![]() ![]() The bezel, the defining characteristic of any self-proclaimed dive watch, goes beyond the ordinary. What is new with the Diver is the rotating timing bezel, a steel ratcheting ring with a thin serrated edge for optimal grip and topped with an engraved insert. ![]() This casual elegance, equally at home in the office or on a beach, is what happens when a dress watch company builds a sports watch. Most noticeable is the dial, with its oversized Roman numeral XII, the snailed marker track, prominent seconds subdial and bolted-on crown guards surrounding a crown sporting the trademark blue sapphire. The question of why Cartier even needs a dive watch is immediately answered when one sees the Diver this is Cartier’s latest attempt at the style, and rather than just slapping a rotating bezel on a watch and increasing the water resistance, they’ve gone the full nine fathoms.Īesthetically, the Diver shares much with the rest of the broad-shouldered Calibre de Cartier family. So when Cartier, best known for its classic Tank and elegant Ballon Bleu watches, introduced its Calibre de Cartier Diver ($8,200) this year with full compliance with ISO 6425, the watch world took notice. After all, most dive watches scarcely see time underwater anymore, and there is considerable cost involved to have every watch independently tested for certification. Aside from the obvious water resistance requirement (100 meters, by the way), there are more specific guidelines: the ability to read the time from a distance of 9.8 inches in total darkness, a healthy resistance to salty water, magnetism, shock, considerable tugging on the strap, and many other devious and torturous deeds.īut the fact of the matter is, not many watches are even subjected to the testing required to earn the ISO seal of approval. Prices begin from €6,100 (stainless steel) to €19,000 (pink gold).ISO 6425 is an international standard that spells out in great and unambiguous detail the criteria for what can be called a “diver’s watch”. Three different references will be released from pink gold, bicolour pink gold and stainless steel, and stainless steel models on a rubber strap. The Calibre de Cartier Diver Watch is boosted on the inside by the manufacture movement Calibre 1904 MC – the first self-winding movement developed and assembled in-house – which provides 48 hours of power reserve. Classical satin-brushed and polished finishing add depth (pun intended) to its design while the oversized Roman numeral XII is a clear sign of its pedigree. But compared to the regular Calibre de Cartier case, this timepiece is only marginally thicker by 1.2mm at 11mm. For 300m water resistance, the entire watch needs reinforcement inside and out. Making the Calibre de Cartier case dive-worthy is no small task especially when the manufacture was determined to maintain its signature touch of elegance. The sapphire crystal used in this watch is also thicker than usual, at 2.2mm. Its secure ADLC (amorphous diamond-like carbon) bezel is unidirectional and designed with exactly 120 notches (40 teeth and three points) to enable adjustment to a half-minute with crystal clear ‘clicks’ that could only mean immaculate engineering. For greater visibility, the markers signalling each 5 minute period are clearly indicated. Thanks to the superluminova applied to its dive-time indicators, hour and minute hands, pre-selection device, and small seconds counter, it remains legible in all kinds of conditions – night dives or murky water will not stand in its way. Despite all this, it continued to perform flawlessly. In full compliance with ISO6425 which lays down no fewer than eight criteria of reliability through a series of extremely rigorous tests, the Calibre de Cartier Diver Watch had been tested to 300m, immersed in a sodium chloride solution for 24 hours at temperatures of between 18 and 25 degrees centigrade, plus another 50 hours at 30cm at the same temperature. This all-new dive watch has been through such tests as to leave even the most hard-nosed professional diver nodding in approval. Must-haves for all dive watches include a secure bezel, at least 100m water tightness, luminosity and resistance to thermal shock. ![]()
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