Who started it?

[ShadownINja]

The diver style of watch is very popular these days, but who was the first to use this very well-known design?

[Mr Noble]

http://www.ornatus-mundi.ch/blancpainforum/Jubilee...




(I may be wrong btw)

[LeeThePeople]

Omega Marine came about in the 1930's which was the first commercially available to purchase. Before that I think it was the french foreign legion who commisioned some watches which were waterproof to a depth of 100m and were luminescent, it was this design that was used by Omega. Im not sure who made the ones for the french but I know they are highly collectable and command a high price.

Blaincpain do a replica/reissue of it IIRC so it could of been them who made the watch originally.

[LeeThePeople]

Mr Noble said:

http://www.ornatus-mundi.ch/blancpainforum/Jubilee...




(I may be wrong btw)

Good call but 1953 is too late imo, they where available before then.

[ShadownINja]

Interesting stuff.

[anonymous-user]

I thought it was the fifty fathoms too.

[ShadownINja]

So would I be correct in saying there are three styles of traditional diving watches:

The Blancpain style, the Russian style (with the big crown cap and chain) and the squarish Italian style (a la Panerai and Anonimo)?

[LeeThePeople]

ShadownINja said:

So would I be correct in saying there are three styles of traditional diving watches:

The Blancpain style, the Russian style (with the big crown cap and chain) and the squarish Italian style (a la Panerai and Anonimo)?

Yeah pretty much, the Blancpain fifty fathoms style is what your refering too isnt it? They made a similar watch in the 1930's but it wasnt comercially available till 1953 although it looked very similar for 20 years it was made by commision only.

The Omega Marine was the first divers watch to go on sale in 1932ish and that was a share shape and had an inner and outer case to make it very waterproof and it was the first watch to be marketed at divers.

I think it's all in the first issue of 00/24 magazine, or the second one. It was the one with the light blue cover, they detailed the launch of a replica/reissue of a Blaincpain that was the first divers watch they made, it was in similar style to the fifty fathoms and should still be on sale as the mag is only a couple of months old.

[ShadownINja]

Oh, cheers. Will look out for that mag.

[LeeThePeople]

Its quarterly about a tenner iirc but well worth it, it shows off the high end stuff most of us can only dream about.

http://www.0024magazine.com/

I get it at Borders.

[LeeThePeople]

This is the issue with it in, full 175 year history of JLC too.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/00%2F24-The-Ultimate-Watch-M...

[ShadownINja]

Yes, googled for it. Does look like the kind of mag you'd only get at Borders.