This Affordable Seiko-Powered Dive Watch Mixes Minimalism with Vintage Vibes

With its newest release, Fleux has perfectly balanced dive watch utilitarianism and dress watch minimalism.

Published March 27, 2025

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Historically, dive watches are far from minimalist. Bold details and bright colors enhance legibility, which is crucial for spending time underwater.

Heritage brands like Omega and micro brands like Unimatic have used monotone color schemes and delicate detailing to create subtle and refined dive watches, but nothing has approached the minimalism of FLX004.

a black dial dive watch with pointed hands — The FLX004 reduced the dive watch to its base elements.

Fleux, a brand that released its first watch only two years ago, has created an eye-catching design by reducing the dive watch to its most critical elements.

Utilizing negative space and balance, two lines and a few words of text make a functional dial. A single dot on the bi-directional bezel allows it to serve its purpose.

A set of classic mid-century dive watch hands tie the whole design together and give it weight. Borrowed from the Rado Captain Cook and done in polished steel capped with a creamy lume, the sharp, angular hands define the FLX004 as a dive watch.

Standing out by cutting back

Fleux’s first two watches, both released in March 2023, adhere to traditional dive watch standards. While good-looking, they blend in with all the heritage models that stood as references and all the other micro brands copying those same watches.

a black watch on a man's wrist — The FLX004 has a 40-millimeter case.

The FLX001 has a simple dot-dash-triangle dial layout with obelisk hands and alternating numerals and dashes on the bezel. The FLX002 mixes it up slightly with a California dial and a single dot on the bezel.

Fleux’s minimalist journey began with the FLX003, which follows the same black and cream color scheme as the first two watches. The hour track is simplified to dashes with small numerals at 3, 6 and 9 and a large triable at twelve.

the side and crown of a dive watch — The FLX004 is only 12 millimeters thick.

More importantly, the FLX003 introduced the Captain Cook hands, with a broad arrow for the hour hand, a long, sharp minute hand and an arrow for the second hand. Aside from the color scheme, it is the only dial feature to carry over to the FLX004.

Fleaux found its horological voice with the FLX004. It ditched all the heritage details except for the hand, which became the focus of the design. The dial is cleared out with only a vertical line and a horizontal line to function as an axis for legibility.

the case back of a Fleux watch — The FLX004 case back is etched with the brand logo.

The brand name discretely printed in the top-left quadrant is balanced by the dive rating and “automatic” printed in the lower-right quadrant. The rest is black negative space framed by a white ring.

A tool watch none the less

The FLX0004 may be minimalist but is still a functional dive watch. Its 200-meter water resistance rating is provided by a screw-down crown, screw-on steel case back and acrylic crystal.

a black dial dive watch with lume glowing — The FLX004 hands and bezel dot are coated in Super-Luminova.

Unlike some Movado or Cartier designs, the two-line axis creates just enough legibility to read the time at a glance. The bi-directional bezel has a single lume dot to mark the starting point for a dive.

It is powered by a Seiko-made caliber NH38A automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve. This workhorse movement has a long history of reliability and is affordable to service.

Stylistically, the hands secure the FLX004 as a dive watch. They cone from an iconic example in the genre and are inlaid with Super-Luminova C3 “Old Radium” puffy lume plots for visibility in limited light.

a Fleux black dial watch laying on a table — The FLX004 comes on a Sequal woven nylon strap made from recycled ocean plastic.

Sure, the hands are a distinctive ode to a watch that the founder professed as his inspiration for the company, but nothing else about the FLX004 is derivative.

That accomplishment alone is praiseworthy for any young watch brand, especially one two years old and helmed by a man without prior industry experience.