The SUB 300T Whitepearl is not trying to be the most subtle diver in the room, nor the most vintage-faithful. Instead, it asks a simple question: what happens when one of the most recognisable professional dive-watch silhouettes is stripped of DOXA’s usual saturated colour and given a crisp, almost polar white dial? So when DOXA asked us which watch we’d like to spend some time with we quickly jumped at the chance to see just how good the 300T Whitepearl really is.

DOXA was founded in 1889 by Georges Ducommun in Le Locle, Switzerland, and for much of its early life the brand was associated with practical, robust timekeeping rather than luxury theatre. Long before the SUB line, DOXA had built a reputation around reliable movements and even dashboard instruments, including eight-day calibres used in early motoring applications.

The defining chapter, however, arrived in the 1960s. Recreational diving was moving from specialist pursuit to broader obsession, and DOXA wanted to build a watch that was not merely water resistant, but genuinely useful underwater. The original SUB 300, launched in 1967, brought together several now-famous ideas: a highly legible dial, an oversized minute hand, a cushion case, and a rotating bezel that paired elapsed time with U.S. Navy no-decompression dive limits.

Then came the SUB 300T Conquistador. Introduced at the end of the 1960s, it is widely remembered as one of the first commercially available dive watches equipped with a helium release valve — a feature intended for saturation divers working in pressurised environments. That technical link matters because the modern SUB 300T is not a vague retro exercise. It is a direct descendant of a watch built to solve actual diving problems.

The current-generation SUB 300T itself was presented in September 2019 as a tribute to the SUB 300T Conquistador. The Whitepearl dial joined DOXA’s wider family of white-dial SUB models in 2022, alongside Whitepearl versions of the SUB 300, SUB 300 Carbon, SUB 600T and SUB 1500T. In other words, the watch is modern DOXA in full colourway-expansion mode, but based on a case and concept with very serious roots.

That distinction is important. The Whitepearl is not a limited-edition novelty, and it does not depend on faux patina or commemorative numbering to justify itself. Its appeal is more straightforward: take the most capable steel SUB in the current catalogue, keep the 1,200-metre rating and helium valve, and dress it in DOXA’s brightest, cleanest dial colour.

Specifications

The headline figure is, of course, the 1,200-metre depth rating. Most owners will never ask even a fraction of that from the watch, but that is part of the charm. The SUB 300T is unapologetically over-engineered, and the Whitepearl dial does not soften its specification sheet.

DOXA is best known for colour: Professional orange, Searambler silver, Caribbean navy, Divingstar yellow, Sharkhunter black. Whitepearl changes the visual language without erasing the identity. The dial is flat, clean white rather than shimmering mother-of-pearl, which is good news. A pearlescent dial would risk turning the SUB 300T into something it is not. This is still a functional diver, just one with a fresh-shirt crispness.

The black hands, markers and minute-track details sit starkly against the dial, making the Whitepearl arguably one of the most immediately legible versions of the watch. It does not have the underwater mythology of DOXA orange, but it does have contrast — and contrast is what you actually read.

On the wrist, the familiar DOXA cushion case works its old trick. At 42.5mm, the watch sounds large, but the short lug-to-lug measurement keeps it surprisingly contained. It wears broad rather than long, with the case spreading across the wrist like a polished and brushed steel pebble. The beads-of-rice bracelet adds comfort and a touch of vintage charm, though the overall impression remains tool-watch first.

Compared with the original SUB 300 of 1967, the modern SUB 300T is the more extreme proposition. The early SUB 300 established the orange-dial, no-decompression-bezel formula and offered 300 metres of water resistance. The current SUB 300T takes that template and turns up the professional-diver hardware: a helium release valve, a much deeper 1,200-metre rating, and a flatter sapphire crystal that gives the dial a more open, instrument-like appearance.

Against the late-1960s SUB 300T Conquistador, the relationship is more direct. The modern watch preserves the broad cushion case, the eccentric bezel and the saturation-diving intent, but benefits from contemporary materials and tolerances. Sapphire replaces vintage acrylic, stainless-steel construction is cleaner, and the water resistance moves far beyond the original brief.

The closest current comparison is the SUB 300. That watch is slimmer in feel, more vintage in spirit and typically positioned as the purist’s choice, helped by its domed crystal and COSC-certified movement. The SUB 300T is less romantic but more muscular. It is the one to choose if the specification sheet matters, if the helium valve matters, or if you simply prefer your DOXA to feel like a small submarine on the wrist.

The Whitepearl dial also changes the comparison. Classic orange is the historical choice. Silver feels closest to vintage understatement. Black is the safest. Whitepearl is the cleanest and perhaps the most contemporary, especially on the white rubber strap, where it becomes a summer dive watch with genuine depth credentials rather than merely a nautical accessory.

The DOXA SUB 300T Whitepearl is not the most historically obvious DOXA, and that may be its strength. It lets the shape, bezel and specification carry the heritage while the dial gives the watch a sharper, more modern personality. It is still quirky, still thick with purpose, and still visibly descended from one of diving’s great tool-watch families.

If you want the definitive DOXA story on your wrist, buy orange. If you want the most capable modern steel SUB with a dial that feels crisp, legible and a little unexpected, the Whitepearl makes a strong case. It is less Cousteau nostalgia and more bright, functional confidence — a serious dive watch that just happens to look very good above sea level.

With the white dial this is a distinctive, highly capable and refreshingly clean take on DOXA’s most specification-heavy vintage-inspired diver. Not the purist’s colourway, perhaps, but the easiest to wear. It’s comfortable, melts into the wrist, hold the visual charm of traditional DOXA’s while pairing astonishingly well with almost everything (except perhaps a suit).

Sadly, after a few weeks of travelling, I had to return this fantastic watch to DOXA—but even in that short time, I knew that if I ever bought a DOXA, this would be the one. What’s more, at under £1,900 for a vintage-inspired dive watch with genuine heritage and a 1,200-metre depth rating, this could well be the bargain of the century.

The DOXA 300T is available now for £1890 on a steel bracelet or £1850 on Rubber. For more information or to purchase, please visit: www.doxawatches.com

This is not Vulcain trying to reinvent the travel watch. Nor is it a hard-edged modern diver pretending to have patina in its soul. It is a small, handsome and usefully specified GMT that feels like a natural next step for the Nautique line — a watch that has already proved there is still plenty of appetite for sensibly sized divers with proper heritage behind them.

Vulcain is one of those names that deserves to be better known outside the circle of vintage watch obsessives. Founded in 1858 in La Chaux-de-Fonds by the Ditisheim family, the manufacture built its reputation through precision pocket watches, complicated pieces and, eventually, wristwatches. By the late 19th and early 20th century, Vulcain was collecting awards at international fairs and establishing itself as a serious Swiss maker rather than a passing name on a dial.

The brand’s great horological calling card arrived in 1947 with the Cricket, a mechanical alarm wristwatch with a sound strong enough to be useful. It became known as the “President’s Watch” thanks to its association with a succession of American presidents, from Harry S. Truman onwards. That story has tended to dominate Vulcain’s identity, but it only tells part of it. Alongside the Cricket, the brand also made serious tool watches, including the Nautical alarm diver of the early 1960s and the simpler Nautique skin divers that inspire the watch that Vulcain kindly lent us to spend some time with.

The modern Skindiver Nautique arrived in January 2023 as Vulcain’s revival of a 1960s diver. The recipe was pleasingly straightforward: a 38mm steel case, 200 metres of water resistance, a domed sapphire crystal, a ceramic bezel and a dial that looked vintage without becoming theatrical. It was the kind of watch that made immediate sense — not because it shouted, but because it didn’t need to.

Vulcain then began to build around that foundation, adding new colours, case materials and bracelet options. In 2024, the first Skindiver Nautique GMT appeared as a limited collaborative edition with Italian retailer Gioielleria Rosaspina and watch creator TOC. The wider production Skindiver Nautique GMT followed on 18 June 2025, bringing the dual-time concept properly into Vulcain’s regular collection.

The headline here is proportion. At 38.3mm across and 12.2mm thick, the Nautique GMT is refreshingly restrained for an automatic GMT diver. It has enough presence to feel purposeful, but it never strays into the overbuilt territory that can make travel divers feel more like equipment than companions. The 20mm lug width also means it should be a willing strap platform, though the steel bracelet and Tropic-style rubber options suit the character of the watch best.

The case is vertically brushed 316L stainless steel, with a polished screw-down caseback and no crown guards. That last detail matters. Crown guards would have made it more obviously modern, but the exposed crown keeps the silhouette closer to the mid-century skin diver brief. The double-domed sapphire crystal does the same job, catching reflections in a way that recalls acrylic without the day-to-day fragility.

The bezel is black ceramic and bi-directional, with a 24-hour scale rather than a dive timing scale. That choice makes the watch feel more like a GMT first and a diver second, though the 200-metre rating means the aquatic credentials are more than decorative. The red GMT hand adds just enough colour without disturbing the otherwise clean black-and-white layout.

The standard black-dial references come with either crisp white Super-LumiNova or warmer beige Super-LumiNova. The white-lume version is the cleaner, more contemporary option, while the beige-lume model leans harder into the old-watch mood. Both are easy to understand at a glance, which is exactly what a watch like this should be. A date at 3 o’clock will divide opinion, as dates always do, but on a travel watch it makes practical sense.

There is also a pleasing lack of clutter. The dial text is minimal, the handset is familiar and legible, and the GMT hand is obvious without becoming cartoonish. It feels considered rather than designed by committee.

Inside is the Soprod C125 automatic GMT movement. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, offers a 42-hour power reserve and provides hours, minutes, seconds, date and GMT functionality. Importantly, the 24-hour hand can be adjusted independently, making it straightforward to track a second time zone while travelling or working across markets.

This is not an in-house prestige movement and it does not need to be. Vulcain’s historic movement story belongs to the Cricket and Nautical alarm watches. The Nautique GMT is a practical tool watch, and the Soprod calibre suits that brief: Swiss, reliable, serviceable and slim enough to keep the case height under control.

Specifications

The Nautique GMT enters a crowded world of vintage-inspired divers, but it has two things in its favour. First, Vulcain has genuine archive material to work with. The watch is not borrowing someone else’s mid-century mood; it is building from its own catalogue. Second, the proportions are spot on. A 38mm GMT diver with 200 metres of water resistance is still not especially common, and the restraint gives the watch much of its charm.

It will not satisfy everyone. Those who want a true traveller GMT with an independently jumping local-hour hand may look elsewhere. Those who prefer contemporary case design may find it too nostalgic. But for anyone after a compact, nicely judged, heritage-rich GMT diver from a historic Swiss name, the Vulcain makes a compelling case.

The Vulcain Skindiver Nautique GMT is exactly the sort of watch that proves refinement can be more interesting than reinvention. It takes a familiar idea — the vintage diver — and gives it just enough modern utility to feel useful rather than decorative. The result is a watch with a clear identity, sensible sizing, strong water resistance and a price that still feels grounded when compared with much of the Swiss competition.

This is not a hype watch, and it is not trying to be. It is a well-proportioned GMT diver from a brand with real history, wearing its heritage lightly and doing the basics very well. Sometimes, that is more than enough.

The Vulcain Skindiver Nautique GMT is available here www.vulcain.ch from £1770

Christopher Ward have grown over the years to become one of the most well respected British brands in watch making. Taking a bold approach to transparency and without high street or retail presence (until their recent partnership with Time+Tide) . In more recent years, models like the Bel-canto, the Twelve and the Loco have demonstrated the brands ability to diversify, innovate and push the boundaries for affordable watchmaking competing with much bigger brands and showing what’s possible with creative design and innovation.

While dive watches clearly dominate the sports watch category, they do have their down sides. features like helium escape valves and rotating bezels, along with cases designed to resist the pressures of the deep (usually far deeper than most humans will ever actually dive), this often creates the proportions and aesthetics that while functional (and are great by the pool or the beach) some feel are too bulky to be worn everywhere. Field watches often occupy that segment better – a go anywhere do anything watch (within reason). This is why watches like the Rolex Explorer are so popular as they can be worn swimming, mountaineering, or to dinner with aesthetics that are easy on the eye and yet robustly functional.

The Aeolian was released earlier this year by Christopher Ward as an update to the Dune field watch released two years ago. Following the limited-edition Dune called The Shoreline in collaboration with Oracle Time, which sold out incredibly fast, the Dune Aeolian builds on that concept with more refined details, versatile colours, and improved straps.

“Three-dimensional textured dials are not something we’d done much before The Twelve,” says Mike France, Christopher Ward’s co-founder and CEO. “But they’re exciting and can truly bring a watch to life. Dune Aeolian’s dial is very different to the Twelve’s, though: with no sharp corners, it’s undulating and organic.”

The Dune Aeolian builds on the already great formula with 4 dial colourways:- Silica grey, Eve blue, Marram green, and White Sand. In addition, there are also two bronze variants with a Dusk brown or Marram green dial. Interestingly Christopher Ward chose to release the bronze dialled watches with greater accuracy as COSC models for a £235 premium – but we’ll get to the price later…

So what does it do? Well it tells the time. simply, yet elegantly and reliably – the but where a field watch would typically pursue function over form, this embodies an attention to detail not often seen. The pursuit of the superfluous in delivery of charm and character at the same time as delivering a robust go anywhere do anything watch. Rather than delivering a sterile, plain dial lacks interest, this watch delivers a beautiful textured dial while still arguably maintaining the same easy readability that you would come to expect from a field watch. Although there is some text on the dial, it’s position and size mean it doesn’t detract from the easy legibility.

The stainless steel case measures 38mm across by 11.9mm and features a mixture of brushed and polished surfaces. On the top is a box sapphire crystal and underneath is an exhibition case back allowing you to see the movement with the decorated Christopher Ward rotor. The crown is beautifully embossed with Christopher Ward’s logo and screws into the case. Altogether these deliver 150m of water resistance – far more capability and reassurance of its abilities than will be put to the test by you or I!

But look a further and you will find the inside of the crown painted red – this becomes more easily visible once the crown is unscrewed and acts as a visual aide-memoir to prevent you accidentally leaving the crown undone. Flip the watch over and you will see a screw down exhibition case back and a decorated rotor adorning a Sellita SW200-1 movement – nothing fancy, but proven, robust, and easy to service. A nice touch here is that there is no ‘ghost’ date mechanism: release the crown to wind and pull the crown out one position to change the time.

On the front of the watch the dial clearly steals the show. with a deep contoured pattern resembling grooves in the sane blown by the wind the contours add a wonderful sense of depth. Adding to this are both the Christopher ward logo and applied indices which have a generous in-fill of super Luminova helping this to remain clearly visible long after the lights have gone out.

The Aeolian now comes on a new ‘Orlando’ leather strap that’s soft, supple and needs no breaking in. It’s fitted with quick release spring bars and suits the watch well. Overall this is a brilliantly designed and executed field watch that’s at home whether hiking in the mountains, taking a dip in the ocean or dressing up for a night out. It’s also extremely well proportioned, at 38mm it sits at a universal sweet spot that suits so many wrist sizes. We’ve now had this watch on loan from Christopher Ward for a number of months and have thoroughly put it through its paces. It’s been a great summer watch and as you can see from the photos almost looks like it was made for a NATO (which would be a great option for Christopher Ward to supply with the watch!)

While lots of the attention towards Christopher Ward has focused on the Twelve, the Bel Canto and the other great innovations, the Aeolian delivers a go-anywhere do-anything field watch that is quite frankly a bargain starting at £750.

The Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian is available from www.christopherward.com from £750

Despite the uncertainty surrounding its origins, Longines saw the potential in the design and decided to create a modern interpretation. The result was the Avigation BigEye, a watch that pays homage to aviation timepieces of the past while incorporating contemporary features.

The Avigation BigEye is characterized by its bold and functional design. The most striking feature is of course the oversized 30-minute sub-dial at 3 o’clock, which gives the watch its “BigEye” name. This asymmetrical layout is not only visually distinctive but also enhances legibility, making it a practical choice for pilots. Having a 30 minute register for minutes and oversized markers every third minute makes it quicker and easier to read the dial than a 60 minute register where your eyes are trying to distinguish between smaller gaps between the markers. Its only a small detail, but one that counts when using the chronograph in the real world.

The watch features a 41mm stainless steel case with a brushed finish, a domed sapphire crystal, and a black dial with large Arabic numerals. Looking at the dimensions alone you may be mistaken in thinking that this is a large watch due in part to the the depth of the watch AT 14.5mm however numbers only tell half the story. Due to its proportions and the way in which the case is divided as well as the way in which the lugs are designed, the watch sits remarkably snug to your wrist.

The overall design is both rugged and elegant, reflecting its military-inspired roots through its minimalistic implementation. The dial is not adorned with any superfluous details or unnecessary text. The pushers are oversized, allowing for easy operation even while wearing gloves—a nod to its aviation heritage.

Inside, the watch is powered by the Longines L688.2 movement, an automatic column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch. This movement ensures precise timekeeping and adds a touch of modern sophistication to the vintage aesthetic. The column wheel not only serves to provide a beautiful tactile engagement of the chronograph, but also to prevent someone from wrongly pushing the reset button while the movement is running as it disconnects the lower pusher from the mechanism – preventing an unwanted and expensive trip to the servicing department to repair a damaged movement. It would have been easy to have adopted a much simpler or cost efficient movement, however this is exactly where Longines displays its class – where it cant be seen but details matter.

The Avigation BigEye has not only won the hearts of watch enthusiasts but also garnered critical acclaim. It received the “Best Revival” award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), a prestigious recognition in the watchmaking world. This accolade underscores Longines’ success in reimagining a historical design for contemporary audiences.

What sets the Avigation BigEye apart is its combination of mystery, functionality, and design excellence. It bridges the gap between past and present, offering a timepiece that is both a tribute to history and a modern powerhouse. Its enigmatic origins only add to its allure, making it a conversation starter and a cherished addition to any collection.

The chronograph market is quite a saturated space with some of the most famous watches in the world including the Omega Speedmaster Professional, the Rolex Daytona, Breitling Navitimer, Heuer Carrera and IWC Pilot’s Chronograph just to name a few – but this watch from Longines embodies a level of class that quietly delivers all of the goods at a price point putting the rest to shame.

Longines has itself a number of chronographs in this space so what sets this particular chronograph apart, why is it so good and yet so affordable? Well firstly the dial is almost stark by most measures. A simple clean aesthetic clearly showing both the time and chronograph counters with minimal text or unnecessary design it has become ironically simplistic in its delivery of information. Bearing only the words “Longines” and “Automatic” on the dial many will concur that certainly in this instance; less is more. Moreover in terms of design language, while the conquest chronograph and the spirit chronograph are clearly part of their respective product lines, the Avigation Bigeye stands alone with its own unique identity – and therein a sense of purity.

Where the Avigation Bigeye really scores is in its incredible sense of value – delivering an automatic column wheel chronograph, with modest proportions that almost anyone can wear, killer aesthetics and from one of the oldest watch brands in the world – all for under £3000 – half the price of an Omega Speedmaster Professional or IWC Pilot Chronograph.

Could this be the best value proposition for a chronograph? – a heritage inspired watch, accessibly sized with classic aesthetics and a column wheel movement with a vertical clutch – from one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers – and all for under £3000.

As always we recommend you experience this for yourself – however if you’d like to see someone else’s opinion on it, we lent this very watch to a good friend Adrian Barker (Bark&Jack) and you can see what he thought of it here:

The Longines Avigation Bigeye is available from www.Longines.com for £2950

But what do you think? – Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

While these are still good watches at the £400 price point, Seiko are often criticised for their poor build quality, cheap feel and misaligned bezels accompanied by movements that run within laughable tolerances like -35 sec to +45sec a day (that’s up to 1min and 20 seconds variance per day!) However context is key here. Seiko are a full in-house watch company making every single piece of the watch’s internal and external components. They do so offering a fully mechanical watch to the consumer that is easily serviceable for many years to come and often these comparisons are made against watches that are 10 to 20 times the price as consumers get to see and feel more expensive brands on the high street such as TAG Heuer, Longines and Tudor – where the differences and build quality are like chalk and cheese. The majority of consumers are probably not even aware that Seiko makes ‘high-end’ models with premium materials, let alone get to see and experience one as they are much harder to find in a shop window and are often displayed along side cheaper Prospex models leading consumers to presume the price tag must be wrong.

So what do you get when you go “all-in” and buy a top of the range SLA series Seiko? Well we’ve been spending time with Seiko’s SLA073 to see just how it stacks up and what makes it different from

While most of Seiko range including the Seiko 5 and the normal Prospex models are mass produced, Seiko’s premium SLA watches are not made in the same factory or to the same standards. Instead, Seiko choose have them made alongside their more expensive stable-mate Grand Seiko in a facility more akin to the craftsmanship and experience you would see and expect in a Swiss atelier.

The Shizukuishi Watch Studio, located in the Iwate Prefecture of Japan, is the sole facility in Japan specializing in the production of high-end mechanical watches. It’s specifically where Grand Seiko’s 9S mechanical movements and watches are crafted. The studio is known for its integrated approach to watchmaking, encompassing everything from movement assembly to metal engraving, all performed by highly skilled technicians. Its here that the 8L35 is assembled and finished by hand. The 8L35 is essentially an undecorated version of the Grand Seiko calibre 9S55 with a larger diameter balance wheel to handle the torque needed for the larger dive watch hands. Although one notable difference is that the 8L35 is not adjusted or regulated to the same standards and tolerances as the GS9S55. So what does this mean in the real world? Well Seiko claims the accuracy of the 8L35 as -10/+15 seconds per day under normal temperature conditions (between 5-35 degrees C). While is possible that you may purchase a watch with an 8L35 that runs at +1 or +2 seconds a day (which lots of owners seem to claim) its equally possible that you could buy one that’s +15 seconds a day and that’s perfectly within Seiko claimed tolerances. This would mean that it’s gaining close to two minutes a week. As opposed to a COSC movement that gains a maximum of 42 seconds a week. This particular SLA073J1 is running at + 3 seconds per day. By shipping unregulated movements Seiko are clearly trying to protect the value of their Grand Seiko brand, however should you wish, you could have your 8L35 regulated which will then run within the same tolerances as movements shipped by Grand Seiko.

A hallmark of Grand Seiko is its attention to detail on the surface of its dials – something it has become world renown for – producing some of the most beautiful and elegant textured surfaces that are admired the world over. Here the SLA073 has inherited some of this attention to detail from its bigger brother and has been treated to a gradient ice blue textured dial paying homage to cave divers who wore the original 1968 Seiko Diver this model is based on. While this dial is not made by Grand Seiko, it does offer a gorgeous level of depth and detail. A date window sits between 4 & 5 ensuring the continuity of symmetry of the hour indices which are treated with Seiko’s proprietary LumiBrite which brings a number of benefits including both a longer duration and higher intensity making the dial very easy to read in dim or pitch black environments. Exposing the dial to direct sunlight for 10 minutes is enough to allow the indices to glow for 3-5 hours. Even on an overcast day, the LumiBrite is able to soak up a sufficient charge throughout the day to glow for many hours.

The case of the SLA073 includes surfaces that are Zaratsu polished which is a technique used to create a distortion-free, mirror-like surface on watch cases, and it is a hallmark of Grand Seiko and some other high-end Seiko watches. The SLA073, with its stainless steel case, features this polishing method to achieve its sharp edges and flat surfaces accompanied by alternating brushed surfaces. This is then treated with Seiko’s DiaShield coating. DiaShield is a surface treatment applied to the watch case to enhance scratch resistance and maintain the watch’s original appearance. It is a hard coating that protects the watch from minor scratches and scuffs, keeping it looking new for longer. The case shape tapers upwards at the edges allowing the case to sit comfortably on the wrist along with its iconic off-set precision milled crown at 4 o’clock. In addition the case includes drilled lugs that make strap changes a breeze as well as reducing the likelihood you’re going to scratch that Zaratsu polished case. Turn the watch over and the case back features Seiko’s signature deep engraving of the great wave of Kanagawa in the centre.

The unidirectional steel bezel is accompanied by a gloss finish black ceramic insert with a LumiBrite pip embedded within the top triangular marker and etched indices for each minute, 5 minutes and numerical values for each 10 minutes. The teeth on the bezel allow a very positive grip and the bezel action is spot on. Perfectly aligned with no play whatsoever – just a positive, reassuring, almost dampened feel to the rotation.

Bracelets are not Seiko’s strong suit. No matter the cost of the watch, the bracelets that have come on watches from Seiko are not good. They are typically hollow steel bracelets with pressed clasps put together with push pins rather than screws. While that may be acceptable on a watch that costs £100-£400 (some would say ‘expectedly commensurate’) I strongly feel that on Seiko’s best watches that customers are paying £2500 – £4000 there is a reasonable expectation for a solid, well designed and well built bracelet.

The bracelet on the SLA073 does have notable improvements. The links of the bracelet itself seem well made and display a combination of brushed and polished finishes tapering from 20mm to 18mm at the clasp with solid end links. The deployant clasp consists of a fold over safety clasp, twin buttons to release the top as well as a diver extension. However while the underside of the clasp is milled, the top is a piece of thin pressed steel with 4 holes for micro adjustment. The fold over safety clasp is also pressed steel with the Seiko logo laser etched on it. The divers extension on the bracelet is made entirely of stamped/pressed steel. This not only feels incredibly cheap and certainly not commensurate with a watch costing two to three thousand bounds, but due to its poor design the links do not fully articulate and remain at an angle when fully open and therefore unable to conform to the shape of your wrist. Unfortunately there are no screws present and the bracelet links are held together with push pins. Overall its clear that the bracelet has not had the same attention to detail that the actual watch itself has. Wearing the watch on the bracelet provides an acoustic ‘jangle’ due to the loose tolerances within the clasp. this is consistent with the feel of much cheaper Seiko’s

As an alternative, Seiko’s rubber straps are completely the opposite. These are very well made and include a metal collar embedded within the strap to accommodate Seiko’s fat spring bars allowing them to freely articulate and reinforce its connection to the watch. The buckle is substantial, milled and with a mixture of brushed and polished edges, and the rubber has a detailed and textured surface which includes a deeply embossed imaged of the Great Wave off Kanagawa on the tip in line with the case back.

Seiko’s take on the NATO strap called the Seichu is crafted using traditional Japanese braiding techniques, and pays homage to the artistry once used to create cords for securing kimono sashes. The result is a strap that not only showcases a distinctive Japanese aesthetic but also offers superior strength, flexibility, and all-day comfort.

Sadly the SLA073 doesn’t come with either of these two – both of which feel extremely comfortable and add to (rather than subtract from) the overall wearing experience.

Seiko have produced more expensive limited editions like the SLA055 & SLA057 which use Ever-Brilliant steel (which is 904L steel). While this may have improved corrosion resistance, 316L is actually a harder steel than 904L. Side by side with the human eye the difference is visually imperceptible, however at this increased price point, Seiko clearly feel their bracelet is not up to the price point as these come with both their rubber and Seichu straps but not the bracelet.

We’ve worn this SLA073 on its bracelet, on Seiko’s rubber strap and on a Bark & Jack Seventy30 (as seen above) and while the bracelet is comfortable to wear, it certainly doesn’t impart the same premium feel as the watch. Oddly the watch feels much better on the rubber or a NATO Strap.

Bracelet aside, this is a Seiko built using premium materials in a facility dedicated to attention to detail. The result is a well built, beautifully finished watch that certainly stands up to it’s price point and indeed imparts a premium sensation that you just dont get with cheaper Seiko watches. In addition it’s an ISO6425 dive watch meaning each and every watch is tested to 125% of its depth rating which is not something most of their competitors do.

The SLA073 is a serious luxury dive watch with a stunning dial, finished with Grand Seiko details. Ditch the bracelet and grab Seiko’s rubber or Seichu fabric strap for a level of understated luxury and enjoy an ‘under the radar’ watch that punches well above it’s weight.

Available from www.seikoboutique.co.uk for £2600

However, as this was a significant birthday, I wanted to buy my wife a special watch – something she can keep forever, build memories with and eventually pass on. My wife is clearly not a watch person per-se, but I know she appreciates my love of watches and often has an opinion to share with me. She’s not the sort to pursue anything gregarious or ostentatious and overt displays of wealth are certainly not her pursuits. She is however someone who appreciates elegant simplicity. This is personified in her current watch. As a healthcare professional, monitoring her own movement and heart throughout the day, is something she enjoys however she appreciates not being constantly connected and reminded of every notification. So her daily watch is a Withings Scanwatch, offering 2 hands to show the time and a display that only comes to life to show health data when the crown is pushed. With this in mind I wanted to buy her something for her 50th that was classy, simple and yet elegant. Something that would not necessarily draw unwanted attention, but at the same time fit in perfectly in almost all environments. I was also acutely aware that as this was not going to be worn on a daily basis (and my wife is not used to winding and setting a watch) so quartz would be both a practical and beneficial choice. It seems that in general the watch world is largely divided – on one hand those that believe that a quartz watch should not be regarded as a ‘proper’ watch and those that understand the history and heritage that brands have come through over the last centenary of watchmaking and warmly embrace a purposeful quartz implementation. Moreover I was also aware that I was not buying for myself – something that I think we all forget from time to time as we are trying not to fill the intention of a gift with our own bias’s or preferences.

With all of this in mind I realised that not only did the Cartier Tank embody all that I (on behalf of my wife) was looking for, it was from a brand with true deep heritage in the watch industry, as well as being relatively fiscally and substantially accessible – no waiting lists, no precocious expectations about my purchasing history qualifying me to buy the watch in question, and no financial ruin for the purchase. Fortunately I had the opportunity for my wife to try on a Cartier Tank previously under the guise of wanting to take some photographs of one on a wrist – which allowed me to test the waters so to speak and watch her reaction to seeing and wearing it. Although I didn’t buy it at this point, it certainly helped me to confirm my choice and be sure she would be pleased with it. It also seemed obvious to me to make sure I got an alternative strap option so that my wife can switch this out to suit her attire. Fortunately Cartier adopts the use of quick release spring bars in their straps which allows customers a tool-free experience in this regard. This allows you to take a few extra straps on holiday without being accosted at the airport for carrying something ‘pointy’ in your luggage. I chose Cartier’s Taupe strap and an additional buckle to simplify strap changes. Giving my wife her new watch before the trip meant she would have the opportunity to build and associate memories throughout our travels.

As I was growing up most of my holidays saw me either at home here in England or travelling to France with my family. Since getting married I have travelled more extensively, however usually to more distant locations which has led to a distinct lack of appreciation of countries and cultures closer to home here in Europe (something my wife and I aim to rectify!) As we were planning a trip, we both wanted to travel somewhere that was steeped in history and that neither of us had been to before – allowing us to discover somewhere new together.

We decided to share our time between two of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Croatia – Split and Dubrovnik (both UNESCO world heritage sites) and as this was going to be more of a trip of exploration rather than sitting on the beach, we decided to book a couple of AirBnB’s as this would provide us with the freedom to roam and experience the local culture.

Dubrovnik is one of the oldest cities in the world. It boasts the oldest public healthcare system in the world and as a consequence the pharmacy there has been open since 700 AD. It’s very clean, and the people are some of the warmest and friendliest people we’ve met. The old city of Dubrovnik itself relatively small and its easy to walk round the city in a few hours – if you have the chance to go (and I would recommend you should) I would recommend the roof top walk where you can explore the walls and views over the rooftops of the city. Our AirBnB looked out over the cathedral square which felt an almost idyllic scene in the evenings.

Split’s was founded centauries before by the Roman Emperor – Diocletian who built himself a retirement home (the Diocletian Palace) and moved there in 303AD. Split is much larger than the old city of Dubrovnik. Diocletian shipped spoils of his empire over a thousand miles from Egypt to adorn his palace – including a sphynx that was between 1-2 thousand years old when Diocletian acquired it and you can still see this within the palace grounds. An exploration of the city on foot will reveal an ancient city which has largely survived thousands of years and steeped in history. Climb the tower at Cathedral of Saint Domnius and you will have views across the whole city, harbour and surrounding landscape. Further exploration will have you find St. Martin’s Church through an innocuous doorway which stretches back to the 6th centaury and has been built into the wall that surrounds the city itself – spanning only a few feet wide, its so narrow there are places you can touch both the inner and outer walls at the same time.

Over ten days relaxing and exploring Split and Dubrovnik we couldn’t have had a better experience. Not only were the cities rich in history and beautiful scenery, but wherever we went the food, hospitality and people were what truly made us feel so incredibly welcome without exception. Spending time in these two beautiful old cities certainly delivered a sense of conviction that we should spend more time exploring and adventuring – discovering future memories and spending time immersed in cultures rich with history. Here lies the personal tension between the discovering new places, and returning to destinations enveloped with fond memories – Croatia is now a place that we’re deeply fond of and looking forward to returning to in the future.

The simplicity and timeless elegance of the Cartier Tank seemed to be perfectly at home in two cities with nearly two thousand years of history and heritage. The Cartier Tank embodies an almost timeless design – whether we were exploring the rooftops of Dubrovnik, eating at restaurant 360 (Dubrovnik’s Michelin star restaurant overlooking the old city) or perusing the streets of Split and hanging out in café’s – the Tank manages to stay elegant and cool at the same time, never seemingly out of place.

Over ten days we spent our time exploring the history of two incredible cities around some of the most warm, generous and welcoming people building memories and taking them with us. I know every time my wife wears her Tank she fondly remembers our time in Croatia and looks forward to building more memories through future adventures that she can be reminded of every time wears her watch.

The Cartier Tank is available here www.cartier.com or other authorised dealers.

However, when you start the journey with a clear problem that needs solving, the end result can be truly innovative and in some cases – life changing.

The Sher watch is not your typical “I made a watch small for kids and colourful so they’d be interested “- and then claim that this is being innovative. The origins of this watch are directly connected to the challenges and struggles our children face in being able to tell the time. While this might seem a straight forward part of our upbringing and education, for someone with dyslexia it is most certainly not.

As a father of a daughter who struggles with dyslexia (as well as ADHD) I know first hand the challenges she faces and also how some of the most insignificant changes can make the biggest differences to her. With that in mind I was very keen to get hands on with The Sher watch, and more importantly for my daughter to get hands on with it and find out just what she thought of it.

So what exactly is the Sher Watch?

The Sher watch starts with a 32mm wide and 9.5mm tall metal case with a screw down back and screw down crown , as well as a sapphire crystal up front. These are all the typical ingredients of a well built field watch. Building on this, the Sher watch is water resistant to 100m and comes on a silicone rubber strap – meaning its able to stand up to just about any circumstance or activity that kids might get up to.

Inside, the intentional lack of a date coupled with a quartz movement is spot on – there’s no need for little ones to unscrew the crown periodically to change the date, it doesn’t need winding if its not worn for a while, and its a tougher movement to withstand the knocks and bumps our kids are likely to subject them to.

However the innovation is how the dial presents and communicates time. With a similar visual aesthetic to a roulette wheel, each hour has its own ‘block’ that represents the whole hour. This means that from the very beginning of the hour to the very end of the hour, the hour hand is pointing to that particular block. It therefore carries the ‘meaning’ of the hour right to the end unlike a traditional watch face which only technically points to the hour for a few minutes. The skeletonised hands further allow the wearer to clearly see the colour block through the hand further emphasizing and confirming which hour is being referenced. In exactly the same way, there are larger numerical values every 5 minutes and clearly segmented minute markers. This all leads to a clearly functional and easily readable watch face.

While this might sound counter intuitive to you and I who have spent decades reading time on a traditional watch face, this is immediately helpful to someone learning to read the time, or to someone who may find a traditional watch face confusing. The presence of clear boundaries helps to frame time and bring a sense of logical purpose to reading the time. Not to mention the fact that the whole dial is luminous allowing it to be easily read at night.

The Sher watch comes in a hard travel case to not only protect the watch while in transit but also serve as a useful protective storage pouch for the watch when its not being worn.

Overall this is a fantastic piece of desperately needed innovation. Directly helping our next generation learn and understand time while at the same time not being a typically cheap plastic watch that will end up in a landfill. As a parent I can attest to the frustration of buying my kids things that just don’t last and I for one would certainly prefer spending a little more knowing it has many years of use ahead of it – but still keeping the price of this under £100 helps it remain affordable.

The Sher watch is available now at www.sherwatch.com for £99

Acknowledgement: This article was co-written by my daughter Hannah who has personal experience in living life with dyslexia.

Although I have owned and loved the traditional Tudor Black Bay Red for many years now and I deeply enjoy its more unusual colours, when I had the chance to spend some more considerable time with Tudor’s Bronze Bucherer Edition I snapped up the chance.

While so much of the watch community have been pursuing watches that have been shaving millimetres off their proportions from 41mm down to 39mm in pursuit of a more generalist sweet spot – causing and sustaining so much hype towards the BlackBay ‘58 and its cousins – let alone the more diminutive proportions of the Black Bay 54, I tend to prefer watches of a slightly larger disposition. In fact the smallest watch I own is the Black Bay at 41mm rising through a variety of others at 42, 43 and 44 with the largest being a Panerai Radiomir 45mm.

With this in mind I do appreciate that the bronze variants of Tudors black bay range have not enjoyed the popularity of their more ‘core range’ as well as the fact that certain models are only available as ‘boutique editions’ like the Black Bay 58 Bronze Edition – which means that only those in the know will be going out of their way to get one rather than allowing more the of the general public to see what’s on offer through the variety of worldwide retailers. Then there are slightly more exclusive editions that are only available from specific retailers – like the Harrods Green Edition and this Bucherer Blue Edition.

Bronze as a material offers an interesting alternative to steel. With much of the watch world currently pursuing Titanium in a variety of its forms (trade 2 or grade 5) this does bring with it an interesting observation – that its so light it would be easy to forget you’re wearing it. While to some this is a good thing, to others it becomes a negative as there’s a comforting sensation of the feel of a watch on your wrist. To this demographic, the weight of bronze brings with it a healthy reassurance that it’s still there. Tudor are of course mindful of the potential downsides to have such a heft on your wrist and have so far only offered the bronze variants with fabric straps rather than bronze bracelets (with the exception of the black Bay 58 Bronze launched in 2021) – even though Rolex have offered the submariner on a full bracelet in either yellow gold or white gold as well as many other models including the GMT master, Day-Date and others.

However bronze does offer another rather appealing quality over steel – it brings a beautiful warmth without appearing ostentatious – which is often the opinion viewed towards those wearing gold watches – an immediate assumption of extreme wealth.

This warmth is further reinforced over time as the bronze dulls with patina – taking on a more subdued and subtle colouration while still maintaining the warmth of the bronze hues.

In addition, there are one or two unique features to Tudors’ bronze editions not found in the rest of the collection. Firstly, the explorer dials with their 3, 6 & 9 indices and, unlike the traditional 41mm variants there is no crown tube mirroring the colour of the bezel. Lastly and arguably more importantly, the side of the case has drilled lugs – a lovely addition and throwback to historical dive watches and something that makes changing straps a breeze – which is handy as I plan to spend a little time in the ocean exploring with the watch and I just so happen to also have a blue fitted rubber strap from RubberB – specifically for this watch.

I always enjoy travelling with a watch as it gives me time to experience the watch in an environment with less distractions and most often a variety of scenarios – from relaxing and unwinding at the beach to dinner out and everything in between.

As I sit here, after having enjoyed a magnificent lunch on the shores of the Mediterranean sipping a Jamaican mule, I’m reflecting on my time with the Black Bay Bronze Bucherer Blue Edition. There’s so much already been said and written on the already more than capable watch that Tudor has made – however little on how well it naturally fits in without standing out – which is in essence what makes it stand out so well! – It’s not garish, loud or vulgar, its not “look at me” – and no one gave it a second look (which I can’t imagine would have been the case if I were to wear a Rolex submariner) and as chance would have it, I spent a considerable time in a blue t-shirt and khaki shorts – the two colour-ways of the watch.

All in all we enjoyed 10 days exploring the south of France and the French riviera as well as a stop off in Dijon on the way there and the way back. During that time the Black Bay Bronze Bucherer Blue became an inseparable companion. Equally at home both at the beach as well as going out for dinner in some of the most beautiful surroundings. I spent considerable time in the sea as well as on the shores enjoying food and cocktails in a variety of settings from causal bars to the Cannes yacht club. This singular watch managed to fit in perfectly at home in every opportunity and scenario. All in all I could almost say that it has been the perfect travelling companion adapting perfectly to every scenario and occasion of note here in the French riviera.

I suppose what’s also rather remarkable is that when I bumped into another British couple at the Cannes Yacht club – he just happened to be wearing the exact same watch – and in my brief conversation with him, he echoed my sentiments having bought it recently in Bucherer Covent Garden earlier this year.

Spending time with this watch has been an eye-opening pleasure. Bronze is not a material that I would have thought that I would have enjoyed – I have a platinum wedding ring for the simple reason that it goes with everything and gold is really not my colour of choice. However after spending time with this Tudor I having to take a more challenging look at my own choices. Maybe my tastes are changing – or maybe until now, I’ve just not had the opportunity to spend the time with something as divisive and challenging as this. Either way it goes to show that opinions can change, first impressions aren’t everything and until you actually get hands on with something, be careful to form your opinions.

The Tudor Black Bay Bronze Bucherer Blue edition is available exclusively from Bucherer stores
or their website www.bucherer.com for £3870

The RubberB strap featured above is available from www.rubberb.com for $240

Horwood House has been part of the Buckinghamshire landscape since the 18th century, although the current manor house was built in 1911, adjacent to the original rectory. Horwood is now a grade II listed building having recently undergone a £6 million renovation to preserve the unique features of the manor house and surrounding courtyard of thatched cottages. Great care has been taken to create a luxurious, modern environment which provides every comfort for guests, while retaining Horwood’s deep rooted heritage.

We’re on a mission to create the kind of welcome you’d get from close family, albeit on a grander scale.

Horwood House

This provided a beautifully serene setting to be able to relax, unwind, and switch off which then led to the inevitable question of which watches to take with me. As I don’t own an IWC I thought this would be a great chance to spend some time with something a little less familiar – which then left the question – which IWC would I like to spend some time with?

One of my best friends owns an IWC Pilots Chronograph which is a beautiful watch, however i find the dials of chronograph watches overly cluttered, with superfluous sub-dials and information that (in the real world at the very least) no one ever actually uses as 99% of chronograph owners never actually time anything with them. I’m sure within the enthusiast community, that number probably looks a little better, but from personal experience we end up looking for a reason to use it rather than exercising a ‘need’ to time something. So generally speaking, chronographs are not my thing. However, the IWC Pilots watch is an altogether different proposition which has for some time eluded me – until now as IWC kindly offered me the new Pilot Mark XX to spend some time with while away enjoying some rest and relaxation.

So where do we start? The new Mark XX is definitively evolution over revolution with each iteration over the years finessing subtle characteristics while maintaining its deep heritage, together delivering a near perfect balance of attributes. The changes from the Mark XVIII are subtle: the lugs-to-lug measurement is about 2mm shorter, the case is 0.2mm thinner, the dial layout has been tweaked with shorter minute markers, and the water resistance has been increased from 60m to 100m. None of these refinements are earth shattering but together the sum is greater than the parts. Overall the new Mark XX is more wearable across a broader population of wrist sizes, more usable, and an easier ownership with the new EasX-CHANGE strap system (but we’ll come onto that later!)

The heritage of this watch stretches back to WWII where IWC produced Pilots watches for the British RAF but it wasn’t until 1948 when IWC settled on the design language of the Pilot Mark 11 that you can see echoed today in their latest release the Mark XX.

The proportions on paper alone suggest an incredible wearability with a case size of 40mm, a lug width of 20mm and a thickness of 10.8mm. Traditional pilots watches from the WWII era would easily have been much much larger than this, however in time they adjusted to the more modest proportions of the Mark 11 and this is directly where the mark XX’s heritage stems from.

Overall the whole visual aesthetic is incredibly unassuming. The dial is simple with clear large arabic numerals, traditional sword hands, minute markers and a date window at 3. It has no applied markers and even the lume is limited to subtle 12,3,6,9 markers and of course the hands. There is absolutely nothing about this watch that says “Hey! – Look at me!” Notably, Ed Sheeran famously bought two of his friends smaller IWC Pilot watches as they would have felt extremely uncomfortable wearing a more exuberant brand watch. To this day this still wear them for everything they do from swimming to hiking and everything in between as their day to day watch. This does mean that it has a great ability to blend in subtly and adaptability to be worn with nearly anything. One of my friends who owns a Mark XX with a black dial uses it as his go to watch when the necessity for a Dinner Jacket arises!

However it is under the hood that this watch excels in all the technical details. The sapphire glass has anti reflective coating on both sides and is secured against a drop in air pressure (a typical requirements for perils of pilots). The movement (which is the most notable upgrade over its predecessor the Mark XVIII) is now in-house delivering 120 hours of power reserve; that’s 5 days to you and me! The aforementioned changes to the case proportions and water resistance – ensure all concerns of water ingress under normal conditions are dealt with.

Interestingly IWC uses pressure depths to signal its water resistance and the Mark XX is rated to 10 Bar – however in the manual on IWC’s website ‘10bar’ is not listed: 1,3,6,12,20,100 and 200bar are listed.

IWC have also invested in engineering a tool-less design for changing straps. Now bear with me here as I’m sure you will have already noted that many leather straps now come with quick release spring bars – and while these are incredibly useful, they are a solution to only half of the problem. What IWC has engineered has allowed them to create a secure mechanism that will mount to a standard spring bar and build this into the end links of their bracelets. They have then taken this same design and used it for the mounting mechanism of their leather straps. This is not only great for those who travel and want to be able to take a number of straps with them without tools and without the risk of scratching the underside of the watch, it means you can also take the same approach with the bracelet. One last benefit of this design is that it is inherently backwardly compatible with not only older IWC Pilots watches with a 20mm lug width, but also any other watch.

I took the opportunity to try this with my CWC Royal Navy divers watch which has welded bars. This normally prohibits the use of anything other than a NATO or pass-through strap. However, lo and behold – the IWC strap snapped into place perfectly, and released with the same ease!

The only criticisms that could be observed are that the design is typically implemented in monochromatic colour tone. The starkness of the black dial and white numerals is cold and lacks any level of warmth – however this is entirely expected for a watch that is designed with a singular purpose; legibility. IWC have released the Mark XX in a number of dial colours including a sunburst green seen here and a sunburst blue which definitely address that particular elephant in the room.

All round, the Mark XX is an understated, over-capable jack of all trades that packs a serious punch. It is easy to read, can be worn with nearly anything from a suit (or dinner Jacket) to pool-side attire and everything in between. In celebration of the 75 anniversary off the IWC Pilot’s watch, IWC have just released a new silver dial variant which is now available, however our favourite has to be the classic ‘Petit Prince’ combination of blue sunburst dial and brown leather strap which exudes a sense of colour, class and casualness that works so well with denim as well as a staple blue suit!

From the moment we arrived to our departing farewells, our time at Horwood House was exactly what we needed. The staff created a fantastic atmosphere and I’m sure in time we will take the opportunity to return when the opportunity arises. If you’re looking for a great place to relax and unwind for a couple of days, I would thoroughly recommend Horwood House. for more information, head over to www.horwoodhouse.co.uk

The IWC Pilot Mark XX is available in black, blue, green or now silver for £5,050 on leather or £5,700 on a steel bracelet. For more information or to purchase, please visit: www.iwc.com

Last year Breitling refreshed the SuperOcean models by delving into their back-catalogue and revitalising a historical design language – yet executing this with a contemporary flair has delivered a product that is distinctly ‘Breitling’. It also just happens to be my 50th Birthday and my wife decided to take me out to Portugal to celebrate this milestone event and as I had not spent anytime with the new SuperOceans, Breitling kindly lent me a couple of watches to take with me.

Upon arriving in Lisbon, and collecting my luggage, I was immediately reminded why I protect my watches when I travel. This time my main suitcase had received some rough treatment form EasyJets Baggage handlers which had severely compromised the case. Luckily I had packaged my watches in a Peli Enigma case supplied by ‘ToTheHour’ – needless to say the watches were all fine. Less can be said about the rest of my luggage! If you want to take a look at watch travel solutions including the Enigma case, you can take a read here.

Once I had managed to get over the initial shock of the state of my luggage and had endeavoured to try and sort the issue with EasyJet (to which there is nothing Easy about it at all!) I then went about setting my watch to local time. The Breitling SuperOceans are not GMT’s so after unscrewing the crown, ensuring they were properly wound, I got out my reference time (aka my iPhone) and compared the two. Not having travelled to Portugal before, I then spent the next minute in a rather confused state – The SuperOcean had in fact managed to set itself to the local time in Portugal without any further interaction from me – which I clearly wasn’t expecting. It was only when my wife pointed out that Portugal and the UK were in fact in the same time zone, that I realised exactly how sleep deprived I was and that I should not be in charge of making any important decisions for a while!

Breitling’s update to the SuperOcean has provided variety and choice in a abundance. Available across 4 sizes including 36mm 42mm 44mm and 46mm, a range of materials including Steel, Gold and Bronze and a whole range of colour options as well. In addition, the 46mm has a unique feature. Unlike most traditional dive watches that have a uni-directional bezel, this has a bezel locking mechanism operated via a lever on the left hand side of the case. This is a distinctive feature that is easy to spot when you know what you’re looking for and the keen eyed amongst you will have spotted this in some of Breitling’s photography and wondered what this was. Once this lever is moved down to the unlocked position, it allows the bezel to rotate freely and once set can then be re-locked by sliding the lever back up. This is a design feature of Breitling dive watches from the 1960’s which they have sympathetically included – but only for the largest in the range.

The first thing that strikes you is the dial configuration. With the renewed design, Breitling have shrunk the dial and dramatically increased the size of the rehaut. In addition the hour and minute hand do not share the same design. Although these two elements (the dial and hands) are both drawn from the Breitling SuperOcean Slowmotion of the 1960’s the delivery and implementation is very contemporary with raised indices, and a ceramic bezel. I would of course be remiss not to discuss the bezel action – which in all honesty is near perfect; an effortless 120 position action with a positive click returning to perfect alignment every time with a feeling of precision ball bearings. If I were to be very critical I would suggest that the action is almost a little too light and it would be nice to have just a little more tension to move the bezel as I had noticed that once or twice the bezel had moved by being caught on a coat sleeve – but this is an extremely minor observation.

Notably, Breitling have chosen to remove the date from the new range. I’m sure that some will see this as a controversial move by Breitling, however this does deliver a much cleaner and more balanced aesthetic which suites the design language well.

On the wrist, one of the first things that you notice is how slim it is. Many might criticise Breitling for not putting their own movement in it and for using an ETA calibre, however this has resulted in much more slender height of 12.9mm for the 44mm and 12.5mm for the 42mm – which certainly improves their ‘cuff-ability’. The design of the crown guards allows for easy access to the crown to adjust the time when travelling through time zones or winding the watch if its part of a collection, while still protecting the crown from lateral knocks.

The new SuperOceans have a relatively short lug distance of 49mm for the 44mm and 47mm for the 42mm further enhancing their wearability. The 42mm SuperOcean almost felt too small for my wrists and the 44mm wore extremely well. For reference I have 18cm wrists and although I have a range of watches from 41-45mm, my own Breitling is a 43mm Avenger.

The new Rubber straps have a much more dramatic taper to them with an updated design pattern and are fastened by Breitling’s new and improved deployant clasp. This is a milled clasp with brushed outer flanks and a polished centre section with Breitling inscribed along the clasp. It is well designed and curved with a twin push button system to release or secure the clasp. On the inside is a spring loaded 8 position variable adjustment for the strap allowing easy tool-less on the fly adjustment. Breitling have used this system for a while on their rubber deployant clasps, however the big change here is that this same clasp is now used on the steel bracelet which is a major improvement from previous generations of ‘bracelet clasps’.

I spent just over a week with two contrasting models from the new SuperOcean range. The 44mm variant with the Green dial, bezel and strap and the 42mm with a white dial, blue bezel and blue strap. Although the design language is consistent between the two, the overall feel is remarkably different. This is simply because the combination of the white dial and white rehaut lends your eye to believe that it is in deed a single large monochromatic dial rather than two separate elements.

I find it notable when so many brands are choosing safe design options with little to differentiate their design from any one else’s, when a prominent manufacturer like Breitling makes a bold step to create something new and vibrant. The new range of SuperOceans brings a lot of choice – with variations of material, dial colour and bracelet. Dial colours include black, blue, teal, green, white, orange and now yellow, delivered in a range of sizes including 36mm, 42mm, 44mm and 46mm and a range of case materials including stainless steel, bronze and stainless steel & 18k red gold, available on steel or colour matched/complemented rubber bracelets all with the new adjustable clasp.

As always, pictures can be deceiving and I would highly recommend anyone to go and take a look at the new collection in person. Overall I found the new range to be extremely comfortable and highly wearable embodying proportions that are accessible by a range of wrist sizes. Overall the new SuperOceans are very well built and extremely wearable with good proportions. It’s clear that the new design language is going to be highly divisive and not for everyone, however if you are in the market for a new dive watch and want something contemporary, colourful and a little different this could just be the watch for you.

The new SuperOceans are available now from Breitling starting at £3750 and offer a huge array of choice for someone looking for a something a little different.

Available from: www.breitling.com