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About/History:
In the 60s and 70s, divers the world over knew Aquadive. Their professional dive watches were highly sought after for both their toughness and their reliability under extreme conditions. Hand crafted form followed functional beauty, reinforced by Aquadive's close attention to detail. These were their hallmarks, making it the go-to watch of professional divers around the world. After years of planning, the Aquadive name has been brought back to life by a team of watch experts and divers, every member of the team is an expert in his field. A new line-up of watches was introduced in 2011, paying tribute to the great watches of the past, while remaining 100% authentic. The qualities that made Aquadive so sought after then, are just as relevant today.
Every Aquadive watch is produced to the highest industry standards, assembled by hand in Switzerland. That means durability, dependability, accuracy, and fine craftsmanship. Your new watch will not only perform trouble free, it will look good while doing it. The first series of watches being introduced in 2011/ 2012 are partially made of genuine Aquadive new old stock components. The 200 NOS Vintage diver case and crystal are new old stock. The Bathyscaphe 100 and 300 are CNC machined.
Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 Bronze
Specs:
* Case: 43 mm diameter excluding crown, 49 mm from lug to lug,15mm height, water–resistant to 1000m/3300ft
* Dial: Dark brown dial with Super Luminova coated markers
* Case: German made and CNC cut from a solid salt water resistant Bronze alloy block, engraved Bronze screw down case back, and no HRV
* Movement: Swiss made ETA 2836 Elabore movement regulated in five positions with certificate provided, hours, minutes, sweep second, self-winding mechanism with ball bearing rotor, stop second device regulator system; ETACHRON and regulator corrector, 28.800 vibrations per hour, 4 Hz, 25 jewels, and regulated in five positions with accuracy certificate
* Bezel: Matching 42mm bronze alloy uni-directional rotating bezel, 120 clicks, laser-cut ratcheting spring, scratch-free ceramic insert,engraved with elapsed time markings and Super Luminova coated marker at 12
* Crystal: 31mm Sapphire
* Strap/Bracelet: Genuine and custom Brown ISOfrane 22mm strap w/ DLC Brown signed RS buckle
Warranty: 2 years
Versions available:
* Brown / Bronze (compared to the current BS100 Stainless steel); which consists of Bronze case, bezel, and case back. Brown dial with DLC coated indices and four layers of C3 Super Luminova applied on the markers.Stainless steel hands all over, yellow minute hand and second hand with yellow tip. Matching brown ISOfrane dive strap with brown DLC coated buckle and brown DLC coated crown
* Black / Bronze (compared to the current BS100 Stainless steel); Bronze case, bezel, and case back. Black dial (same as SS BS 100).Stainless steel hands all over, no orange accents, no black second hand.Stainless steel crown
Retail Price: 1690.00 USD
First Impressions:
Wow... The word wow was the first thing that came to mind after unboxing the BS100 Bronze/ Brown combo. What a beautiful shade of true bronze. The bezel gleamed in the sunlight as the rays caught the ceramic insert, changing its color from black to gray and then back to black. More on that later in the review.
Packaging:
The watch comes in a black outer two piece box and inside a harder black box with a black velvet lining. Before getting to the box that contains the watch, you find a warranty card, an instructional DVD and a certificate,which indicates the watch has been adjusted in five positions (Nice). A small watch tool comes alongside the watch as well. The presentation was simple yet elegant, which serves as a nice display case for you watch.
Bronze/ Brown Dial:
To start, it is important to note that this review is based on the Bronze/ Brown combo, as the Bronze/ Black combo differs from the one being reviewed. The dial is a matte brown dial, with a flat text upon it.The flat text is in direct contrast to the BS100's hour markers which are raised using applied DLC markers. It should be noted that the DLC markers, along with the DLC crown and DLC buckle, are a special custom brown color. The custom brown color and its process were patented by Aquadive as they are the only company in the world using it. Nestled atop of the brown raised DLC markers, you find three coats of Super-Luminova which gives the BS100 its Super-Lume.
The date is located at the 3 position and it too is in a matte brown with white numbers. The Aquadive logo is found directly under the 12 o'clock position and underneath it, you find the word Aquadive. The words "Bathyscaphe 100, 1000 meters/ 3300 ft, Automatic" are found in descending order between the 4 and 8 o'clock positions on the dial. "Swiss Made" can be found on either side of the 6 o'clock position, which indicates the watch's pedigree.
Dimensions:
* 43mm without crown
* 15mm thick
* 22mm lug width
* 49mm lug to lug
Case:
The 43mm case is German made and is CNC cut from a solid salt water resistant Bronze alloy block with no HRV. Aquadive uses a real Bronze alloy of certified German origin, 100% manufactured (milled, machined, drilled, brushed and polished) in Germany. The alloy used is similar too, but more sophisticated than, basic CuSn8. It contains five additional elements to help protect it against total corrosion caused by salt water. The case back is a screw down engraved Bronze piece (also available in S/S at time of order). The upper edges of the case are polished and outline the case.
The screw down crown is also DLC custom brown coated and is embossed with the Aquadive logo.
Crystal:
The crystal is a 31mm Sapphire crystal that is ultra-clear. Time is legible from any angle.
Bezel:
The bronze alloy bezel is a 120 click and uni-directional. Its has a laser-cut ratcheting spring. I prefer to describe it as micro clicks. The insert is scratch-free ceramic and is engraved with elapsed time markings in yellow, with a Super Luminova coated marker (PIP) at the 12 o'clock position. The bezel turns smoothly thanks to the polished raised surfaces which adds depth to the bezel's grip area as the non-raised surfaces are brushed bronze.
Case back:
The case back is a flat bronze screw down piece which is embossed with Aquadive's famous logo in the center. The case back is simple in its design but does provide the user all the pertinent information regarding the watch (i.e. Aquadive Design 1970, Bronze Alloy, Water Resistance 1000 meter/ 3300 feet) and the material it is made from. The serial number of said watch is also found on the case back as this is a Limited Edition piece (mine is No.20).
Rubber Strap:
The dive strap is a genuine and custom Brown ISOfrane 22mm vanilla scented strap with an Aquadive DLC Brown signed RS buckle and tang. The physical strap length is 200 mm, strap width is 22 mm, and Thickness at the lug is 5.5mm as it tapers down in thickness toward the buckle. The strap color for this particular model is a custom made brown, but the Bronze/ Black combo comes with a black ISOfrane dive strap. The strap will accommodate wrist sizes up to 250 mm (10 inches) depending upon the actual lug to lug length of the watch.
Movement:
Swiss made ETA 2836 Elabore movement with hour, minute, and sweeping second hands, self-winding mechanism with ball bearing rotor, stop second device regulator system, ETACHRON and regulator corrector; 28,800 vph, 4 Hz, and 25 jewels. It is regulated in five positions with accuracy certificate.
Lume:
The lume used is in this piece is C3 Super-Luminova . It is applied in three coats giving this watch incredible lume. After energizing the lume at approximately 11:00pm, I had no trouble reading the watch at 4:00 am the next morning indicating it does not fade quickly. The PIP on the bezel also is lumed, which adds to the watch's application in real diving scenarios.
Summary:
Overall I believe the BS100 Bronze is the best bronze watch on the market given its origin, price point, features, and specs. It wears ultra comfortable on my wrist and I have had no issues regarding the crown digging into my 7.5 inch wrist. The brushed/polished finish of the case work is easily on par with Rolex, Omega, Panerai, IWC and other high end dive watches that I have had the pleasure of owning and/or wearing. The Bronze/Brown/Yellow combo is gorgeous and can only truly be appreciated in person. The insert is engraved in precise detail giving the bezel a unique depth. Coupled with the bezel's polished and brushed beveled edges, in my opinion the bezel as a whole comes is second to none. Rated at 1000 meters, this watch is not only beautiful in its aesthetic design, but designed for rough use well beneath the waves.
With a retail price of $1690.00 USD, I definitely feel that Aquadive has offered a timepiece that should by all account, cost thousands more when compared to the popular and expensive Swiss watches mentioned above. Sweetening the package, Aquadive has added an iconic high end custom brown ISOfrane dive strap and brown DLC buckle, which elevates the piece and value even further.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review, and do check out the video below. As always I look forward to your comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uFAggmTuLY
Ariel Soltura (arutlosjr11 on the forum)
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Originally Posted by rhstranger2772
