In this feature we compare three-handed divers’ watches from four brands – Mühle-Glashütte, Seiko, Tudor and Wempe – and test them in icy waters. Do they keep their cool?
To test three-handed divers’ watches from Mühle-Glashütte, Seiko, Tudor and Wempe, our team of divers went to Lake Blindsee in the mountains of Tyrol, Austria. The lake is located 3,586 feet above sea level and the temperature at its surface barely reaches 20°C (68° F), even in midsummer. The first thermocline is just a few yards under water. Crossing this invisible threshold is like plunging into an icy bath. In late summer and fall, the lake is even colder – a mere 4° C (39° F). These conditions set the challenge for the four divers’ watches in our test. A diver must wear a thick neoprene dive suit to keep warm in Lake Blindsee. To put a divers’ watch over the sleeve of one of these suits, the watch must have a strap or bracelet that is sufficiently long and flexible because the suit and its sleeves will expand and shrink under water. The bracelet or strap must have an easy-to-operate and secure clasp that can be opened and closed while the diver is wearing diving gloves, should the strap need to be made longer or shorter. Our divers studied the four test watches carefully on land as well as putting them through an underwater trial.
Here are the specs on the four dive watches:
MÜHLE-GLASHÜTTE RASMUS 2000
Manufacturer: Mühle-Glasshütte GmbH, Müglitztalstrasse 7, D-01768 Glashütte, Germany
Reference number: M1-28-87-500-KB
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, divers’ bezel; protected against magnetic fields up to 80,000 A/m
Movement: In-house modified SW200-1 based on Sellita SW200-1, automatic, 28,800 vph, 26 jewels, gold-plated brass balance, flat Nivarox balance spring, Incabloc shock absorption, woodpecker’s neck fine adjustment, 38-hour power reserve, diameter = 25.6 mm, height = 4.6 mm
Case: Stainless steel, domed nonreflective sapphire crystal, water resistant to 2,000 m
Strap and clasp: Rubber strap with folding clasp, extension mechanism on one side
Dimensions: Diameter = 44.9 mm, height = 17.2 mm, weight = 202 g
Variations: With blue or black dial; with stainless-steel bracelet ($3,999)
Price: $3,899
SEIKO MARINEMASTER AUTOMATIC
Manufacturer: Seiko Watch Corporation, 8-10, Toranomon 2-Chrome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8467, Japan
Reference number: SBDX001 Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, divers’ bezel
Movement: In-house 8L35 based on Seiko 9S55, automatic, 28,800 vph, 26 jewels, Seiko balance, flat Spron balance spring, Diashoc shock absorption, fine adjustment via two-part regulator, 50-hour power reserve, diameter = 28.4 mm, height = 5.3 mm
Case: Stainless steel, domed nonreflective sapphire crystal, water resistant to 300 m
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless steel with folding clasp, safety bracket and extension mechanism on one side
Dimensions: Diameter = 44.2 mm, height = 14.7 mm, weight = 214 g
Price: $2,500
TUDOR HERITAGE BLACK BAY
Manufacturer: Tudor, Rue François- Dussaud 3-5, CH-1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland
Reference number: 79220B Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, divers’ bezel
Movement: In-house modified 2824 based on ETA 2824, automatic, 28,800 vph, 25 jewels, Kif shock absorption, Glucydur balance, flat Nivarox balance spring, fine adjustment via regulator, 38-hour power reserve, diameter = 25.6 mm, height = 4.6 mm
Case: Stainless-steel case, domed sapphire crystal, water resistant to 200 m
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless-steel bracelet with folding clasp, safety bracket on one side, additional textile strap with pronged buckle
Dimensions: Diameter = 41.7 mm, height = 12.6 mm, weight (with bracelet) = 174 g
Variations: With distressed leather strap and textile strap ($3,100)
Price: $3,425
WEMPE SPORT DIVER AUTOMATIC
Manufacturer: Wempe Glashütte i/SA, Herbert-Wempe-Platz 1, 01768 Glashütte, Germany
Reference number: WM650006 Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, divers’ bezel
Movement: In-house modified Sellita SW300, automatic, 28,800 vph, 25 jewels, Glucydur balance, flat Nivarox balance spring, Incabloc shock absorption, in-house fine-adjustment mechanism, 42-hour power reserve, diameter =25.5 mm, height = 3.6 mm
Case: Stainless steel, domed sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating on both sides, water resistant to 300 m
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless steel with folding clasp, safety bracket and extension mechanism on one side
Dimensions: Diameter = 41.7 mm, height = 14.3 mm, weight = 190 g
Variations: With black dial
Price: $3,540
Click here to download the full article — which includes the detailed results of our underwater testing, plus more great original photos of the watches by OK-Photography — for only $2.99 from the WatchTime online store.
This article first appeared in the January 2014 issue of WatchTime and has since been updated.
