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All posts for the month June, 2012

Win a new Armida A5!

Posted by Rob on 8 June 2012
Posted in: Armida, Contests.

(All photos courtesy of Armida Watches)

WatchWerx is proud to announce its first watch contest, in partnership with Armida Watches. One lucky person will be chosen at random from the entrant pool to receive a brand new Armida A5 1000m dive watch, complete with all accessories.

The A5 1000m features a 316L stainless steel case and bracelet, powered by an ETA 2824-2 25-jewel automatic movement. The sapphire crystal is double-domed and treated with anti-reflective coating on the inside. The hands and markers are coated with C3 SuperLuminova for superior visibility in low light. The A5 is water resistant to 1000 meters, and comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.

To enter the contest, do all of the following:

1) “Like” the Armida Facebook page: Armida on Facebook

2) “Like” the WatchWerx Facebook page: WatchWerx on Facebook

3) Subscribe to WatchWerx … and Watch Doesn’t

Important Note: You subscribe by entering your email address in the space provided at the top of the right-hand column and clicking on “Subscribe.” You then will receive a confirmation email to the entered email address. You must click on the confirmation link in that email and select a notification option for your subscription to be entered and your email address to be recorded in our database. If you do not receive your confirmation email within a reasonable time, please check your spam folder. If you encounter any problems with entering your subscription, please email us at “contest@watchwerx.biz”.

Once the Armida Facebook page reaches 1,000 “Likes,” the lucky winner will be drawn at random from amongst the WatchWerx subscribers. The winner will be contacted at the email address provided to obtain shipping information. The winner also will be announced here on WatchWerx, and on the WatchWerx and Armida Facebook pages.

Good luck!

NOTE: Contests conducted by WatchWerx.com and its sponsors are valid only if all conditions of entry are met. Contest participation is void wherever prohibited by law.

A fond look at the Doxa SUB 5000T

Posted by Rob on 3 June 2012
Posted in: Doxa.

Win a new Armida A5 by clicking HERE!

When I began diving back in the ’60s, my dive instructor had just received a new “pride and joy” — a Doxa SUB 300 he had just purchased from U.S. Divers Co. (which, at the time, distributed the new watches in the United States). I had never seen anything like it, especially that now-iconic orange dial. But my dive instructor was most excited about the bezel, which incorporated the US Navy’s no-decompression table alongside the elapsed time scale.

Upon receiving my certification, my father presented me with a new Omega Seamaster 300, so the Doxa was quickly forgotten. But not by my father … he bought one for himself not long afterward, and wore it regularly on dives for many years.

A few years ago, while researching another watch, I stumbled upon the new website for Doxa Watches and discovered that the watches had been reintroduced, with design improvements that made them better than ever.

I immediately ordered a SUB 1200T Professional, which was the closest model offered to the original SUB 300. However, upon receiving it, I was a bit crestfallen by its “tiny” size (please refer to my earlier post “Does size really matter?” for a better understanding of my collecting criteria at that time). I know now that the low dial-to-case ratio and short lug-to-lug made the whole watch appear smaller, but at the time I was very disappointed with the modern version of a watch of which I had such fond memories. So I returned the watch to Doxa and ordered a larger model — the newly introduced SUB 5000T Pro.

When that watch finally arrived, I was smitten. The case had a crown-exclusive diameter of 45mm, but an overall length only slightly more, so the watch rode quite well on my roundish wrist. The bracelet was a thing of beauty, a heavy five-link hunk of metal that flowed over the wrist for a comfortable fit, despite its non-tapered 21mm width, plus thickness and weight. Topping it off was the clasp, my first exposure to the magnificent “ratcheting” clasp. The double push-button deployant featured heavy, machined components (unlike the 1200T, which had some stamped metal parts). And the clasp had a push-button release that extended the clasp by about 18mm, allowing the watch to fit comfortably over a wetsuit. If the bracelet still was a bit loose, the clasp could be “ratcheted” to a snug fit by pushing the extension back into the clasp.

Then I began to notice I was less enamored of the orange dial than I remember being when first seeing it in the ’60s. It was only later that my wife reminded me that I was partially color blind, so the orange did not “pop” for me the way it did for her (and she thought the watch was, to put it in her words, “loud”). Back in a world of black or white watches, my first dive instructor’s orange Doxa must have appeared colorful even to my color-challenged eyes. But my 5000T Pro … not so much.

So I flipped the Pro pretty quickly and replaced it with the same watch in the Sharkhunter model (which is to say, a black dial). If you’re partially color blind, you can never go wrong with a black dial. And I loved the look of that Sharkie.

I went on a dive trip to Cozumel and the 5000T was the main watch I used. Although I never needed to use the ratcheting function on the clasp – all I wore was a thin, Lycra rash guard – everything about the watch exceeded my expectations. Perfectly balanced, the watch stayed put on my wrist, was easy to read – both the dial and the bezel setting – and stayed securely fastened. I even felt more comfortable knowing the lug pins were screws rather than spring pins, although I have never experienced a spring bar failure underwater. Out of the water, the watch was so impeccably finished that it fit in with whatever I was wearing (and some nights I had to wear a sport coat and dress shirt).

If there is a fault I might find with the 5000T, it is my gravitation away from big, bulky dive watches … at least for use on dry land as a daily wearer. The watch is not too heavy, but its size is not something you’re ever completely unaware of. Perhaps the 1200T would have been a better fit for my wrist, if only I had given it a chance when I first received it. But now that I have experienced the new bracelet of the 5000T, I don’t think I could fully appreciate the faux beads-of-rice version on the 1200T, or its thinner clasp. I know there are purists who love the look of the original BOR, but the 5000T bracelet has truly independent links – unlike the fused, solid links of the faux BOR – so appears to be a more fitting successor to the original for use on all of Doxa’s watches.

The Doxa SUB 5000T seems to be, at least to this old diver, one of the best underwater watches available. My Scottish nature will not allow me to keep one just for use on dives, and it just doesn’t work for me as a daily wearer for long stretches. But I so enjoy the watch – and covet it when I don’t own one – that my frugal resolve continually weakens. Soon, I suspect, I’ll be buying my fourth. And I’m determined not to let this one go.

Crawling into collections soon: the Helson Turtle

Posted by Rob on 1 June 2012
Posted in: Helson.

Win a new Armida A5 by clicking HERE!

When I started diving back in the ’60s, I saw lots of different dive watches. Most numerous were the Seamasters and Submariners. But I immediately encountered dive watches that were different in shape and character, with names such as Doxa, Aquadive and Certina. My first dive instructor had just obtained one of the new Doxa SUBs, and I was entranced by the orange dial. Another instructor I worked with in the early ’70s had just acquired a Certina DS-2 Super PH1000m, and I loved the massive – for its time – proportions of that watch.

Anyone who spends any time on the dive watch fora knows that the SPH1000 is a coveted watch, whether the original DS-2 or the subsequent DS-3 (which was identical in all respects, right down to the reference number). So much so, in fact, that Certina introduced a similarly styled limited edition – also called  the DS-3 – which quickly sold out, despite a production of 1,888 pieces. Today, the original DS-2 and DS-3 SPH1000s (and the somewhat different LE DS-3s) command prices well in excess of their original selling price – on the rare occasions when one surfaces in a “for sale” posting or on eBay.

In other words, the SPH1000m is only available as a vintage watch, similar to the original Omega Seamaster 600 Plongeurs Professional. This, sadly, despite Certina now being a part of the Swatch Group and certainly having the resources to resurrect a beloved dive watch (as sister company Omega did with the PloProf, now replicated by the SMP1200).

For many of us who love nearly-extinct dive watches, Peter Helson of Helson Watches is a boon companion. His company has produced a number of faithfully reproduced homages to great dive watches, including the Sharkmaster 1000 (Omega SM1000), the Tortuga (Squale), the Skindiver (original Blancpain Fifty Fathoms), and the Sharkmaster 600 (Omega SMP600 PloProf), to name a few. Now Helson Watches gives us a new watch to love: the Helson Turtle, a beautiful homage to the original Certina DS-2 Super PH1000m.

The dimensions of the original were maintained: A 43mm diameter (excluding crown; 46.2mm with the crown) and just shy of  47mm lug-to-lug. Lug width is 20mm. What was unique about the SPH1000 when it was introduced at Basel in 1970 was its 1,000 meter depth rating, almost unheard of in a production model mechanical watch. It was accomplished by a case that featured thick, sturdy components. Combined, the watch is almost 18mm in height. And so is the Helson Turtle. Weight is acceptable for a watch of this size, coming in under 190g on the mesh bracelet – heavy enough to feel substantial, but not so heavy that wearing it becomes a distraction. And the crown is a good size, at slightly more than 6mm in diameter. It is easy to unscrew, pull out, turn and screw back down – actually better than other dive watches that cost considerably more.

Fit-and-finish – a Helson strong point – is excellent. This really is a resplendent recreation of a classic, iconic dive watch. Like the original, the Turtle features a case that combines polished and brushed surfaces, although polished surfaces predominate. Some might see this as a flaw, despite the original Certina being finished the same. But, to me, nothing looks more handsome than a dive watch with polished surfaces scarred up by years of use on dives.

Helson has taken the liberty of allowing for refinements not available in the late ’60s when the original was designed. It features a sapphire crystal, a 120-click bezel with a sapphire insert, an ETA 2824-2 25-jewel automatic movement with 40 hour power reserve, and C3 SuperLuminova on the hands and markers for low light visibility.

Performance

A dive watch – especially one rated to a depth of 1,000 meters – belongs in the water … and that is where I headed to check out the Turtle.

I found the mesh bracelet to be sturdy and secure, and easily could adjust to fit over a thin wetsuit (and if more than “thin” is required, the water is too cold for me). However, I think I prefer the strap in the water. In fact, I likely would use this watch on a NATO or GGB for extra insurance against a pin failure (although, in all honesty, I have never had a pin fail underwater in 45 years of diving; just more of a belt-and-suspenders mentality).

The design of the SPH1000 bezel was a popular one in that era – deep grooves that tapered to a narrower top to reduce the likelihood of the bezel shifting from a strike. According to Colin Millar, an expert diver as well as a recognized watch collector, the original SPH1000 had a push-to-turn bezel, but that feature is abandoned on the Turtle in favor of the standard unidirectional spring-ratcheting bezel. I found the bezel on the Turtle to be rather stiff, but after doing a half-dozen spins, it became much more pliant. Wearing reef gloves, I found the bezel easy to set underwater.

Normally, the water in our part of the Gulf of Mexico is crystal clear, but a persistent westerly wind – the posterior effects of Tropical Storm Beryl – had kicked up a lot of sediment due to rough surf. Regardless, I found the dial easy to read underwater. In what I perceive to be a big plus, Helson has moved to very Spartan dials, and the Turtle is no exception. Only three words appear: Helson; automatic; and 1000m. That lack of clutter minimizes distraction and makes for a very readable dial, especially in minimal visibility. Thumbs up, then, for this design element from Helson.

Because the watch is pretty tall, it tended to slip around the wrist underwater on the mesh, but stayed well in place on the rubber. Again, this is where a strap such as GGB would excel, keeping the watch solidly – but safely – centered on the wrist and further reducing weight.

For me, a dive watch has to do more than perform well underwater. On a dive trip, taking even a pair of watches – one for dives and another for surface wear – makes little sense. The relatively modest proportions of the Turtle – at least by modern standards – make this watch quite wearable on dry land. After several days of wearing only this watch on the mesh, I must confess that it has the ability to be unobtrusive on the wrist … until one looks at it. Those lovely, classic lines then make it difficult to look away.

The Helson Turtle will be available with black, orange or yellow dials, all with black bezels. It will include a mesh bracelet with deployant clasp and safety, along with an assortment of extensions for proper fit, a textured, perforated rubber strap, spare lug pins and a bracelet changing tool, all packaged in Helson’s now-familiar padded, waterproof cylinder. Price will be US$899, including shipping, and the watch will be available in mid- to late-June.

UPDATE 2 Jun 2012:

Peter Helson has kindly provided photos of the Turtle with orange and yellow dials, in response to the many requests to see them. Also included is a “group” photo of the trio.

Enjoy!

(Photo provided by Helson Watches)

(Photo provided by Helson Watches)

(Photo provided by Helson Watches)