BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Let’s talk about diving watches. These watches are, most probably, the most popular style of watches alongside dress watches. They’re defined by their unidirectional bezel, which scuba divers use to help them keep track of their underwater time, and so keep track of their air. They’re also known for highly legible dials with lots of lume, perfect for deep-sea use, and they often have water-resistance ratings of 150m or more. Let’s be honest, if you’re thinking about a dive watch, the chances are that the Submariner or Seamaster will pop into your mind first, perhaps the Fifty Fathoms if you know a bit more about your watches.
It’s really easy to overlook Breitling’s dive watches simply because everyone knows them as the maker of pilot’s watches. Sure, Breitling does absolutely loads of stuff, but watches like the Navitimer and Super Avenger often come to mind before the Seawolf, or in this case, the Superocean.
This newest of models is the Superocean 42 E-comm, and it’s available exclusively through Breitling’s E-commerce platform. If you like Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, then you’ll be pleased to know that this has broadly similar specifications. The case measures 42mm in diameter, and 13.3mm in thickness and has a water resistance of an impressive 500m. The nearest Seamaster Planet Ocean is slightly larger at 43.5mm, although it has a higher water resistance rating of 600m, that’s purely for people who want to see which number is bigger. In reality, neither of these are likely ever to go diving.
One place the Omega would get ahead in is the movement if you are someone who cares about whether your movements are in-house or not. This watch uses the Calibre 17, which is based on an ETA 2824-2 movement. It’s self-winding with a 4Hz beat rate (the industry standard) and a power reserve of at least 40 hours.
The new Superocean 42 E-Comm looks great, it’s a simple and classical diver with some great specs. I wish Breitling had done a little more than add a red inner flange. However, I also know that watch fans are quite choosey in whether or not special editions make a song and dance about their special-ness, and I do think that this application of red is classy. The watch costs $3700.
Visit Breitling here.
