pieces worldwide, the Ocean Vintage Military MAXI LE is the latest vintage diver from Steinhart.

As its name implies, the Ocean Vintage Military Maxi is designed borrowing ideas from the original 1960s model issued to the British military and not for sale to the public.



Made in Switzerland and powered by a Swiss Made ETA2824-2 automatic movement, the Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military MAXI is made from Stainless steel that has been satin brushed on the top and high polished sides.

True to the original military issued watch, the Stainless steel bezel is polished and has a black divers bezel insert with full 60 minute track, a requirement in the 60s for accurate mission timing.



It is fitted with a high-domed Hesalite crystal that gives the watch that vintage look and feel with attractive distortions at the edges.

The Limited Edition Ocean Vintage Military MAXI comes with a deep black dial with brushed steel hands. Lume has been applied to the markers, minute, hour and second hands.



The Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military MAXI - Limited Edition comes with a satin brushed Stainless steel bracelet with screw links and fliplock.

Its Limited Edition number has also engraved on the caseback for that extra touch.For those that are interested, it is currently available HERE from Gnomon Watches. Just 10 pieces are left!

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HAMILTON Khaki Navy Frogman FREE-DIVE

By TLex The original Khaki Frogman was created for the US Naval Frogmen teams and was featured in the 1951 smash-hit movie, The Frogmen.



See the latest generation Khaki Navy Frogman at play on the wrist of a freediver as he explores a stunning wreck and coral reef. 



Man, I really need to get away from desk! ;) 

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HAMILTON Khaki Navy FROGMAN 2016 42MM

By TLex Here�s another look at the new HAMILTON Khaki Navy FROGMAN 2016�s baby brother.



I'm sure man of you�ll agree that on its full Stainless steel bracelet in its 42mm guise, the Frogman looks pretty damn good.



The 42MM Frogman is available with either black or blue dial and bezel combinations. It is water-resistant to 300 meters.



The 46mm Titanium case version features a red aluminum unidirectional rotating bezel and is water-resistant up to 100 bar / 1000 meters. You can see it, abovein its natural habitat on sunken wreck.

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BATHYS Benthic COSC

By TLex Here�s a new dive watch with a little Hawaiian flavor. Twenty five pieces of the Bathys Benthic are going to be made available with Swiss made COSC-certified Sellita SW300 automatic movements.



They Benthic COSC watches went through 16 days of intensive tests in all positions and at various temperatures. Any that failed had to go back through regulation and are re-tested until they met the specification.



Further specifications include: a 200M water-resistant case with both a Sapphire crystal and Sapphire exhibition back. The Benthic COSC�s price if TBA but will be sub 3000USD.

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RESSENCE Type-5 DIVER

By TLex And now for something completely different! This is the TYPE-5, the divers evolution if you will of the RESSENCE family that includes the TYPE-1 and TYPE-3 with their ground-breaking time-reading displays, a signature style of the brand.

Drawing inspiration from humble sea turtle, with its aqua-dynamic shape that allows it to glide effortlessly through the oceans, the TYPE-5 with its seamlessly integrated unidirectional divers bezel uses advanced materials such as Grade-5 Titanium and is designed to meet ISO 6425 standards for a divers watch. It has a total weight of just 87g.



RESSENCE claim that the TYPE-5 is the first mechanical watch to be perfectly readable underwater regardless of the viewing angle thanks to its use of a distinctively unique means of display without the use of traditional hands.

Instead, the hours, seconds and the oil temperature gauge sit in revolving discs, which in turn orbit inside the main disc of the minute display, which itself is continuously revolving - so this patented orbital display system is an integral part of the dial.



This complication is known as the ROCS or Ressence Orbital Convex System. It is a first in the history of watchmaking and employs a specially-modified 2824 automatic caliber that gives the minutes, and hence the base calculation of time, from which is extrapolated all the other temporal indications on the dial.

RESSENCE had always wanted its TYPE-5 to be a dive watch that could hold its own against any other diver on the market. However they chose not to use an over-sized case or thick crystal to achieve this rather filling the ROCS and its 142 components, including the dial in 37.5ml of oil.



From my experience oil-filled dive watches tend to have really extreme depth-ratings. Think Bell & Ross Hydromax with its 11100 meters of water-resistance or the 12000m Sinn UX, so is it a surprise that the TYPE-5 only manages 100m! Well the difference with Type-5 and other oil-filled divers watches is that uses a mechanical movement not a quartz ,which is a world first.

The laws of hydraulics state that a liquid cannot be compressed, so the oil in the TYPE-5 compensates for pressure underwater. It also keeps all components constantly lubricated. And since they are suspended in a liquid, they are lighter and hence require less power to move, which in turn improves time-keeping.



Another advantage of using of oil, crucial to the success of a dive watch is that it cancels out what is known as Total Internal Reflection. Typically, when underwater, a traditional dive watch needs to be viewed straight on in order to be read properly - otherwise refraction turns the glass into a mirror. But not with an oil-filled watch: this gives it complete legibility whatever the angle of view.

The TYPE-5�s internal architecture comprises two halves - the upper chamber, comprising the ROCS 5, filled with oil; and a lower, dry chamber containing the movement, divided from the upper by way of a Grade-5 Titanium, hermetically-sealed membrane.



To transmit the primary minute information from the movement to the ROCS, the TYPE-5 ingeniously uses connected micro magnets - while a number of protective measures ensure the magnetic fields these create do no harm to the regulator.

It is another nod to TYPE-5�s inspiration of the sea turtle: much like the watch uses the natural phenomena that are magnetic fields to move, so sea turtles use them to find their way through the oceans.



The TYPE 5 cleverly compensates the use of oil, as its volume in the watch will fluctuate with temperature. The watch is therefore fitted with a system of seven small bellows. These compress when, with rising temperature, the oil volume increases, or expand if the temperature drops and the volume decreases �

the result perfectly stabilizes the fit of the oil within the watch. The system is directly connected to the oil temperature gauge on the dial - so the TYPE-5 owner can see a representation of the bellows capacity in action.



The TYPE-5 has no crown - rather, the caseback is used both for winding and setting the time of the watch. But, to ensure maximum water-resistance, a new case-back has been specially developed for the TYPE-5. Dubbed the Ressence Compression Lock System, or RCLS, it has a system for the locking and compression of the gasket, with two positions, �lock� and �set�.



The TYPE-5 comes in two versions: the TYPE-5B, black dial and polished/satin Titanium finish. �TYPE-5BB all-black with a black DLC coating. It price is, wait for it � 31500�!!!

I applaud Ressence for daring to do something so different; however I�m not entirely convinced that this a proper dive watch based purely on its 100 meters of WR. Nevertheless, it is an elegantly and inventively designed piece of kit but there�s no way I�d shell out that much for one, sorry!

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ALBERT RIELE Challenger 300M

By TLex Here�s a new divers collection from a traditional Swiss watch atelier that first started life in 1881. 

I can�t say I�ve come across the Albert Riele brand before, despite their 135 years of history!



The Challenger has a 43mm Stainless steel case that has been fitted with divers features such as: a screwdown crown and caseback,

an anti-reflective Sapphire crystal and water-resistance to 300 meters. I believe the caseback has olden day�s divers helmet engraved on the back.



Power comes from a Swiss made SELITA SW200 automatic mechanical movement. 

The Challenger is fitted with a solid Stainless steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp.

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VERSACE V-Race DIVER

By TLex 200 meters of water-resistance, a unidirectional rotational divers bezel � have Versace gone and made a proper divers watch?! Don�t be silly!



They have, though made a watch that has the word diver in its name. The V-Race Diver has a large 46mm case with either a steel of black IP finish.

It is fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel with an anodized aluminum inlay with graduated dive-time scale and logo, and a screwdown crown with Medusa head engraved.



Its dial is available in either: matte black or camouflage and is with luminescent hands and markers. Power comes from a Swiss Made Ronda 715.4 Quartz caliber.

The watch comes on either a bracelet or a truly horrendous looking rubber divers strap with a steel buckle.

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SINN U1 Camouflage

By TLex If you�re looking for something a little bit different in a dive watch � dare I say fashionable and you aren�t willing to compromise on quality then look no further �



Sinn have released 500 piece Limited Edition of their popular U1 diver with a striking camo dial and a both, green rubber divers and drab olive NATO to go with.



The aptly named, U1 Camouflage is like all U1s made from high-strength, seawater-resistant German Submarine Steel,



The U1 Camo is a proper diver and as such is fitted with Sinn�s captive rotating divers bezel which has also been hardened using TEGIMENT Technology, making it especially scratch-resistant.



The classification company DNV GL has tested the reliability and suitability of the U1 Camouflage for professional diving.



DNV GL verifies and certifies pressure resistance to a diving depth of 1,000 meters (= 100 bar) and temperature resistance and functionality in accordance with the European diving device standards.

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GLYCINE Combat Sub AQUARIUS

By TLex Introducing the Combat Sub Aquarius, a new professional divers watch co-designed by traditional watchmaker, Glycine and Swiss professional diver, Remo Laeng.

The Aquarius has quite a modern look to it. I�m digging the matte ceramic bezel and the blue Aquarius text on the dial. Not such a fan of the integrated strap!

Key divers features include: a solid Stainless steel screwdown back with engraving and a Helium Escape Valve, which I believe is a new feature for a Glycine diver.

Every time a Swiss brand introduces a new divers model with an HEV, they write some huge spiel on how great they are. However they are only really useful to SAT divers spending prolonged time in Helium decompression chambers. In other words, probably not me or you! ;)



Further divers features of the Aquarius include: a high-tech ceramic divers bezel and a Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides and a magnifying effect that provides excellent dial clarity, allowing the diver to read dive time even at great depths.

The GLYCINE Combat Sub Aquarius Ref. 3946.199 has successfully passed the test on dives down to a depth of 500 meters. It is presented on an integrated rubber divers strap with a double security folding divers clasp. It has an MSRP of 1990�.

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ULYSSE NARDIN Diver CHRONOGRAPH Hammerhead SHARK

By TLex With its 44mm 18-karat rose gold case and rubber divers strap with bold red stripes, the new Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark from UN is as regal looking as its name sake is majestic.



The Hammerhead shark with its distinctive hydro-dynamically shaped head, designed for increased agility and panoramic vision, is a formidable hunter;

it is celebrated with a subtle silhouetted hammerhead shark pattern on the watch�s deep blue dial and once again with a bright red shark logo on the 30 minutes counter at 3 o�clock.



The sharks appear to be swimming in a large school in much the same way as Scalloped Hammerheads do in the wild.

The Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark is powered by the UN-150 with Silicium escapement and balance spring, a first for the entire UN Diver collection. It has a power-reserve of 48hrs.



An azure rotor with a Hammerhead shark decoration can be seen through the Sapphire crystal caseback.

Further divers features include a screwdown crown, pushers, solid lugs, and unidirectional turning diver bezel with UN�s characteristic wave pattern on its rubber inlay. Water-resistance is 300 meters.



The UN Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark is presented as a Limited Edition in both Stainless steel of which there are 300 pieces and 18-karat Rose Gold 5N in a series of just 99 pieces.

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ORIS ProDiver CHRONOGRAPH

By TLex Redesigned in cooperation with Oris ambassador and commercial diver, ROMAN Frischknecht, the ORIS ProDiver Chronograph is back and it promises to be better than ever!



While the updated ProDiver Chronograph has been designed to look little more toolish with its angular lugs � it now has a slimmer profile which should make it more wearable on dry land.



Its huge yet lightweight 51mm Titanium case carries over all of the same features that made the 2009 model great.



Oris-patented Rotating Safety System that locks the bezel in place so that it can�t be moved in either direction during a dive, and �

a built-in automatic Helium Escape Value an essential feature in a watch worn during saturation dives.



When SAT divers � like Roman live in sealed compression chambers filled with Helium-enriched air, tiny Helium particles can infiltrate the watch case - as they expand on decompression they can cause damage to the watch.



So what�s new? To start with the ProDiver boasts a new durable and shock-resistant bezel which is made of durable, shock-resistant vulcanized black rubber. It now has deeper grooves for more grip.



The screwdown crown and chrono-pushers also have deeper grooves in them. While the bezel is totally new, its insert is still in black ceramic.

While Oris has redesigned the metal bracelet so that the edges are flatter and the center links are more rounded giving the ProDiver a simpler yet more technical look.



They have kept the fantastic, Oris developed sliding sledge clasp and its quick-adjust system that means the rubber strap can be adjusted for length without taking the watch off.

The only difference is that now the clasp now has utilitarian brushed finish rather than the blingy polished Stainless steel.



Power comes from a traditional mechanical automatic movement, the Oris Caliber 774 with time, date and chronograph functions powered by Oris�s famous red rotor. Water-resistant is 1000 meters.

The Oris ProDiver Chronograph Ref. No. 01 774 7727 7154 has a Swiss retail price of 4500CHF. It will go on sale in June 2016.

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