BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Diving watches are probably the most popular type of mechanical watch out there, if not the most recognisable. Their purpose sounds simple: be legible enough, water-resistant enough and accurate enough to provide a reliable source for timing a scuba dive. Timing a dive is literally the most important thing to do; it’s the difference between life and death under the waves, and scuba diving has claimed countless lives for countless reasons. It’s statistically a safer sport than skydiving, basejumping or climbing Mt. Everest thanks to countless innovations and techniques developed over the years, but it’s not risk free. So, when your life depends on your equipment, you need something you know will work. Maurice Lacroix think they have the solution for that. Here are my thoughts.
The watch in question is Maurice Lacroix’s Pontos S Diver. Specifically, the model on test is the reference PT6248-SS00L-130-4, which can be distinguished by its stark white dial with blue details. These are the most eye-catching parts of the design, you do see white on diving watches, but it’s nowhere near as common as black.
Maurice Lacroix does offer a black dial version of the Pontos S Diver, but the white makes a strong case for itself. The blue details, such as the indices printed on the dial and the inner rotating dive bezel stand out in all the right ways. The blue also contrasts well with the silver hands, such as on the minute hand, which has a blue outline around the applied SuperLumiNova.
Some watches photograph really well. It sounds like I’m waffling by saying that some watches are photogenic, but it’s true, I said it about Rolex’s GMT-Master II 126710BLNR and I’ll say it about this version of the Pontos S.
The stainless steel case of the watch is a comfortable size at 42mm x 13mm, measuring on WristReview’s VSS (Very Scientific [Kitchen] Scales) at 125g means it’s not too intrusive either. You notice its presence, though, it by no means wears like a 36mm dress watch. I’m ashamed to say I’ve bumped it a couple of times here and there when wearing it, but I’ve been wearing it a lot, which is a good thing, right?
One oddity of the watch’s design I just can’t fathom is the amount by which the crowns stick out from the case. Usually, watch designers try and make a watch’s crown less prominent (unless it’s an onion crown), this protects the crown stem of the movement from damage and also means for a more comfortable wearing experience. I don’t naturally wear my watches on my left wrist, although I do that for photography purposes, and the crowns don’t dig in when I wear the piece. For lefties it would be worth trying the Pontos S on in person, but it shouldn’t be a reason to write it off instantly.
Speaking of wearability, let’s talk straps for a minute. This specific reference comes with two straps: a comfortable blue rubber strap with Maurice and Lacroix embossed, and a dark blue nylon strap complete with Maurice Lacroix’s ‘m’ logo attached. I spent most of the time wearing this watch on the rubber strap, it was delivered during the summer heatwaves here in the UK so it made sense.
This is a good quality rubber strap, it’s quite supple and very comfortable, it’s also easy to resize as the rubber isn’t stiff, and there are no metal blades within the strap to give it its shape, like certain other brands use. The Maurice and Lacroix names being embossed to each half of the strap is a touch I like as well, it makes it seem a little more sporty which is just what I want from a watch like this. The nylon strap is also comfortable too, I’ll say, and the fact that it isn’t made from rubber means it dresses the watch up a little more, and the applied ‘m’ logo on the strap is a nice touch as well.
This is also a good time to point out the array of straps Maurice Lacroix offers. The photos currently on the brand’s website show the watch on a white rubber strap, which is an extra you’d have to pay for. But they have a veritable rainbow of rubber strap colours to choose from and a good range for the nylon straps too, there’s even a stainless steel bracelet. Thanks to a quick change system, you can switch out straps fairly easily, and as you’ll see from my photos, it makes quite a difference.
Inside the watch is the selfwinding calibre ML115. It started out life as a high-grade Sellita SW200-1; it has a 38-hour power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate. It’s not visible through the caseback, however, as it’s a closed one with a classy yet minimalist engraving on it.
I don’t currently have a way to measure accuracy in house and some brands get a bit funny about it, I’m not sure Maurice Lacroix would, though. The ML 115 doesn’t appear to be chronometer certified from my research. If I were being picky, I’d like a longer power reserve than 38 hours as well.
While the crown at 3 O’clock controls the movement, the one at 2 O’clock controls the inner rotating bezel. You see, diving watches these days need to have a way of protecting the diver from knocking the watch’s bezel so that it adds on time to the dive that the diver doesn’t actually have. Without that, a diver relying on their dive watch for timing could be in serious trouble if their watch is telling them they have more time under water than they really do.
Most diving watches counter this with a ratchet that prevents the bezel from moving clockwise (which would add on time). The alternative is to do like Maurice Lacroix did and place timing bezel inside the watch and then use a screw down crown to prevent it from moving.
That does mean an extra hole in the case, which means another gasket that’ll need replacing every so often, but it does mean the bezel just won’t get knocked at all and can be set in either direction. Using it is quite fun even though I have absolutely zero dives to my name from the past ten years.
That about wraps up my thoughts on Maurice Lacroix’s Pontos S Diver. It’s got class and character, and is a genuinely interesting watch that has functionality at its heart yet would be comfortable being worn just about anywhere. And with a retail price of CHF1,990 including VAT, it’s quite good value, too
