If there is one thing that I know you and I like, we like dive watches. Sure, we may not get any deeper than the local pool allows, but we seem to be drawn to that promise of adventure and robustness, the very tool-like nature, of the dive watch. There are certainly no shortage of options, and a good many of them are well done and quite affordable. If you are looking for an indie brand with some amazing in-the-dark visibility, Deep Blue is probably one of your first stops. We have been covering them a lot lately, but that is because they have had a spate of new releases. In fact, in conjunction with the upcoming Baselworld exhibition, they just announced the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba.
In the interest of full disclosure, the full name of the watch is the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba T100. What’s T100? No, it’s not a murderous cyborg from the future. Well, at least not in this case. No, it’s indicative of the usage of tritium tubes. While there is something to be said for some blazing lume, I do really get a kick of tritium tubes – especially flat ones as used on the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba. A big reason for this is the subtle yet quite visible glow you get; another reason is you generally get multiple colors in the mix, giving you a bit of a light show.
In this case, the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba utilizes two colors of tubes – mostly flat blue tubes, with a double stack of orange at 12 o’clock; we also have standard (narrow and round) tubes showing up in orange on the handset, and for the pip on the bezel. And if that weren’t enough, or you consider yourself a lumehound (and you want that luminous paint), well, the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba has you covered. From the photos we’ve seen, it looks like there is a more than generous application of lume on the bezel.
This ensures that, day or night, you’ll be able to see the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba. In the day, you will be better able to appreciate the wave pattern in the center of the dial, which is available in your choice of two different shades of blue (my vote is for the darker one, at least on the photos). Legibility is not even a question here, as the polished sword hands are rather broad. Sure, they don’t conform to the ISO standard (which generally shows up as an orange hand), but we can let that slide for us desk divers.
Tucked into the 45mm case (15mm thick) of the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba we have the ever-present Miyota 9015 automatic. We see quite a few different Miyota movements in brands these days, but it does seem that the 9015 shows up in quite a few places – perhaps it’s become the affordable equivalent of the ETA 2824 workhorse? Not to say that the movements are similar, just that they are becoming omni-present, offering reliability and accuracy at a good price point.
Speaking of price, the Deep Blue Daynight Scuba will be available for $899. Is that the cheapest Miyota-driven diver you’re going to find? No, it isn’t. With this particular watch, though, you need to factor in the full specs (sapphire crystal, 300m WR, etc) as well as the tritium illumination, which starts taking you into a different pricing category. Add in the reputation for quality that Deep Blue seems to have (we can’t comment on this as we’ve not seen one in person as of yet) and their commitment to lume and darkness visibility, well, then yeah, I can see this being a reasonable ask. It’s on the higher end of affordable, but for a tritium-equipped diver, it’s right where it should be. deepbluewatches.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Deep Blue Daynight Scuba
- Price: $899
- Who we think it might be for: Lume isn’t enough on your dive watch – you want (no, need!) tritium
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I do love me some flat tritium tubes…
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: I’m still holding out for someone to figure out how to use the flat tubes on the handset. Or completely outline the hands in the narrower tubes…
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The heavy application of lume alongside the tritium
Tech Specs from Deep Blue
- Tritium tubes
- 45mm case, 15mm thick, 22mm Lugs 316L Stainless Steel
- Citizen Caliber 9015 Automatic Movement
- Sapphire Crystal
- WR: 300 Meters – 1000 Feet
- Stainless Steel PVD Bezel with BGW9/C3 Superluminova
- Wave Pattern Dial
- Screw down crown and caseback
- Tritium Markers on the Dial, Bezel, and hands
- Bezel Markers – C3 Superluminova
- Half links, Full links, Screws in Bracelet
