Diving in and making a difference
More and more, the makers of dive watches are playing a part in protecting the oceans that inspired their collections,
While we still have a lot to learn about marine life, one thing’s for sure: we are pushing the sea to its breaking point, with plastic being put in just as fast as fish are extracted. The watch industry is doing its bit to raise awareness, teaming up with divers, surfers, wildlife photographers and environmental charities to try and tackle some of the damage being done.
Watches and diving have been indelibly linked since the mid-20th century – nothing was more important than a device informing you when your oxygen was about to run out. We may now have computers to do that job, but dive watches are still held in high regard. Meet the brands that are leading the way in the fight for ocean conservation.
1. BLANCPAIN
Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Mokarran The Fifty Fathoms was one of the world’s first proper diving watches in the 1950s, and Blancpain has a longstanding mission to protect the underwater world. The Blancpain Ocean Commitment programme is one of the initiatives devoted to the study of the great hammerhead shark in French Polynesia. Each sale of the Bathyscaphe Mokarran will see US$1,000 go to support the project. The self-winding watch is water-resistant to 300m and features a tropical-green sunburst dial and 43.6mm black ceramic case. £12,900; blancpain.com
2. BREITLING
Superocean Heritage ’57 Outerknown As well as taking part in regular beach cleanups, Breitling has an ongoing partnership with Ocean Conservancy – a Us-based charity that works to combat overfishing and protect marine life from pollution. A collaboration with sustainable clothing brand Outerknown, co-founded by surfer Kelly Slater, led to the introduction of watch straps made from Econyl, derived from recycled fishing nets and other nylon waste. The watch is waterresistant to 100m and features a 42mm stainless-steel case. From £3,400; breitling.com
3. CARL F. BUCHERER
Patravi Scubatec Maldives
Carl F. Bucherer is a long-time partner of Uk-based charity Manta Trust, which seeks to preserve manta rays and their habitats, and a portion of the sales proceeds from the Patravi Scubatec Maldives will be donated to the trust. The watch has a chronometerrated self-winding movement with 38-hour power reserve and is water-resistant to 500m. £4,500; carl-f-bucherer.com
4. CERTINA
DS Action Diver STC Special Edition
In 2017, Certina teamed up with the Floridabased Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), which has been battling to ensure the aquatic creatures’ survival since 1959, culminating in this year’s DS Action Diver Sea Turtle Conservancy. The watch sports a turtle logo on the caseback, aluminium rotating bezel and two-tone stainless-steel band. It has an automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve and the 38mm stainless-steel case is water-resistant to 300m. For the first time, the presentation box is made entirely of sustainable materials. £720; certina.com
5. CHRISTOPHER WARD C60 #tide
Christopher Ward is deepening its involvement with both the Blue Marine Foundation, a British charity working to protect the oceans from overfishing, and #tide, a Swiss company that transforms ocean-bound plastic waste into a premium raw material used in furniture, car parts and watch straps. The self-winding C60 #tide has a 42mm stainless-steel case water-resistant to 600m, and is available on an ocean-material strap, also sold separately. For every strap sold, £5 is donated to the Blue Marine Foundation. £895; christopherward.com
6. OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300m Nekton Edition
The company that put a watch on the moon has partnered with Nekton, a charity that works to further scientific exploration and protection of the world’s oceans. Omega is supporting missions to the Indian Ocean, which is warming three times faster than the Pacific and is being hit hard by pollution, rapid coastal development and unsustainable exploitation of marine life. The 42mm Seamaster Diver 300m Nekton Edition has a black ceramic dial with a wave pattern in relief and a caseback that features an embossed Nekton submarine. £5,000; omegawatches.com
7. ORIS Aquis Date Upcycle
Recently certified ‘climate neutral’, Oris supports the Coral Restoration Foundation, which has brought life back to reefs in the Florida Keys. The company has been taking part in World Cleanup Day for years and organises beach clean-ups all over the world. The Aquis Date Upcycle has a dial made from recycled PET plastic and the patterns formed during the process give each watch a unique appearance. Available in 41.5mm and 36.5mm steel cases and water-resistant to 300m with self-winding movements. £1,600; oris.ch
8. PANERAI
Luminor Marina esteel Verde Smeraldo Panerai’s association with the sea goes back to its 1940s diving watches for the Italian navy. Today, the brand is partnering with a Unesco agency responsible for ‘Ocean Decade’. From 2021 to 2030, the initiative will promote collaboration between scientists and policy-makers in marine conservation. The automatic Luminor Marina esteel has a case made from Panerai’s proprietary esteel, with more than half of the weight made up of recycled materials. The 44mm case is waterresistant to 300m. £7,600; panerai.com
9. RESERVOIR
Greg Lecoeur Hydrosphere
French company Reservoir specialises in watches that look like rev counters, but has fittingly chosen one based on early diving pressure gauges for its partnership with Greg Lecouer, a diver and photographer. The self-winding Greg Lecoeur Limited Edition Hydrosphere has a 45mm bronze case that is water-resistant to 250m. Part of the sales will be donated to the replanting of coral reefs. £4,600; reservoir-watch.com
10. SEIKO
Prospex PADI Compact Solar Scuba Diver Seiko has partnered with the dive-training organisation PADI and will donate a portion of the proceeds from its Prospex Save the Ocean collection to PADI’S Marine Debris programme to build a database of seafloor debris to share with NGOS, governments and local communities. The 38.5mm stainless-steel Prospex PADI Compact Solar Scuba Diver is water-resistant to 200m and has a quartz movement that charges from both natural and electric light and will never need a battery. £500; seikoboutique.co.uk
11. ULYSSE NARDIN Diver Lemon Shark
In partnership with The Ocean Race, Ulysse Nardin is supporting an initiative whereby sailors collect water and atmospheric data from remote areas of the ocean to help aid further research. The Swiss company is also supporting Ocearch, a charity looking at the delicate balance in the ecosystem with a particular focus on sharks. The Diver Lemon Shark pays tribute to a species found mainly in Florida, with a self-winding watch in a 42mm stainless-steel case that is waterresistant to 300m. £6,070; ulyssenardin.com