Microbrands are not something I’m personally into – and yet, it’s a microbrand I’ll be reviewing today, specifically the Octon Black Gold Diver. So what gives? In a market flooded with mediocre and sub-par microbrands, constantly pushed in our faces through ads and sponsored content, there are a few really good ones out there, which simply fail to reach us.

Octon is one such a brand. Based in Sweden, they have quietly made perhaps the ultimate affordable dive watch and yet, almost no one has heard about it. Let me just go through the specs: NH-35a movement, 300m WR, domed sapphire with AR coating, screw-down crown, Super LumiNova, bracelet with solid end-links and screwed links, beautifully engraved caseback. All this packed in a 40mm case, with a thickness of only 12mm, and that’s including the domed crystal. And did I mention that you can customize the dial, bezel and movement when ordering?

The Octon Black Gold Diver is perhaps the closest thing to an homage I have in my collection – the similarities with the BB58 are undeniable, but it’s still different enough not to be a blatant rip-off. The thunderbolt second hand is a nice touch to the overall design and the gold and black details are flawlessly executed. Overall, the watch seems to be solid, sturdy and very well machined. It wears very comfortably on the wrist and the bracelet is so good, I won’t be using the drilled lugs anytime soon.

No corners seem to be cut, as is often the case with affordable watches. Even the packaging Octon provides is outstanding – a peli case with screwdrivers, spring bar tool and canvas strap. And 10% of every order is donated to the Sea Legacy foundation. How do they manage to do it? I have no idea.

No watch is perfect and without its faults, but as far as microbrands and affordable watches go, I think that Octon have stumbled on something very close to perfection with this one.