A Distinguished Luxury Watch Brand Is Resurfacing Its Vibrant ’70s Dive Watch

Dive watches from the late 1960s and early 1970s share a distinctive design language that fans of the genre, myself included, can’t get enough of.

The so-called “Golden Age of Dive Watches” dramatically shifted case and dial design. This was done to improve water resistance, durability and legibility, but in a fun and energetic way.

Girard-Perregaux

Geometric patterns, carried over from popular art of the time, decorated dials with vibrant color palettes. Hands got bigger and squared off. Cases got chunkier and took on cushion and elliptical shapes.

Few watches better demonstrate this design ethos than the Girard-Perregaux Deep Diver. First introduced in 1969, it featured a geometric dial reminiscent of a roulette table, a cushion-shaped case and wide, angular hands.

Girard-Perregaux

The esteemed Swiss watchmaker has teamed up with Bamford Watch Department to resurface the iconic diver, explicitly modeled on a 1971 reference.

This limited edition run of 350 pieces improves upon the original with a titanium case, anti-reflective sapphire crystal and the cutting-edge, in-house caliber GP03300 automatic movement.

Lost at sea

The original Deep Diver is a lost treasure for dive watch enthusiasts. Despite having the backing of a prestigious brand and one of the most beautifully audacious dials of the age, it has been greatly overshadowed by contemporaries from brands like Doxa, Zodiac, and Panerai.

Girard-Perregaux

There is a strong demand for the distinctive retro dive watch design language right now, and Bamford Watch Department recognized the potential of the Deep Diver.

The British watch custom shop and vintage dealer initiated the project with Girard-Perregaux, which is why the dial is signed with both brand logos. Although it is technically part of Girard-Perregaux’s Legacy Editions series of reissues, this funky diver is only available online through Bamford’s web store.

Girard-Perregaux

Bamford’s logo sits at six o’clock, where it reads “Gyromatic” on the original Deep Diver series. Gyromatic was a bi-directional winding system that enhanced the charging efficiency of the automatic movement.

Getting back in the water

Under Bamford’s guidance, the Deep Diver Legacy is one of the most faithful reissues I’ve ever encountered. The case and dial are nearly a mirror image of the original, and the rubber strap is shaped exactly like the steel bracelet on the original.

Girard-Perregaux

It is quicker to list the only significant differences from the 1971 model: the grade five titanium used for the case, orange lume paint on the hands and hour markers and the new caliber GP03300 automatic movement.

Everything about the dial is artistically unconventional. The minute track emanates as blue lines from the large orange central circle like sun rays. A date window at three o’clock is set into the hour marker.

Girard-Perregaux

An inner rotating diving ring blends perfectly into the dial with an angular space age font for the minute markers. It is operated with a crown at two o’clock, while the lower crown adjusts the time and date.

Outside of the dial, the case is a unique cushion shape with gently curved sides and sharp edges at the lugs. It is topped with a 14-sided bezel framing anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and the blue-tinted display case back is decorated with a graphic of Neptune’s trident.

Girard-Perregaux

There is no shortage of reproduction dive watches from the late 1960s and early 1970s, but the Deep Diver Legacy Edition stands out in an increasingly crowded niche with its era-defining dial.

Girard-Perregaux is far from the first name that comes to mind when you think of dive watches, but this faithful reproduction might be the best modern representation of the “Golden Age of Dive Watches.”

Availability and pricing

The Girard-Perregaux x Bamford Watch Department Deep Diver Legacy Edition is available now from Bamford for £12,900, which currently exchanges to about $15,100.

It is also available at Girard-Perregaux’s boutique shops worldwide.

Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux x Bamford Deep Diver Legacy Edition

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Girard-Perregaux caliber GP03300
Water Resistance	200m

• $15,100 at Bamford Watch Dept.

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