Davosa Apnea Diver Watch Review

Davosa surprised me with the Apnea Diver because they actually managed to do something few brands are able to do these days. What’s that? Make a diver’s watch that looks nice, but doesn’t look like everyone else’s product. The reality is that most of the time when a watch brand wants to produce anything but a “me too” design, the result feels lacking (or simply ugly). I can’t definitively say that Davosa‘s Apnea is the first of its kind when it comes to this design, but it is certainly true that this excellent timepiece doesn’t look like everyone else’s underwater watch… and the fair price makes it a must-look-at model for anyone seeking value. It also doubles as a small desk clock. How many dive watches can claim that?

The term “apnea” is usually associated with a sleeping disorder where one stops breathing during sleep. Apnea diving on the other hand is apparently a term of free-diving, where divers swim without air supplies, seeing how deep and how long they can stay underwater. The “Apnea Professional” term on the dial might be a bit misleading as I am not aware of a professional that requires regular free-diving (it seems to be a hobby or sport as opposed to something professionals need). What about the watch makes it good for apnea divers? That is where the blue, white, and red dial rings come in. Not only does this colorful ring add welcome character to Davosa’s new diving watch, but it’s also used for breathing exercises to help condition apnea divers prior to a dive. The idea is that using the seconds hand on the dial, one takes in a five second breath (the blue area), holds it in for 15 seconds (the white area), and then slowly releases their breath for 10 seconds (the red area).

For all of you who aren’t going to practice free-diving breathing techniques with your timepiece, there are the pretty colors to look at, which of course look like a range of flag colors (from the USA to France and many more). Davosa otherwise chose to make the dial clean and symmetrical. There is no date and legibility is excellent thanks to appropriate proportions on the face as well as good use of materials and contrast. The dial itself is perhaps a bit less original than the overall composition of the Apnea Diver, but it works very nicely. Use of brushed hands was the right call, and I like the thick volume of Super-LumiNova paint used on the hour markers. The outer “apnea ring” is also applied, so it helps give the dial a nice sense of depth to it.

Inside the 200m water-resistant case is a Swiss ETA 2824 (or Sellita SW200) automatic movement. The case itself is interesting because it is designed to detach from the strap. This adds an additional layer of interest to the watch. Davosa makes the Apnea Diver available with a black PVD-coated steel case (as reviewed) or a natural steel case for less money. You can even opt for a black or steel colored outer bezel, which means that at this time there are three versions of the limited edition Apnea watch available.

Davosa did a nice job ensuring a quality look and feel for the rotating diver’s bezel. It moves securely without any wiggle, and the inner part of the bezel is black ceramic. The only weakness I see here is that the small lume pip at 12 o’clock is merely painted on, and that means with wear and tear it could rub off. The minimalist design of the rotating bezel is attractive, and rather vintage in style. This is where Davosa still wasn’t able to move away from their fascination of Rolex dive watches. Over the dial is a flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal.

On the back of the watch case is a relief-engraved signature of Nik Linder, who is a well-known freediver that Davosa developed the Apnea Diver watch with. He is among the few people wearing this watch that will make full use of its features. However, that doesn’t totally explain the reason why Davosa includes the feature where the inner case can be removed from the strap. This also happens to be why the watch is 46mm wide (12.5mm thick), but it actually wears about as well as you might hope for. I also like how the orientation of the watch on the wrist has the case propped up just a little bit, which makes it easier to read at a glance.

The crown for operating the watch itself is located at 12 o’clock on the case, whereas the crown at 3 o’clock is actually a screw used to secure the inner case to the outer case. Unscrewing the 3 o’clock crown allows you to easily remove the watch – even while wearing the strap. Once the inner case is removed, a ring-shaped leg can be hinged out from the case allowing you to put the watch on a table as a small clock.

For those people who routinely take off their watch at a desk and still want to read the time, I suppose the clock option for the case is interesting, though I don’t know how often people will use this feature. Then again, it helps make the watch unique, fun, and ultimately more of a talking piece. And if there is anything us watch collector’s are drawn to, it is talking pieces…

Davosa packages the Apnea Diver nicely with two rubber straps (here, black and red, but some models also come with blue), and a strap changing tool all inside of a decent-looking Pelican style case. Davosa says the Apnea Diver is a limited edition on their website, but on the watch itself it is a “special edition.” More so, there are no particular limited series numbers communicated. That means this is a limited product, but I don’t think there is a certain number that Davosa promised they will produce. What really makes this watch easy to recommend for anyone compelled by the design and features is the price. The all-steel Davosa Apnea Diver reference 16156855 has a price of $999 USD; the steel case with black-colored bezel reference 16156955 is priced at $1,049 USD; and the all-black case and bezel Davosa Apnea Diver reference 16157055 (as tested) has a retail price of $1,099 USD. davosa-usa.com

Necessary Data
>Brand: Davosa
>Model: Apnea Diver (reference 16157055 as tested)
>Price: $1,099 USD
>Size: 46mm wide, 12.5mm thick
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Dive watch lover seeking good value and a pretty watch… who also can foresee needing a small portable desk clock once in a while.
>Best characteristic of watch: Attractive, clean dial. Overall concept is distinctive and interesting, especially at this price. Case system might not be particularly useful, but it helps to make the watch distinctive.
>Worst characteristic of watch: No particularly good explanation of why a watch like this needs a removable inner case – as without it the size could have been a bit smaller. Likewise this won’t work on certain wrist sizes, but otherwise it’s a nice timepiece.

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Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar Watch Hands-On

Longines had quite an impressive Baselworld 2018 with new releases like the Heritage Skin Diver and a new black PVD version of its ever-popular Legend Diver watch. Alongside these new watches, Longines also unveiled its first ever annual calendar watch in the form of the new Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar watch. The Master Collection houses some of Longines’ most classic and complicated watches, so it should be no surprise that the Master Collection Annual Calendar is somewhat understated in its aesthetics. It comes in a 40mm wide stainless steel case with short and curved lugs. The entire case is polished for a dressier look. The crown at 3 o’clock has no crown protectors, so it is easy to reach and operate. Water resistance is only 30m, which isn’t ideal but is appropriate for a watch of its type.

All images by Ariel Adams

The Master Collection Annual Calendar comes in four variants. You can get it with a black stamped ‘barleycorn’ dial with Roman numerals or a blue dial with a sunray finish with 12 stick hour indices. There are also two silver options, both with stamped ‘barleycorn’ finishes but one with large Arabic numerals and the other has diamond hour indices. The model that we got to handle is the silver dial version with Arabic numerals and it comes with a brown alligator leather strap with a triple-folding clasp.

Because of the large Arabic hour numerals in black, this version is arguably the most striking. The use of large black Arabic hour numerals also means that the watch is very easy to read. This is aided by the elegant blued steel hour, minute, and seconds hands, which provide a brilliant contrast to the silver dial with ‘barleycorn’ decoration. The watch also has a wide chapter ring around the dial featuring a minute track that has every fifth minute marked, the Longines logo at 12 o’clock, and a simple line of text that reads ‘Annual Calendar’ at 6 o’clock.

At 3 o’clock, you have two apertures for the month and date. Unlike some other annual calendar watches, there’s no day indication. For those not familiar with the annual calendar, it is a complication invented by Patek Philippe in 1996 and it enables the watch to differentiate between months with 30 and 31 days and automatically compensate for it. This means watch owners need not adjust the watches for months with 30 days. However, it still requires user intervention when transitioning from February to March, hence the name annual calendar – it requires the user to adjust the calendar just once every year.

The annual calendar indications on this watch are very understated, and I would not be surprised if most onlookers mistaken it for a simple day and date complication. My only gripe is that in placing the annual calendar indications at 3 o’clock, the ‘3’ for the hour marker is slightly cut at the edges. The black dial version with Roman numerals suffers from this too. Because of this, I find myself gravitating towards the model with a blue sunray finish dial and stick indices because a cutoff stick hour index at 3 o’clock doesn’t bother me as much.

The movement within is the new Longines Caliber L897.2, which, if I’m not mistaken, is a heavily modified version of the ETA 2892 with an added annual calendar complication module. This movement beats at 25,200 bph and has a power reserve of 64 hours. The movement is visible through the watch’s sapphire display caseback and it is quite nicely decorated for its price with a partially skeletonized rotor, Côtes de Genève, blued screws, and extensive perlage on the bridges.

The Master Collection Annual Calendar is a great example of an understated complicated watch. On the surface, it looks just like any other dressy watch with a day-date complication, but look closer still and you’ll find that that the two apertures where one would normally expect to find the day-date indications are actually for something a lot more complicated – an annual calendar. Certainly, then, the Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar is a very practical dress-style watch and is attractively priced for a watch with an annual calendar complication. The only question is whether or not you like the way it looks. Pricing for the Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar starts at €1,940. longines.com

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Hands-On With The Zenith Defy Classic

I like to keep things simple. I know there’s a skeletonized dial version of the Zenith Defy Classic, yet I prefer the reference with this beautiful blue dial. It doesn’t distract that much from the beautiful case design and its combination of brushed and polished finishing.

Zenith is that sympathetic brand from Le Locle, where Berti and I went to a few years ago to have a look inside the manufacture. You can find our report here (with lots of images). Ever since (and before), a Zenith is high on my list, but I always only considered to buy one of the El Primero models. Like the colourful Rainbow Flyback Chronograph from the 1990s. Does this new Defy Classic change my wishes for a Zenith? Let’s have a look.

Zenith Defy Classic

Available in a number of configurations, like a titanium bracelet, a rubber strap with alligator leather coating or a full rubber strap. Then, there’s the skeletonized version available with the same bracelet/strap combinations. Although I like the skeletonized dial of this Zenith Defy Classic, it lacks a bit of personality somehow. It reminds me a bit too much of certain TAG Heuer and Hublot watches, they just look similar to me. I guess that’s a bit of that JC Biver flavour added.

Blue Dial

So let’s concentrate on the blue dial version for now: the Zenith Defy Classic on a rubber strap with alligator leather coating. The diameter of this watch is 41mm, which is a good size for a watch that is between a sports watch and a dress (or at least casual looking) watch. I was happy to see that Zenit managed to keep it relatively thin at just 10.75mm.

Although a lot is happening on the blue dial of the Zenith Defy Classic, it is still clean and readable. As you can see in the picture though, everything has been done in a ‘big’ way. Large rhodium-plated hands, coated with Super-LumiNova and big applied faceted hour-markers, also applied with Super-LumiNova. A big Zenith star at 12 o’clock and Zenith printed just below. Also quite large, just like ‘Defy’. The spacing used for the model name is quite interesting. Not disturbing whatsoever, but one does notice. The little star at the short tip of the hand is also interesting, making it two stars that are present on the blue dial. On 3 o’clock there’s the date window, showing a white date disc with the date in contrasting colour. There was a time that I would have prefered the date disc in the same colour as the dial, but these days I don’t anymore, to be honest. I like the contrast of the white disc and the blue dial, so it is easier for me to read.

1970s Design

Although the Defy was introduced in 1969, the Zenith Defy Classic in this article shows a stronger resemblance to a later era, more 1970s. When I saw this watch in Basel during our meeting with Zenith, I recall telling my colleague Berti that the watch reminded me of the IWC Ingenieur 3227 that I previously owned. Mainly based on case design, which shows some Gérald Genta contours. Not only that, also the playful brushed finished case and polished facets of case and bezel are almost Royal Oak-ish. And there’s nothing wrong with that, I admire those watches quite a bit so that also explains my enthusiasm towards this Zenith Defy Classic. The version with titanium bracelet even resembles a bit more with the IWC Ingenieur, a very good-looking combination. By putting it on the blue rubber strap, it gets a bit more of an own character in my opinion. Less Genta, more Zenith Defy. I love Zenith’s decision not to put a crown-guard on the Defy case, it would have ruined the nice design of the watch.

The case is, as written above, made of titanium. The 41mm sized case wears therefor very light on the wrist, especially in combination with the rubber strap (and folding buckle).

Elite 670SK Movement

Inside the Zenith Defy Classic is – of course – a manufacture movement, from their famous Elite calibres. In this case, the Zenith Elite calibre 670SK movement. The SK refers to skeletonised, which the movement is. The Elite 670SK movement has a silicon pallet-lever and escape-wheel, which you can admire because the movement has been open-worked. This automatic movement has 187 components and ticks at 28,800vph (~ 4Hz). It has a power reserve of at least 48 hours.

Sure, it isn’t the famous El Primero movement, but since we are talking three hands here, the Elite movement serves the watch pretty well. The Elite movement is, just like the El Primero, designed and developed in-house, as is the production.

Some Thoughts

The Zenith Defy Classic in this article, reference 95.9000.670/51.R584, is the most basic version of the collection. However, I would say it is also the coolest version, as less is more these days. At least in my book. I sense that I am a bit done with the crazy stuff and long for more down-to-Earth stuff, watches you can actually wear and won’t get boring over time. I don’t think I am alone with this, to be honest, but that the craziness is just a bit behind us. If you want to go crazy, you can still opt for the skeleton dial version of the Zenith Defy Classic. Or, here comes the Biver, one of the collaboration Defy models with rapper Swiss Beatz who likes to chill in his Beemer and listen to Ether. It kinds of beats me (no pun intended) why you would want to have a watch named after a rapper (or whatever celebrity). Anyway, let’s stick to the Defy Classic.

The version we have here will retail for CHF5900 Swiss Francs. With the titanium bracelet, it will retail for CHF6900 Swiss Francs. The Zenith Defy Classic with skeletonised dial will retail for CHF6500 Swiss Francs, that’s on the rubber strap of course. The version with titanium bracelet comes at CHF7500 Swiss Francs.

Admitted, it is more than the pre-owned Zenith El Primero Rainbow Flyback that I liked so much about two decades ago, and still do. However, for a new watch with in-house developed and manufactured movement, I feel that CHF5900 Swiss Francs for the version in this article is a good proposition. Zenith is one of those manufacturers that literally have nothing to hide when you are there on a visit. They show all the steps, how things are done. As you could read I am no fan of all the ‘awkward’ stuff they do with rappers and – not sure if they still do – with bikers and so on. It is Biver’s way to target a new (and younger) audience, which is fine. But it is not for me, nor is it intended to be. I am just happy that Zenith also still makes the cool things, like this clean and simple Zenith Defy Classic. As long as they do, I am happy.

For more information, visit the official Zenith website.

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Introducing: The Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar (Live Pics & Pricing)

The annual calendar in wristwatches is a surprisingly recent development; they did not appear until Patek introduced the reference 5035, in 1996 and needless to say, that was not what you’d call a democratically priced wristwatch (and ironically, it actually had a higher parts count than Patek’s contemporary perpetual calendar movements). The current version of the 5035 is the reference 5146G, which is a $41,390 wristwatch. While the movement of the Longines Annual Calendar isn’t adorned with fine hand finishing (and of course, it’s vastly different from the Patek in many other respects as well) one should not expect that in a complicated, sub $3K watch in any case and c’mon, it’s a freakin’ $2,425 annual calendar.  

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Victorinox Maverick Automatic | Hands on Watch Review

Victorinox Maverick Automatic

I have been of fan of Victorinox Swiss Army watches since I was a kid. I think my first one was a Calvary model, back in the early 90’s. Today, I have the Victorinox Maverick Automatic in hand, a watch that I have always admired the look of, yet have never owned one. Well, at least I do not think I owned one. I did a lot of watch trading back in the mid 2000’s, so one of the quartz versions could have passed through my hands and I am just not recalling it. This one though, is the ETA 2824 automatic and has a beautiful grey sunray dial (blue also available as well) and a solid chunky bracelet. While it does look like a dive watch, it technically is not, as it is only 100 meters water resistant and lacks a screw down crown. Do not let that deter you though. This is a very well built watch, as you would expect from Victorinox.

Victorinox Maverick Automatic Specifications:

• 43mm Stainless Steel Case
• 22mm Lug Width
• 12 mm thick
• 51mm Lug to Lug
• 190 Grams
• Sapphire Crystal
• 100 Meters WR
• ETA 2824 Automatic Movement

Price: $895 

https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Watches/Mens-Watches/Maverick-Mechanical/p/241705

When I first took the Victorinox Maverick Automatic out of the box, I was a little taken aback by the its size. Now, I realize that may seem silly to some as it is only 43mm, but for some reason it seemed much larger. I know I am used to smaller watches, but I easily wear up to 45mm, and a lot just depends on how a watch is made, the overall dimensions, the lugs, etc. When I got it up in my office, I measured it with the calipers and realized the width including crown and guards was 47mm. I then realized why it looked a little bigger to me. It also has a non tapered oyster style bracelet with center links that sit prouder than the outer ones, and gives the impression of being bigger than it is. The bracelet does not taper either, and all of these just make it feel bigger than the written specifications would imply. The Maverick is not a gigantic watch or anything like that, but it does wear a little larger than I thought it would, and has a real nice heft to it as well. This is a solid watch. Below is a shot on my 7 1/2 inch wrist.

I love the dial of the Victorinox Maverick Automatic. A grey dial is something I seem to gravitate to more and more, and I am glad  to see more brands offering it. The sunray dial here will of course look more silver in some light and more charcoal grey in others, that is the beauty of it. To keep the dial clean, Victorinox chose to stamp the 24 hour time markers on the center dial, but did not fill them in with enamel. This was a good idea, it keeps the dial clean, but still useful. At the 6 o’clock position is my favorite date placement, as some of you may know. I just think this is the best place to put a date, keeps it out of the way of any numerals or markers. Just a damn good dial design.

Of course being a Swiss brand, the Victorinox Maverick Automatic houses a Swiss movement; The ETA 2824. As far as I can tell, this is a standard movement, not Elabore or Top, and I do not believe they are regulating it beyond what was done at the factory. Accuracy has been about -7 seconds a day over a week period, which is pretty good and of course could be better if regulated. As the standard ETA is a rather plain movement, VSA chose to etch the rotor with their logo, which is always a nice touch. At least it has a little something going on. If this were a true dive watch, I would probabably be whining about the exhibition case back, but since this is really only a diver style watch, I have no issue with it. While the ETA 2824 is a “workhorse”, It would have been great to have its more accurate and thinner brother, the ETA 2892 used.

One of the finer details of the Vitctorinox Maverick Automatic is the bezel insert. It is a gunmetal coated steel which has a brushed finish applied, which kinda gives it a distressed look. It matches the sunray pattern and color of the dial, and it just makes this model look a little more distinct.  Another feature I really am enamored with is the bracelet. It is a hefty bracelet and the links being done as they are, with the center link sitting above the others, makes it three dimensional, instead of the perfectly flat bracelets we are used to. While I do like this, I do not know if it would work on all types of watches, but it adds to the sportiness of this Maverick.

This brings to me one area of disappointment. The lume. Or should I say, lack there of. For some reason, Victorinox just does not apply enough lume, or does not use the right lume compound for their watches. There is so much good about this watch that the rather bleak lume really aggravates me. The Maverick was right there, it was touching the brass ring, and then it let go. As you can see, the hour and minute hand and the bezel pip glow decently bright, but the rest of it, well, is just abysmal.

To sum it all up, I would give the Victorinox Maverick Automatic a B. Yes, the lume is majorly disappointing, but there rest of the watch is so good that I can look past it and give it a better than passing grade. Had this had stellar lume, I would have given it an A. I love the way it looks, the quality and craftsmanship is where it should be and it feels great on the wrist. It is still a winner, but it is like the second prettiest woman in the bar wanting to go home with you. You are happy with what you got, but wanted better. If you can look past the lume, or if it is not important to you, this is still a fantastic watch. It’s also a watch that will never go out of style.

Please leave your comments in the field below the gallery.

 

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Breaking News: Man Sets Diving Depth Record in Vostok Amphibia

As someone who enjoys adventure, I’ve always felt that setting a record of some sort for an act of derring-do should be on my bucket list. Sure, I’ve wrestled crocodiles, run ultra marathons, drank the water in Mexico and have eaten a Dutch Frikandel at a Shell Station outside of Zeeland, but these things strike me as a relative walk in the park. No, I wanted to do something that could truly land me on the pages of credible journals such as the National Enquirer and Huffington Post. It’s why, after watching Deep Blue Sea one evening (LL Cool J should have won a BAFTA), I decided to set upon breaking the recently set 2014 record for scuba depth of nearly 1000 feet (300-odd meters).   Now, I had no desire to just glide past this depth, I wanted to ball up the current record and toss it into a mid-century modern wastebasket by making my way down to 700 meters (that’s 2000-something feet). And, I wanted to show all of you high falutin tool watch collectors that such a feat could be pulled off with one of the world’s most elegant watches: the Vostok Amphibia.

I chose the Vostok Amphibia for a couple reasons. First off, it’s been around for a long time – let’s call it 1967 – and while my Dad would chide me, I am a firm believer that anything old has to be good. Second, and more importantly, statements about specifications of things made during the Communist era tend to be massively – well, understated. Heck, things in the modern Communist era are understated. Just read about the modest accomplishments of that gent who reigns in North Korea! So, yeah, I kind of felt like a Cold War era-designed diver would be up to doing service well beyond its quoted 200M limit. And, since my model was purchased (by the chiding person I mentioned above, by the way) during the Perestroika period, it was finally broken in enough to put it to the test. Having never been opened for a service (Russian watches simply never break down – Czech models do, though), I figured the compressor case seals had only ripened with age. Hint: I was right!

Now, coming back to the preparation for my record setting dive with the Vostok Amphibia, I knew I’d need some assistance. Look, as mentioned, I am one hell of a specimen, but the thought of diving down 700M with some tanks on my back sounded awfully boring. A guy like Jason Heaton of Hodinkee and TGN fame might delight in taking a bunch of fancy pictures and testing out all of his uppity kit, but I considered myself a horse with blinders; I was on a mission. And then there’s the whole decompression thing. Yeah, I’m more of a fan of “no decompression” but not like my Doxa bezel spells out – I mean, I don’t want to decompress – what a waste of time. After such a dive to 700M, I wanted to be topside as soon as possible. Can anyone say “paparazzi” and Möet? Furthermore, I was in the middle of season 2 of Stranger Things so, yeah; a guy had things to do. So, how would I get myself 700M down to the sea floor and where would I do it? Well, naturally I needed a submarine and it just so happened that my choice of dive site was a confidential spot in the North Sea. And how would I requisition such a submersible, you may ask?

Have you ever visited the Netherlands? Well, I have, and aside from having an enormous number of caravans, it’s essentially one big neighborhood. Strike that: it’s two neighborhoods. It’s Amsterdam and everything else. Still, it’s a country where seemingly everyone knows everyone and that means that connections count. For me, when I decided to undertake this undertaking, I used my connection and I undertook calling the Royal Dutch Navy because they have, ding ding ding, a submarine. Actually, if you believe Wikipedia, the Netherlands has exactly FOUR submarines! Back to the story – I rang the Navy, explained my idea and how the little-discussed Dutch Navy could find itself within the center of fame and guess what? They said no. Then, I told them I was a friend and colleague of Robert-Jan Broer and it was like a magical door opened. Yes, I had to find a way to get the Admiral a copy of the Omega Speedmaster “SpeedyTuesday” #700, but we have connections there too. I should mention that I used Robert-Jan’s name and he should feel proud, but I only named him because, seriously, no one can pronounce “Nijenbrinks”, “Buijsrogge”, or “van Heerebeek”. So, yes, the Royal Dutch Navy was ready to put me on a Walrus-class submarine. But what would I bring with me for the dive alongside my trusty Vostok Amphibia?

Have you ever visited Germany – or Mallorca for that matter? Well, I live in the former and the latter was my first European beach visit. I can still recall Mallorca and it was mainly because everyone was so naked. That was a bit of a cultural sledgehammer, but I realized – and should have remembered from my youth in South Florida – that the typical choice of bathing attire in my current country is the Speedo. Now look, you might snigger when thinking about such a skimpy suit, but it does allow for serious freedom of motion, makes one aerodynamic, and could even allow me to serve as a double for Jamie Foxx in the in-film music video “My Name is Willie” should he ever reprise his starring role in a sequel for “Any Given Sunday”. So, for sure, this is what I was going to take. Additionally, I received an Aqua Lung anniversary knife alongside my Doxa Black Lung and that seemed like a good thing to have along despite it not being brand consistent with the Vostok Amphibia. I just didn’t know what kind of stuff lives down that deep, but I was picturing those sharp-toothed fish with the little light bulb thingies sticking out of their foreheads. And finally, a diver needs fins and a mask and as a vintage guy, I thought of the company “Voit”. Yes, a lot of these dried out and cracked, but when you pay the big bucks like I do on eBay, there’s little you can’t find.

Coming back to the Vostok Amphibia I chose to employ, these 40mm watches are amazingly basic, but effective. As mentioned, Vostok employed a compressor style of case sealing with a massive sintered rubber seal inside to help make up for the lack of machining tolerances. If you push on the back hard enough, it’s even a little spongy! Another quirk about the Vostok is its crown.

The lightweight (read: hollow feeling bottlecap-esque piece of steel(?)) crown, when unscrewed and pulled out, flops around like the arm of my daughter’s doll. It’s chuckle worthy, but was apparently designed this way to avoid damage from owners who might push down on the crown while winding and, therefore, damage the stem. It sounds logical to me and when you likely had a lot of Ivan Drago’s running around, the watch needed to be able to resist that famous promise: “I will break you”. Well played, Vostok! When pulling that crown out, by the way, it’s purely for time setting and there’s no hacking. No, the only hack involved here is my writing, my diving skills, or what I thought I’d have to do with that badass knife. Moving on… As you can see, I chose to outfit my Amphibia with a high quality $6 silicone strap in 18mm from O.Frei. It gives the watch that vintage edge while allowing me to preserve the equally high quality leather (?!) strap that was originally supplied with the watch.

I knew I’d have to prepare for my 700M dive with the Vostok Amphibia, but I guess I didn’t know how much I’d need to prepare. No, the conditioning – at least of my heart or mind – or underwater training wasn’t the tough part. I run at least 6km every week and deal with German customer service at retail stores on a daily basis, so I consider my cardiovascular system and mental state to be tip top. On the diving side, I once tested out my Dad’s SCUBA gear (all vintage US Diver’s stuff) in our 6-foot deep swimming pool for about 5 minutes and I found breathing through the regulator to be exactly like breathing on dry land. It made me realize that all that PADI stuff is purely an excuse for those in training to go swimming, so I considered myself as good to go. No, the tough part was the dietary training.

When they say deep diving takes some intestinal fortitude, I actually thought that meant “guts” and “chutzpah”, but no, “they” meant real gastro control for a reason that I’d yet to discover. It was here that I contacted my friend, Balazs, who hails from Hungary. You see, Hungarians are unique amongst Europeans in that they eat a lot of spicy food. They’re essentially Europe’s version of Mexico in that regard. One of their staple foods is this red peppery sauce that’s eaten with just about everything called “Ero’s Pista”. Now, as the husband of a Slovak, I was introduced to this stuff a while ago and I use it sparingly in soups and with chicken. It’s delicious!  But what I found out is that I’m a novice in terms of my usage of this condiment and this is where I employed Balazs. The guy stood over me much like Mick did in Rocky (that’s my 2^nd Rocky reference if you’re counting) with a whistle and made me guzzle the Pista. After roughly a week of true intestinal trauma, it was as almost as if a light switched and suddenly I was fine. Yes, my fortitude had arrived and my date with the Vostok Amphibia had grown nearer.

Have you ever seen The Hunt for Red October or have you ever spent a couple days aboard a Dutch Naval submarine? Well, I’ve done both, but only one whilst wearing my Vostok Amphibia. What I remember about the movie – aside from Gene Hackman making Denzel bloody (oh wait, wrong movie, and could that really happen in real life?) – is that everyone had to be really really quiet or the enemy just might be able to hear you through that machine that beeps and has a green screen. Well, I’m not sure about protocol aboard a Dutch underwater boat, but things were different. Everyone on board was wearing klompen!!! If you’re not familiar with these, they’re the traditional wooden shoes used by Dutch farmers and they make a racket! Clearly, “run silent, run deep” didn’t run here. Aside from that, though, what I next put into use was my gastro training. With the Dutch Navy, they don’t eat Navy Bean soup (wtf?), but they do eat Split Pea soup and drink milk – for every meal – and often couple it with Gouda cheese. Now, submarines refilter and recirculate air on board, but those systems can only handle so much. It was a rough and tumble couple of days out to the dive spot and the return was only moderately less comfortable as we’ll see.

When we reached the dive spot, the plan was for the Admiral to open the hatch, allowing me to swim out with a tank, and then to stand on the sea floor for about 5 minutes – because 5 minutes seemed like a long enough period to set a record. Before entering the chamber – you know, those serene chambers in every movie where divers come in and it’s amazingly dry on the other side of the tumultuous ocean, I checked my dive bezel. Shit. The rotating bezel on the Vostok Amphibia was and is almost completely unintelligible. First off, it’s not overly difficult to turn and that’s not an attribute when looking at the spec sheet of any diver including the Amphibia. Second, it has 20 minutes worth of these odd red dots and the rest of them are black. None of them glow and, that’s right, none of those dots are numbers! They’re not even in Morse Code! So, I was just going to have to use the first red dot as my indicator and count on the lume.

Once out in the ocean, I have to describe the feeling as cold and dark. Like really cold or even “maybe donning my river culture swimsuit was a bad idea” sort of cold. But, a real man can withstand about 5 minutes of anything and I was destined to try. I had no trouble finding the bottom, but when I looked down at the Vostok Amphibia, I realized that the lume, well – it sucked. I switched on my flashlight (Radio Shack with vintage Rayovac batteries (9 lives!) – take that Heaton or Stacey with your titanium flashlight!) and checked the time to let the 5-minute countdown begin. I did forget to mention that I brought my Olympus down with me – in a waterproof case of course – and it was time to shoot some photos – the one above is absolute proof that I was down there. Here again, those guys Heaton and Stacey (we call them “Heacey” at the ‘tello to make life easy) are full of it. All those gorgeous aqua tinted pics they take are simply a farce – I’m guessing they’re simply shots at the local YMCA pool with some serious Photoshop editing – perhaps even melding in some Finding Dory stills. My view was the kind that honestly has me believing that the whole Moon landing was shot in a California studio. There was nothing down there – and I mean truly nothing. But – I did it – I set the record at 700M and the Amphibia was none the worse for wear! Aside from the green pea soup that was awaiting me back aboard the sub, the celebration was pretty epic. In the mess hall, the crew held a 2-day marathon of Rutger Hauer movies (who knew he rivaled Chuck Bronson?) for our ride back and brought out the good stuff: those little waffles with caramel inside.

Once back at port, I found myself mobbed by the international media and, honestly, everyone wanted to know – what watch was I wearing? Was it a Rolex, an Omega, a Seiko, a Dick Mille, or a racy Hublot? No, it was the rather pedestrian Vostok Amphibia – a watch that you mere mortals can buy for under $90 on Amazon. And, check yourself – don’t go for the so-called “Scuba Dude”. Really, you’re wearing a record-breaking dive watch, so adding a diver on the watch is an example of serious overkill – people know you mean business if you choose this watch – duh!! Don’t be a silly Wes Anderson hipster and rock the “Steve Zissou” either. You’re not Bill Murray, you can’t be and you never will be. You don’t even own a Proton pack or a proper mustache! No, do the right thing and order the model that I wore that has some letters that I don’t understand, but am told they mean “KGB”. The KGB knew how to get things done; they were closers – just like me! So, yes, pick a winner when you choose your Vostok.

Look, there’s a lot of this story that’s true. Examples of such are the fact that I own an early 90’s Vostok Amphibia, used a SCUBA tank in my pool, I do like Ero’s Pista, and “Heacey” are far braver than I in their adventures. Let’s hope that everyone I’ve included here has a good sense of humor because this was all done in jest – especially the Dutch Navy (my experience is that the Dutch do have a good sense of humor, thankfully) as I don’t want to run afoul of that hearty bunch. I’m sure I didn’t make it clear, but the Vostok is one of watchdom’s greatest buys – and you need one if you don’t own one. It’s a real piece of history, a bargain (on Amazon), runs like a train, and is very different than anything you own. Plus, most say that these watches need to be serviced every 10 years – or the average amount of time it takes our watchmaker, Paul, to service a watch. The last thing, if you’re not using a Vostok Amphibia (and if you are it probably doesn’t have the right date due to lack of quickset), check your calendar – it’s April 1^st. Cheers…

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