Hat tip to Tlex of OceanicTime.com
We have already discussed Lindburgh & Benson‘s brand of sports watches Schaumburg.
The German watchmakers have recently released a new diving watch.
The Aquamatic III comes in 44 mm of diameter and features an inner rotating ring controlled by the stem at 2 o’clock. This is a system which efficiency is subject to caution: On one hand, having a securely locked crown controlling the inner ring’s rotation allows to comply with the ISO 6425 standard: « Such a device shall be protected against inadvertent rotation or wrong manipulation. »
On the other hand, a screw-down crown that might have to be unlocked underwater defeats the purpose of having a screw-down crown in the first place. This is a contradiction most watchmakers do not seem to pay close attention to.
One of the explanations is this “escalation of ever-higher pressure resistance” observed amongst makers of diving watches:
source: LaCoteDesMontres.com
History tells us that the Swiss did not invent watches: the anchor eschapement is based on the findings of Dutch Astronomer Huygens and the foundations of mechanical movements were laid in France, which explains the use of all those French terms in watchmaking. The Swiss inherited watchmaking industry as it was being outsourced and imported on their land by French Huguenots fleeing from religious persecution. To their merit however, the Swiss did invent and perfect waterproof watches.
In 1954, Blancpain started selling wrist watches that could withstand a static depth of 50 Imperial fathoms, which corresponds to 300 feet or 91.44 meters. That water-resistance can be rounded down to 9 BAR, a more adequate indication of water-resistance in watches.
After 50 years of refinement, Swiss case makers have improved the design of cases, crystals and gaskets so that it is neither difficult nor particularly expensive to built a watch that can withstand pressures up to 30 BAR (300 static meters of depth).
In the case of their Aquamatic III, Lindburgh & Benson chose to aim for a pressure resistance of 65 BAR, even though they certify the watch to 50 BAR. That leaves a margin of 15 BAR for any unexpected pressure the watch may undergo. The case design shares similarities with the Master Divers, a 44 mm watch from the brand San Antonio Watch Company, which we presented on this blog. It is not uncommon for brand to use the same supplier, more so in the niche field of diving watches.
In terms of calibre, it comes with a Selitta SW20 that can either be standard or COSC-certified. Regardless of the efficiency of the crown-controlled rotating ring, the watch seems to be manufactured according to the high standard of its bigger sister brand Lindburgh & Benson.
