Here at WWR, we seem to be suckers for a well-sorted vintage diver. We’ve seen any number of independents riff on those watches of the past, and the heavy lean on nostalgia in the watch industry at large has brands going back into their archives. Benrus may be recently resurrected from the ash heap, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dig through the back catalog. The most recent example is the Benrus Orbit Robot.
The original Benrus Orbit Robot pre-dates me a bit, so I’ll take the brand’s word that this is faithful to the 1972 original. Even if you didn’t know that this was a reissue, the color used on the gradient dial (brown) against the color for the handset (a very bright orange) definitely puts you in mind of the 70s, and the square indices just seal the deal for the look.
The 41mm case that the Benrus Orbit Robot is set in seems a bit large for the era, but it is a diver, so perhaps they were making them larger back then. Of course, we do get a better water resistance in this new model, as well as an updated (and undoubtedly more reliable) movement inside. If you want to travel back in time with your diver, you can pick up your own for $995 directly from benrus.com
Tech Specs from Benrus
- Case Diameter: 41mm (without crown) and 43mm (with crown) *screw-down crown
- Case Length: 43mm (top lug to bottom lug)
- Case Height: 13mm
- 20mm Lugs
- Domed Sapphire Crystal
- Stainless Steel Friction Fit Bezel with Lumed 12 o’clock Triangle
- Grey Fume Dial (gradient from light to dark) with orange and white hands
- BGW9 Super-LumiNova on hour indices, and hands
- Soprod P024 with quick set date function and 38-hour power reserve
- 20ATM Water Resistance
- Stainless Steel Bracelet with Deployment Clasp
- Swiss Made
- Packaged in Custom Waterproof Clamshell Travel Watch Case
- Retails for $995
