Jacques Cousteau didn’t simply introduce the world to the enduring great thing about coral reefs and chambray shirts—he additionally helped kick off a collective love affair with dive watches. Greater than 50 years after Cousteau and his shipmates first pulled on their rolled-up beanies, the dive watch has grow to be a ubiquitous, with or with out the addition of a set of fins and an oxygen tank.
Through the years (and with a bit assist from guys like James Bond and Thomas Magnum) the trendy dive watch has grow to be a go-to for anybody searching for a timepiece that’s as fashionable as it’s sturdy. Whereas the Rolex Submariner is by far probably the most coveted (and different high-end fashions from Omega, Tudor, and Panerai have devoted followings of their very own) you don’t must spend hundreds of {dollars} to place a traditional diver in your wrist. The Orient Kamasu, a Japanese-made dive watch with an computerized motion, ticks the entire proper packing containers, and can set you again simply $226.
Whereas much less well-known than different Japanese manufacturers like Seiko and Citizen, Orient has been within the watchmaking recreation because the Nineteen Fifties, and launched its first computerized dive watch in 1964 (4 years earlier than The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau premiered on ABC, in case you had been questioning). Since then, Orient has quietly maintained its dedication to constructing mechanical timepieces just like the Kamasu, which mix vintage-inspired seems to be with premium specs and reasonably priced costs.
Launched in 2019, the Kamasu is a more recent addition to the Orient dive watch lineup, however its massive, blocky hour markers, three-piece metal bracelet, and matte black unidirectional bezel place it squarely within the firm of traditional designs from the golden period of dive watches. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown, and 200 meters of water resistance, in the meantime, make it greater than able to standing as much as the trials of the deep. Which suggests whether or not you are exploring the ocean’s depths or simply attending to the underside of your inbox, the Kamasu’s rugged design and traditional styling—very like a chambray shirt or a teeny-tiny beanie—will service you as ably right now as they did in Cousteau’s period.
