By Jovan Krstevski
To the free diving fans, the name that’s most popular is no other than Carlos Coste who set a Guinness World Record when he dived 150 meters through the Dos Ojos in Mexico. This underwater cave network in the Yucatán Peninsula requires that you can breathe for at least 7 and a half minutes underwater which is precisely the time that Coste took earning him the name El Aquaman Criollo or loosely translated to the natural waterman.
His exploits have caught the attention of Oris who eventually partnered with him to develop the new Carlos Coste Limited Edition IV diver watch. I know, I can smell the excitement and jubilation in the air for those longing for some free diving inspired watches. The fact that the Carlos Coste watch is a Limited Edition makes it even more appealing to collectors of diver watches.
So what’s the big deal with the new Oris aside from being endorsed by a record holder? Let’s take it from a regular watch connoisseur’s perspective. As for the die hard diving sports fanatics, just enjoy the show. The Carlos Coste is indeed built to take a beating, thanks to its multi-piece 46mm case made of titanium. It’s also designed with the deep murky waters in mind hence its most prominent feature is the unidirectional rotating top ring filled with a Super-LumiNova coated minute scale set into the black ceramic inlay. This lifesaving bezel is responsible for warning the diver of the remaining dive time.
As for the sapphire crystal, it’s made in a dome shape to minimize glare. I kind of like the mechanical appeal of the two crowns. The orange dot in the center of the main crown at the 3 o’clock doesn’t appeal much, but it signifies an urgency when you’re deep in the waters as it points to the manual helium valve. Well, the time and date setting crown at 2 o’clock looks more like a mere pusher for the uninitiated though.
The black dial is simply designed for optimum deep water reading ease. The applied indices and the hands are strategically coated with orange bright orange Super-LumiNova. Notice that most diver watches marry the deep blue and some red accents but for the Oris, it’s bright orange with a deeper feel. It may have been the preference of Carlos Coste himself, but for me, I like the subtle visibility of orange. It’s not so rough like red, but it’s not as soft as blue either. The domed sapphire crystal pretty much makes the dial standout. Oh and it’s clean too with the date displayed at the 3 o’clock.
The watch can go down to 500 meters and it’s powered by an in-house Oris automatic mechanical movement Cal. 743, based on SW 220–1. For deep-diving purposes, you can’t see the movement in the case back since it’s housed in a titanium enclosed case back displaying the emblem of Carlos Coste brand instead. You get to wear this watch with a black rubber strap featuring an in-house safety anchor for quick adjustment and it also comes with a titanium folding clasp.
If you rather want pure titanium, you can also opt for the pure titanium bracelet. The box comes with paraphernalia documenting the exploits of the man himself.
For more info, please visit oris.ch
JOVAN KRSTEVSKI – FOUNDER, PROPRIETOR & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Watch collector, aficionado and an Event profile in the Swedish nightlife. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ His passion jump started in his early teens when he was given his first mid-range wristwatch which was an Omega Seamaster. Since then he has always been in love with wristwatches! Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. Read his articles here.
