Today, we’re going to take a look at another Ocean7 model, the LM5. Many people will say that this is an imitation of the Blancpain 50 Fathoms. While I conceded that there are indeed some striking similarities, I err on the “benefit of the doubt” side of things, and will say that this was obviously inspired by that famous (and much more expensive) model.
As I took a closer look at this watch, I surprised the the feature that really drew me in is the uni-directional bezel. It’s actually a domed (and fully lumed) sapphire crystal, giving an almost “life preserver” look – not a bad correlation to draw on a water-bound watch, no? Also – this bezel is what actually took the longest to develop for this particular watch:
The company that makes the domed sapphire insert for the Fifty Fathoms would not make one for us. It took us two years to get this watch produced, because of that. We had to train a crystal factory to do it for us the way we wanted.
Once you add on the domed sapphire crystal, you have a sort of interesting “double bubble” effect occurring. Settling in under the sapphire you have a 42mm surgical stainless steel case has a rated water resistance of 600ft. The depth rating could mislead you on the watch’s size – it’s not an overly-bulky diver, measuring in at 13mm thick. For the internals of the watch, there are some similarities with the LM4 that we looked at previously:
- ETA 2824-2 movement (COSC-certified available for $399 more)
- Hours/minutes/seconds/date
- 22mm lugs
You also have some choices when it comes to how the watch will stay on your wrist. By default, it comes with a leather strap that has a carbon fiber weave pattern on it. For $200 more, you can switch to a Milainese mesh bracelet (or for $269 additional, you can have both). Myself, I’m not a fan of mesh bracelets, and I’m still undecided about that carbon fiber pattern. I would be very tempted to put this onto a Nato strap, most likely.
Whatever your decisions would end up being, this is an intriguing automatic diver that starts at $899. That domed sapphire bezel is something I’ve really not seen much before, and I think sets this apart from other options in the diver segment. Of course, if you know of others that share this intriguing feature, be sure to let me know!
That all said, we may be getting a review piece – when that happens, you can be sure we’ll bring you a more in-depth review!
