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Dive Watches · Page 80

31 Blue Dial Watches from Under $300 to $50,000+ Teddy Baldassarre
Mar 15, 2024

31 Blue Dial Watches from Under $300 to $50,000+

After well over a decade of growth in both popularity and market presence, watches with blue dials can no longer be considered either a niche or a trend; blue-dial watches now make up a significant segment of new models being released, joining basic black and silvery white as a go-to colorway, whether the watch is simple or complicated, sport or dress, sleek and shiny or boldly textured. As such, assembling a list of favorite blue-dial watches has become increasingly challenging as more and more options become available. For this list, we wanted to strike a balance between entry-level and high-luxury while also showcasing a wide range of styles and functions and turning the spotlight on some newer models as well as some established favorites. Read on for the list, arranged in ascending order of price; we’ll also likely be adding to it in the future, so feel free to leave your own suggestions for best blue-dial watches in the comments below.  Citizen Promaster Diver Price: $300, Case Size: 44mm, Thickness: 11.6mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Mineral, Water Resistance: 200m, Movement: Citizen Eco-Drive E168 Citizen unveiled its Promaster line of professional-grade sports watches in 1989 and its Promaster Diver models - equipped with the Japanese brand’s proprietary Eco-Drive technology, which uses light to perpetually charge the movement - have proven to be among the most popular of Citizen’s vast portfolio of timepieces. The 44mm steel case features a 60-click rota...

Worn & Wound
Mar 14, 2024

[VIDEO] Mail Time: Unboxing Watches from Gavox, Venezianico, and Ardio

Here at the Worn & Wound office, watches arrive at our doorstep everyday. So many watches are coming in, not everyone in the office can possibly see all of them. It’s a nice problem to have, and presents an opportunity for members of the team to give us their immediate, honest reactions to new watches they’ve never seen before. In this Surprise Unboxing, Zach Weiss and Zach Kazan look at a selection of watches they’ve never seen before, have varying levels of familiarity with, and give you their honest first impressions.  In this episode, Zach Weiss takes a look at a pair of new sports watches from Ardio (recently reviewed by Meg Tocci right here), one of which has a surprisingly detailed textured dial that punches well above its weight class. Zach Kazan struggles with the pronunciation of a diver from Italian brand Venezianico, but is truly impressed by its aventurine dial. And then they look at a pair of watches from Gavox, an old-school microbrand that recently upgraded their Avidiver with a GMT movement.  The post [VIDEO] Mail Time: Unboxing Watches from Gavox, Venezianico, and Ardio appeared first on Worn & Wound.

William Wood’s Fire Exit Watch is a Truly Original Take on a Traditional Calendar Worn & Wound
Mar 14, 2024

William Wood’s Fire Exit Watch is a Truly Original Take on a Traditional Calendar

I have a complicated relationship with Day displays. So often, they’re crammed onto the dial, take up too much space, they don’t add much to the functionality of a watch - I frequently don’t know the date, I very rarely don’t know what day of the week it is - and throw everything out of balance. My… distaste for day-of-the-week displays (and frankly the complication as a whole) is why I prefer the Datejust to the Day-Date and have never kept an SKX for longer than a few months. Still, every so often, some brand comes along and does something so clever I can’t ignore it. Here, with the new Fire Exit Watch from William Wood Watches, we find clever in full supply. Those familiar with William Wood Watches will know that the brand draws heavy inspiration from the history (and materials) of firefighting, and the brand supports a number of firefighting charities. While most William Wood Watches draw their firefighting inspiration from firefighters and their equipment, the Fire Exit Watch draws from an oft-overlooked piece of fire safety gear, the emergency exit sign. Specifically, the Fire Exit Watch is based on the globally ubiquitous ISO standard (yes, they standardize more than dive watches!) green “Fire Exit Man” signs. Those of us who spend most of our time in the United States may be shocked to discover that, as with the metric system, most of the rest of the world has gotten on board with a single style of exit sign. With the Fire Exit Watch, William W...

Ploprof Vs. Ploprof - A Double Hands-On With The 1200M Diver Fratello
Mar 14, 2024

Ploprof Vs. Ploprof - A Double Hands-On With The 1200M Diver

The Seamaster Ploprof is partially famous for being on the wrist of FIAT boss Gianni Agnelli. Many think Agnelli wore his Ploprof over his cuff because he thought it was stylish, but it was actually because of his allergic reactions to metal on his skin. Despite him doing this out of necessity, many have praised […] Visit Ploprof Vs. Ploprof - A Double Hands-On With The 1200M Diver to read the full article.

Whatever Happened To Watch Fans’ Mechanical Fascination? - Make Complications Great Again Fratello
Mar 13, 2024

Whatever Happened To Watch Fans’ Mechanical Fascination? - Make Complications Great Again

We seem to be living in a watch era in which people lose their marbles over a faded bezel - something that just happens - while man-made tour de forces like a gyro tourbillon seem to be brushed aside. I blame the retro trend, which gave us watches like the Tudor Black Bay. But it’s […] Visit Whatever Happened To Watch Fans’ Mechanical Fascination? - Make Complications Great Again to read the full article.

Seiko Introduces the Presage Classic Series, with Dials Inspired by Japanese Silk Worn & Wound
Mar 11, 2024

Seiko Introduces the Presage Classic Series, with Dials Inspired by Japanese Silk

In addition to the announcement of new dive watches in Seiko’s Prospex line last week, the Japanese brand also revealed a total of five new watches in their Presage line, representing an entirely new collection. The Presage lineup has existed since 2016, and has become Seiko’s home for creating watches with a more refined vibe than their pure sports offerings, frequently paying tribute to traditional Japanese craftsmanship. This can come in a variety of flavors, from craft cocktails to watches with dials made in old fashioned craft traditions. These new watches take Japanese silk as their inspiration, and feel tied to previous Presage collections in the way they zero in on a specific facet of Japanese culture.  The new watches are part of what Seiko is referring to as the Classic Series, and are divided between simple three-handers with a date window at 3:00 and two references featuring a 24 hour subdial and an aperture at 9:00 through which you can see the caliber inside. The dials evoke Japanese silk in different ways. The three-handers have a fine texture that Seiko says is inspired by the lustrous qualities of the material, while the open-heart references are meant to evoke raw silk through a radial pattern. As with any dial inspired by something outside the discipline of watchmaking (the natural world, a particular type of craft, etc.), your mileage may vary on how accurately the dial represents a given subject. What matters most, I think, is whether you find it ...

I Got My Hands On The Very Green Zenith Chronomaster Sport Watch This Monday Morning Fratello
Mar 11, 2024

I Got My Hands On The Very Green Zenith Chronomaster Sport Watch This Monday Morning

What happens when you leave a Rolex Submariner “Hulk” and a Daytona in a room overnight? You get the Zenith Chronomaster Sport in its very green attire. Did I offend any Rolex and/or Zenith fans? It was my initial thought when I saw the press pictures of the Chronomaster Sport on a bracelet (ref. 03.3119.3600/56.M3100) […] Visit I Got My Hands On The Very Green Zenith Chronomaster Sport Watch This Monday Morning to read the full article.

The Doxa Sub 300 Whitepearl Is Monochromatic Cool Fratello
Mar 10, 2024

The Doxa Sub 300 Whitepearl Is Monochromatic Cool

Doxa’s Sub 300 Whitepearl has perhaps one of the most intriguing “colorways” available to fans of the dive-watch brand. I took this monochromatic iteration of the iconic Doxa model for a dive in the Pacific Ocean to test its underwater legibility. If this experience has proven one thing, it’s that Doxa’s monochrome watch is far […] Visit The Doxa Sub 300 Whitepearl Is Monochromatic Cool to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Vs. Rolex Submariner Date Ref. 126610LN Fratello
Mar 10, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Vs. Rolex Submariner Date Ref. 126610LN

Welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown. With sunshine finally appearing after a gray winter, it’s time to look forward to spring and summer. This week, we have a very special showdown. It’s a battle that we have never seen in our series - the current Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M versus the current Rolex Submariner […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Vs. Rolex Submariner Date Ref. 126610LN to read the full article.

Seiko Introduces a Trio of Updated Divers in the SPB Range Worn & Wound
Mar 7, 2024

Seiko Introduces a Trio of Updated Divers in the SPB Range

Big news from Seiko today, as the brand announces a follow up to their wildly popular SPB143 diver (and its many siblings). The new SPB453, SPB451, and SPB455 use the same 62MAS derived format but offer small changes in specs that make the new versions of the watch correspondingly more appealing. It’s not a revolutionary update in design or anything, but a series of small changes that should result in a better experience for just about everyone, and reinforces the idea that this watch, the “1966 Diver’s Re-Interpretation,” is the core diver in Seiko’s lineup and will be forever tinkered with in an almost Rolex kind of way. Let’s start with the big changes, which are actually quite small in a literally sense. The new references have been tidied up a bit in their dimensions and are slightly smaller in every dimension watch enthusiasts care about than their predecessors. The diameter is down half a millimeter to a clean 40mm, and the case height has been reduced to 13mm, which is a barely perceptible 0.2mm thinner than the SPB143. The lug to lug measurement is 46.4mm, which is a more noticeable 1.4mm shorter.  The new case size is welcome, in my opinion. It’s not that the SPB143 wore too large or was too aggressively chunky, but for a diver like this a little extra refinement is a good thing. A skin diver style dive watch isn’t meant to be a behemoth on the wrist, but rather the ideal combination of wearability and performance for regular folks. Getting this ...

Introducing: The Seiko Prospex SPB451, SPB453, And SPB455 - Successors To The SPB143 Fratello
Mar 7, 2024

Introducing: The Seiko Prospex SPB451, SPB453, And SPB455 - Successors To The SPB143

The Seiko SPB143 is a veritable fan favorite among lovers of Seiko dive watches. And that’s for good reason. It combined the mid-range quality we know from this level of Seiko offerings with subtle, timeless dive-watch aesthetics. Today, Seiko releases the spiritual successors to this watch. These are the standard-production SPB451 (blue dial) and SPB453 […] Visit Introducing: The Seiko Prospex SPB451, SPB453, And SPB455 - Successors To The SPB143 to read the full article.

Seiko Upgrades the “62MAS” Prospex Diver SJX Watches
Mar 7, 2024

Seiko Upgrades the “62MAS” Prospex Diver

A bestseller available in several variants to date, the modern-day “62MAS” now gets a substantive upgrade with the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch. The new diver is a direct successor of cal. 6R35-powered models, including the SPB143 and SPB239 of 2021. Released in two regular-production models (SPB451 and SPB453), plus a 100th anniversary special edition (SPB455), the latest Prospex “62MAS” improves on earlier models in three key areas: water resistance is now 300 m, the case is slightly more compact, and the movement is now the cal. 6R55 with a 72-hour power reserve. SPB451 Initial Thoughts As is usually the case with Prospex dive watches, the latest take on the 62MAS is robust and good looking. The new divers are safe bets as they rely on a proven formula – the classic 62MAS design with improved technical features. The SPB455 in particular stands out with its vintage-flavoured gilt accents. That said, the designs stay traditional; these are difficult to distinguish from their predecessors at a distance. A more distinctive design, perhaps with patterned dials that Seiko excels in, would have made these more compelling. SPB453 Importantly, the new trio also stays in the sub-US$1,500 price segment. Few dive watches in this price range have the same historical provenance, since Seiko was a pioneer in dive watch development. The regular production pair are only US$100 pricier than the SPB143 (and the special edition an extra US$200). The premium is easily ju...

The Rolex Submariner, The “007 Prime Minister,” And A Cold War Mystery Fratello
Mar 6, 2024

The Rolex Submariner, The “007 Prime Minister,” And A Cold War Mystery

This is the story of how one prime minister’s love of the sea connected him with a senior Rolex executive and inspired the gift of a Rolex Submariner. That prime minister, Harold Holt, was the leader of Australia at the height of the Cold War. His mysterious disappearance shocked the world. On Sunday, December 17th, […] Visit The Rolex Submariner, The “007 Prime Minister,” And A Cold War Mystery to read the full article.

Isotope Brings Back the Popular “Will Return” Diver in a New Colorway Worn & Wound
Mar 5, 2024

Isotope Brings Back the Popular “Will Return” Diver in a New Colorway

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and Isotope knows it. Since the brand’s founding in 2016, they have shown a knack for mining ideas from interesting places, and backing up their funky designs and color schemes with genuine technical prowess. Over the last eight years, they’ve made watches inspired by exit signs, NASA, British judges’ robes, and even the ridiculousness of gender-specific watches.  But probably their most successful design came with the 2021 release of the “Will Return” Hydrium X Diver, a vibrant dive watch with a lume dial inspired by the “Closed, Will Return” signs found in shop windows all over the world. Now, as the promise of the name would suggest, the Will Return has, well, returned, albeit with some slight differences, and accompanied by a ridiculously cool wall clock. The new “Will Return Red” plays off the format of the 2021 release but makes a few changes. The biggest and boldest is that the blue bezel has been swapped out for a bright red one. The hands have been updated slightly, forfeiting the white border. There’s no blue to be found on the watch head, but the black FKM tropic-style rubber strap from the original release has been swapped for a light blue strap of the same construction. Ignoring the new colorway, the Will Return Red is the same watch Isotope has been making for the last few years. That’s a good thing, because despite the colorful and fun look of the Isotope, at its core the Hydrium X Diver is a properl...

Comments 1

  1. Tomek
    ISO 6425 is real standard, not marketing talk. Good that article mention this. Too many watches claim 'dive ready' but not certified. Unidirectional bezel and screwed crown are not optional if you go deep.

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