Rejig of Saucer Style Titanium Dive Watch 2000m (maybe)

[popgun pete]

Diving Saucer Watch. Any interest for production?

www.watchuseek.com

Saw this forum thread on a new Saucer style dive watch in titanium. Made in China of course where it is rare for them to do anything but copy known and successful models, but here they took a chance on doing something new. Clearly they didn't ask any divers and so it was a flop commercially before anyone really knew anything about it. How China works is factories knock out watches from myriad plants making various components and individuals styling themselves as “brands” place orders to cobble together watches that they will think are going to sell. A lot depends on someone in China willing to sell the watch using their market presence in the West, then they have their logo slapped on it. But now thoughts are being turned to addressing the bezel grip problem and this could then be a very interesting and cool watch. These watch forums are heavily skewed by dweebs wearing oversize or trophy (in their minds) watches and hoping other people will think they are expert. Most don't even know what they are talking about and it becomes an echo chamber ruled by the lowest common denominator, but this watch may be worth a look.

Photo of the original design which unfortunately is smooth as a baby’s bum, but will hopefully be changed in a new edition. Needs feedback, but from real divers!

Possible changes without wiping out the saucer vibe, indents only need an edge in the push direction, which is anticlockwise.

 

[popgun pete]

This watch was originally slated to be sold by a company “San Martin” which sells better than normal Chinese watch offerings by just selecting another level up of factory to do their assembly rather than the economy producers. However compared to established watch brands they often only lack brand snobbery as they have copied nearly everything else, but not absolutely everything, so are not fakes. "San Martin" never got many takers as the watch hadn't any snob value and on some photos you could not see the crown position, as in the first photo shown here. After he gave up on it the watch was featured by ASTAR, which is a wholesale arranger, buy say 50 watches minimum and they will put your “brand” name on it. Just because a particular watch is listed does not mean they actually have any.

 

[popgun pete]

With this "saucer" watch we can assume they have all the machining software sorted out to control the computer operated mills, lathes and cutters to churn the watch out, they have already done it on a limited batch, very limited as it turns out, and they really only need change the bezel details by adding some grip features, ideally recesses rather than bumps. The dial can be changed as they always offer sterile versions to keep their machines running if say company X does not order enough but the demand is still there. Take for example this ice hockey puck style watch, it has at least three brands selling it as well as a sterile version. Bought the latter, but have never worn it, prefer my Seiko Professional 600 which I have had for decades from new.

The puck style watch shown above, being all stainless steel, is a bit of a lump just picking it up!

 

[popgun pete]

The saucer connotations with diving are the Cousteau “Denise” mini-submersible that could take three people to the ocean depths and was propelled by water jets from rotatable nozzles sticking out of the outer hull. It was deployed by crane from the mothership, the Calypso, and many older divers will recall it swinging perilously as they dropped it into the ocean and later fished it out again. It was trimmed in attitude underwater by moving mercury around inside a ballast system while drop weights allowed it to return to the surface, these weights being consumables on every dive. I assume the diving saucer is now in a museum as the Calypso was rammed by a barge and sunk and any rebuild struggles as most of the historic vessel had rotted and been thrown away, including the interior we all saw on TV in the various expeditions undertaken by Jacques Cousteau and his crew.

 

[popgun pete]

Another way to improve the grip on the bezel by using peripheral indents. This leaves the saucer shape of the case more or less intact.

 

[popgun pete]

Latest news is the Chinese guys have had another look at it and are going to change the bezel. Hopefully they ditch the submarine on the dial as well. San Martin watch guy may be selling it when the revised version appears, so something has come of stirring the pot so to speak. No leather watch bands this time, although they probably appeal to land lubbers who maybe outnumber divers buying watches of this type.