Montblanc introduced its white star logo in 1913, an emblem which has graced the caps of its fountain pens and, later, the crowns of its watches. While the logo is universally recognised, some folk might not know that it represents a stylised bird’s eye view of the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc and its six […]
1969 was a milestone year for Zenith watches with the brand’s launch of the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph movement. Although the El Primero stole the headlines, it was not the only model Zenith had up its sleeve. With slightly less fanfare, Zenith also launched its heavy-duty Defy family with its angular octagonal case, crazy […]
In the past, Vulcain rightfully gained fame for its Cricket Alarm models. However, the brand also contributed to the world of diving watches during the 1960s, catering to the rising interest in recreational diving and the need for timepieces that complemented this lifestyle. Recognizing the significance of this aspect of its heritage, the recently revived […]
Temperatures are rising, birds are starting to chirp in the early morning, and the sun rises earlier every day. That means only one thing; spring, and by extension summer is upon us! And while most dream of that upcoming summer holiday, we watch geeks are already thinking about the perfect watch for our leisurely or […]
The design for Doxa’s signature diving watches, labelled SUB (and in particular the emblematic SUB 300 collection), was first introduced in 1966 and proved to be the blueprint for what we know and love today. While the iconic design has been retained over the years, Doxa has been playing around with the overall concept in […]
About as esoteric as they come, the Benthos 500 was a chunky scuba diving watch released by Aquastar back in the late 1960s, before the brand became one of the many casualties of the quartz crisis. I won’t get into too much history of the brand as it has already been covered at length. When […]
Picture a classic dive watch… It’ll probably be made of steel, with a robust case, a unidirectional bezel with a 60-minute scale, a black dial with large luminous markers and a set of three hands, with an enlarged minute hand and a necessary seconds hand to indicate that your watch is running (basically, I’ve just […]
If you’re on this website, reading the latest article in my diving test series, there’s a pretty good chance that you have at least a passing familiarity with Sinn watches. There is an equally good chance that most of your non-watch-nerd friends, family, and colleagues do not. Flying just under the radar, Sinn has been […]
Like many other brands born during the golden era of watchmaking, and in particular the early days of the professional dive watch, Squale might not sound familiar to a mainstream audience but has to be considered an emblematic maker of dive watches for seasoned enthusiasts. 65 years ago, in 1959, Squale launched its first watch; […]
Next to the vintage-inspired Legend Diver collection, the Longines HydroConquest is a more utilitarian, robust, classic diver, with water-resistance up to 300 metres, a unidirectional, external rotating bezel, a screw-in crown and a screw-down caseback. Following the introduction of the practical, versatile and mostly visually appealing HydroConquest GMT last year in a 41mm case, Longines […]