Summing up the Aquadive Bathyscaphe 300

So sadly, 15 days have come and gone, and my 15 days with the Aquadive Bathyscaphe have come to an end.

First and foremost, I have to say that it is an impressive watch - not merely by size, although the size is impressive!  No, I think for me it is the quality of finishing and the attention to detail.

Really, every aspect of this watch was conceived and executed to a very high degree, from the crown...

To the clasp which was matched perfectly to the ISOfrane strap. A quick note about ISOfrane - if you have 20, 22 or 24 mm sport watch - RUN, don't walk - RUN and get one! They are really something special - and this is from a guy who generally does not like rubber straps - let's just say that this has opened my eyes!

The bezel was another revelation - solid, tactile, and beautiful! It turned and more importantly - CLICKED in perfect harmony. The detail work on the bezel insert is truly a thing of beauty and on par with anything I have seen from Swatch, Richemont or LVMH.

And the subtle details were a joy as well - an "incognito" HRV was something that really made me smile to myself! It is there, not obvious, not for the "poser". But it is there, quietly awaiting action between the lugs at 6 o'clock.

And odd though it may seem, the timing certificate - this is a very, very nice touch. If you think about it, it really doesn't cost a company a lot of money to add something like this. It shows that someone thought enough about the watch they are making, the watch you are buying to put in writing just what you can expect. That is special. It would have been easy to simply tack on $500 and send the watch to the COSC, but this is more personal, and in many ways, more accurate.  Yes, the movement is an ETA 2824-2 and it runs FLAWLESSLY!

So to sum it up - this is a world class dive watch.  It is honest and original in its design, it is top notch in its execution.  The wearing comfort, after a one day "getting to know you period, was excellent.

The time keeping was bang on and even better than advertised.

I had a question from a reader asking "is it worth the money?"
The retail price is $2,990 US


My answer is an emphatic YES!  Considering what a similar watch would cost you, I would confidently say it is worth a far amount more than the $2,990 asking price.

I am sad that this test is over, but I suspect that I may have to look into getting one of these for myself.


www.aquadive.com

The Aquadive Bathyscaphe 300 - day 3

After three days with the Aquadive, I am already running a wee bit short of superlatives.  This is an amazing watch!  There are the obvious adjectives to use, like BIG, HEAVY, SOLID, etc.  But what has really grabbed my attention over the past few days is the QUALITY and FINISHING of this watch.

There are a LOT of dive watches out there.  And how often do we here "Tool Watch"?  I really HATE that expression, because basically what it is saying is that the watch company didn't care enough to really put too much effort into it - i.e. planned "dullness".  Now I realize, I might be alone in this feeling - but when you get right down to it, you don't NEED a watch in this day and age.  So shouldn't you set your sites a little higher?  Shouldn't your watch aspire to be more - and therefore, shouldn't the people making your watch aspire to more?

Clearly, the folks at Aquadive think so.  The attention to detail with the bezel, the crown, the finishing on  the case... it would have been so easy to just go to an "assembler" and create a tiny variation on the multitude of "boutique" dive watches out there, slap the Aquadive logo on it and call it done.  But the world does not need another "tool watch" - the watch world will WANT Aquadive.  In a world of "sameness" this is a beautifully unique watch.  It is still "rugged" and "manly" - but that's just a by-product of profoundly good design, and obsessive-compulsive attention to detail in the finishing work.  This watch is not "trying" to be anything - it simply is.

I will be posting more on finish and feel later tonight - stay tuned!