Somehow or another, I didn’t become aware of the folks over at West Coast Time until just recently – but am I glad that I did. They’ve got quite an interesting diver on offer that we’ll be covering today.
The fellow behind the company and site, Howard Marx, seems to have been trading in watches for close to two decades now, so he’s an established presence. Of course, if you’re hesitant to work with him, he’s more than willing to hook you up with references in your area – so kudos for that.
While he offers a variety of items (straps, flaghlights, watch tools, vintage watches), what really grabbed my attention is their German-made WCT-1000 diver. As you can surmise from that title, this thing has an impressive 1000 meter water resistance rating. Toss that number in with the chunky design (the domed, AR-coated sapphire crystal is 5mm thick) and an automatic helium release valve, and you know you’ve got a watch that’s truly ready for a dive.
It dwarfs the Rolly!
The stainless steel case measures in at just under 44mm in diameter (22mm lugs), and has an iron core that allows for an anti-magnetic rating of 80,000 a/m – as well as adding some shock resistance. This is all to keep the ETA 2824-A2 automatic movement safe and functional. OF course, with that movement, you don’t have concerns about accuracy. And that’s a good thing (I would imagine) on a dive. Paired up with the uni-directional bezel (only 60 click, though), you should be able to track how long you’ve been down.
Obviously, from the specs and sizing of the piece, this is meant to head down into the waters. I suppose someone who’s just a fan of dive-style watches could pick one up, but that would almost seem to be a shame if the piece never saw the water. That said, it’ll function just fine on the surface, especially with the unexpected date display at 6 o’clock.
Regardless of how you plan to use the watch, it’ll set you back $1295, plus another $25 for overnight shipping ($50 for international). That price currently includes the stainless bracelet (which at some point will be a $250 add-on).
All pictures courtesy of WestCoasTime
