The new Superocean is based on an unassuming Breitling diver’s watch from the 1960s.
If you pay close attention to watches, you may be inclined towards “another diver’s watch”. But we believe that Breitling’s newly redesigned Superocean collection is not just another dive watch: it stands out in a sea of dive watches that look more or less similar. It combines the charm of a traditional diver’s watch with a unique look – it’s all based on a charming vintage chronograph from 1965.
The new series of watches are not chronographs: functionally, they are standard diving watches with three-hand chronograph, rotating bezel and 300-meter water resistance. The looks make them especially cool – it comes from a watch with a practical design and some rather unusual features. Dubbed the Breitling Superocean “Slow Motion” (or “Slow Chrono” or “Minute Creeper”), this was a diving chronograph that didn’t look like a chronograph as we know it today.
Dive luxury copy watches are designed primarily based on water resistance, legibility, and tracking the minute – the most critical unit of time for divers. The Superocean Slow Motion initially features a streamlined design to improve legibility and removes any indication of seconds from the main time and chronograph. In place of the typical center-mounted seconds hand is a chronograph minute hand. (Its relatively slow travel across the dial earned the watch its moniker.)
A version of the 1960s Breitling Superocean “Slow Motion” watch with large square chronograph minute hands that inspired the modern collection.
Aside from the chronograph pushers on the side of the case, the Slow Motion looks more like a standard diver’s watch, but it has another interesting feature: above 6 o’clock is a dot to indicate the chronograph mode. (No, it’s not the humidity indicator on the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms mil-spec.) Since you can’t actually see the movement of the minute hand, this window changes color to let the diver know if his chronograph is running (white) , pause (smaller white dot), or not run (black).
The new Breitling Superocean watches have neither a chronograph nor a mode indicator: they are automatic divers, offering standard hours, minutes and seconds, but based on the look of these vintage watches. Most notably, this look includes a contrasting inner ring, originally intended to provide the legibility of the chronograph minutes.
Another distinguishing feature is the minute hand, with its thin stem and large square tip derived from the chronograph hands on vintage models (on some versions). It’s almost odd and somewhat reminiscent of the famous Tudor snowflake hands, but it gives these watches an instantly recognizable look.
The new Breitling Superocean collection is available in 36mm, 42mm, 44mm and 46mm – as well as a range of colours.
Another thing that makes the new collection cool is that these watches have the brand’s typical sophistication and traditional diver’s appeal, with a modern feel despite the retro pedigree (interestingly, they belong to the Superocean collection, not stand-alone, retro-inspired super marine heritage).
The new collection debuted in a dizzying array of sizes and colours (along with several bronze models), available in 36mm, 42mm, 44mm and up to 46mm. There are 29 SKUs in total, each using a chronometer-certified version of the regular ETA 2824 automatic movement.
A combination of history, purpose, slightly quirky designs and some bright colors make these some of the coolest divers we’ve seen recently. The 36mm version with the strap, the model with the rose gold bezel and crown, these are the prices we’d expect from a Breitling fake watch of this tier – we’d love to get them in the summer to test the settings.