In the newly-announced category of SCUBA bling, Wenger has unveiled the oh-so-aptly named Deep Diver watch, which is safe to ocean plunges up to 1,000 meters deep. Yep, that’s 3,300 feet under the sea. Plus, it’s handsome enough to pass muster at that coast-side 5-star dinner joint after the dive.
Honestly, this is a suave watch. Wenger just sent me one to try out, and just in time, too, as I’m planning a Scuba trip for next month to—get this—a group of freshwater granite quarries in northern Minnesota. The “shipwrecks” on these dives are old mining cranes, tractors, abandoned industrial drills, and whatnot.
But I diverge.
Back to Wenger. Back to the Deep Diver. Back to 3,300 feet under the sea. Now, I’m not sure if the company was just going for the cachet of the “1,000 meters” claim. Maybe those dudes I read about in Shadow Divers will test it out. But 3,300 feet? Dear goodness.
Beyond its nice looks—this watch is really pretty sharp-looking, did I mention?—the Deep Diver does not perform technical tasks like other watches I’ve tested as of late. It does not tell you the altitude, or your heart-rate, or the barometric pressure.
But what this $375 watch does have—yes, $375—is the following. . .
-Swiss quartz movement
-Waterproof to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet)
-Date display
-Glow-in-the-dark hands, numerals and markers
-Rotating bezel with luminous marker at zero position
-Mineral crystal face
-Stainless steel case
-Screw-down crown (to ensure water-resistance)
-Screw-on back (to ensure water-resistance)
-Solid 5-link stainless steel bracelet with diver’s buckle and safety clasp
At 7.1 ounces—almost a half-pound—the Deep Diver is also the heaviest watch I’ve ever held, approaching the mass of some lightweight trail-runners I’ve tested recently. It seems to be a solid watch, in many more ways than one.
