Sumptuous Seconds

Evan Rast reports on a selection of dashing new timepieces and highlights from this year’s Salon de la Haute Horlogerie

The new Aquatimer from IWC

Diving Novelties

This is the year for exciting divers’ watches, and IWC started the ball rolling at SIHH 2014 with a revamped and entirely new Aquatimer collection. The new models range from the base 42mm Aquatimer Automatic Diver, to chronographs, the Deep Three and Perpetual Calendar Digital Date Month. There are also Galapagos and Jacques Cousteau limited editions.

One of the highlights of the new collection is the new bezel with internally rotating dive calculation ring called ‘SafeDive’. The external titanium bezel rotates both ways, but when turned counter-clockwise moves the internal bezel in one-minute increments, helping divers keep track of time elapsed underwater accurately. The strap system has also been improved, with a quick release system for changing straps.

The star of the line-up is the Deep Three, the third of IWC’s series of mechanical depth gauge watches. The timepiece is waterproof to 10 bar (about 100m) and the mechanical depth gauge display the wearer’s current depth and max depth at the same time. The watch comes in 46mm titanium.

A unique take on a diver is Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore Diver in Forged Carbon, now in a striking white ceramic. The watch features a case, bezel, pushers, and crowns in Super Ceramic, which at 1850 Vickers, is 500 Vickers harder than the black ceramic used in last year’s version, and nine times harder than steel. The structure of the watch is similar to that of the black ceramic Offshore Diver, with an added sapphire window in the titanium caseback. The case, water-resistant to 300m, is 42mm in diameter and 13.99mm thick, with an internal bezel adjuster at 10 o’clock and crown guards on the right side of the case. The white dial has the Mega Tapisserie pattern, with hours and minutes hands with blue accents, making the watch very legible. The caseback offers a good view of the Audemars Piguet calibre 3120 with an engraved 22k gold rotor.

Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore Diver in Forged Carbon

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