Tag: dive

An Aquastar is a True Star: Owner Review by @grandcruwatches

I had two divers in my collection: the Rolex Sea-Dweller 116600 and the Seiko Marinemaster 300 SBDX001. Both watches are fabulous in their own right, but they share a similar style and feel on the wrist. I was lusting for something fresh and different. So, I bid farewell to the Marinemaster and welcomed the Aquastar
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16/04/2024
Owner review: Breitling SuperOcean A13340

Let’s think about cars for a moment. At one time, “Grand Touring” cars were understood as different from sports cars – a car that would comfortably and reliably move people and luggage over long distances. Now, that category and the label “GT”, has shifted, since that definition pretty much applies to any modern car. Now
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16/12/2023
Owner review: Sinn U50-T

I was looking for a toolish dive watch that wasn’t just an homage that looked like so many other dive watches. I’ve been a fan of Sinn’s aesthetics and their watches in general (after owning a few over the years). Although I have always been partial to the U1, I could never get comfortable with
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28/09/2023
Owner review: Tudor Pelagos

A couple of weeks after Watches and Wonders I found myself in New York City with time to kill. The new METAS Black Bay 41 peaked my interest so I popped into the Tudor Boutique to see if they had any display models to check out. Unfortunately they did not, but the sales assistant allowed
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26/09/2023
Owner review: Caravelle Sea Hunter

Caravelle was the entry level brand of Bulova, and as such many Caravelle models are a bit lackluster compared to their Bulova equivalent. This is the Caravelle Sea Hunter. The bezel is bidirectional and has no clicks at all, making it basically useless. For some this feature is fine and for me I guess I
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16/07/2023
Owner review: Seiko PADI Mini Turtle SRPC41

The Seiko PADI Mini Turtle SRPC41 is an affordable and wearable diver that punches above its weight class in a few surprising ways. I never planned on buying a Seiko, but wanted something I could wear to the water park, playing tennis, or other activities that I know I could wear a more expensive sports
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25/05/2023
Owner review: Oris Aquis Date Upcycle

I’ve been looking at adding a diver/sports watch to my collection since my preference is still towards dressier timepieces. Oris Aquis has been in my radar but somehow never seems to have pull the trigger. Somehow having a small wrist doesn’t help in my case. It was in late 2021 that I saw the release
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16/05/2023
Owner Review: Ratio Freediver X

When the first renders of the Ratio Freediver X appeared at the beginning of the year, I have to say I was intrigued. I loved the case shape and the overall design, but I was afraid it was gonna be too big – as some of the past divers from Ratio were. But I was
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21/04/2023
Owner review: Tudor Black Bay 58 925

When I first tried the Tudor Black Bay 58 925 I didn’t like it. Why would one make a waterproof/dive watch with an easily scratching metal and a leather strap? And the taupe dial didn’t pop in the harsh shop lights. But there was something about it that made me take a second look, and
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11/04/2023
Owner review: Foster 11 Atmos Skin Diver

My friend Jonathan turned me on to the the Foster 11 Atmos Skin Diver, the first watch out of Oregon-based Foster Watch Co. To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t heard of the brand or its founders, Everett and Christian. Apparently, Everett co-hosts a popular podcast where they talk about affordable watches. I haven’t listened to
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03/04/2023