Let's Talk About Decompression Dive Watches....

So recently I posted an article about purchasing watches and related accessories on Aliexpress: https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/what-have-you-purchased-on-aliexpress-11570#comment-111991  

In the resulting exchange, a question arose about the new Merkur Decompression Dive Watch and how it compares to those reissues from the major brands - for purposes of this comparison - Mido and Vulcain.

I will attempt to provide a little background and related details about the watches and then a conclusion.

First, we should acknowledge that while the decompression dial was vital to divers during the late 1950s / early 1960s, today it is more of a curiosity for heritage reissues.

If you want some of the history, there is a great article here on Gear Patrol: https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a498488/these-rare-dive-watches-were-designed-to-save-lives/ 

The two main heritage issues I'll focus on are the Mido Exotic Powerwind Diver and the Vulcain Cricket Nautical. These both were reissued by their respective brands in the past few years and have proved popular with collectors - admittedly  the Mido more than the Vulcain.

Let's tackle Mido first.

Here is an ad for the original watch:

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and a vintage example

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The first reissue was named the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 (limited edition of 1,961 numbered pieces) reference: M026.807.11.051.00 running the automatic Mido Caliber 80 (base ETA C07.621) with a case size of 40.5mm, height of 13.4mm, sapphire crystal, stainless steel bezel with black aluminum insert, screw down crown, 200M WR, and two different straps (black calfskin leather and black sailcloth) and a stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet. The list price was $1,250 and the issue completely sold out and trades now on the secondary market for a premium.

Here is a close-up of the dial

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Here is a wrist shot

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The second reissue was named the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 (limited edition of 1,961 numbered pieces) reference: M026.807.11.031.00 running the automatic Mido Caliber 80 (base ETA C07.621) with a case size of 40.5mm, height of 13.4mm, sapphire crystal, stainless steel bezel with turquoise aluminum insert, screw down crown, 200M WR, and two different straps (light brown calfskin leather and turquoise sailcloth) and a stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet. The list price was $1,250 and the issue also completely sold out and trades now on the secondary market for a premium.

Here is a close-up of the dial

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Here is a wrist shot

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Now we'll turn to Vulcain. In the 1970s, Vulcain brought forth a decompression dive watch with its patented cricket alarm. As you can see the design language is updated from the 1960s Mido to a more 1970s flair (this is the watch that Delma is inspired by for its Diver Shell Star Decompression Timer reference).

Here is the reissue watch on top of an original ad

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And here is a vintage example

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The reissue was named the Nautical Seventies (limited edition of 300) reference: 100159.081L running the manual Vulcain Caliber Cricket V-10 with alarm with a case size of 42mm, height of 17.6mm, domed hesalite crystal, screw down crown, 300M WR, and a black calfskin leather strap with orange highlights. The list price was a hefty $5,975 and trades now on the secondary market for a discount of about 30-35%. 

Here is a close-up of the dial

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Here is a wrist shot

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Both the Mido and Vulcain reissues were very faithful to the original design and made available to collectors modern high quality watches that closely resembled the incredibly rare vintage references.

All three of these watches are crafted superbly and have excellent solid movements. The Mido is the clear winner on price/value and the Vulcain on the most esoteric.

Now we come to the homage from Merkur.

I have to include the ad that Merkur runs on Aliexpress concerning this "original design" from Merkur

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We can all get a good laugh at the appropriation of the classic Mido and Vulcain decompression dial design that was bravely copied.

So clearly the ad is an overreach. What about the looks and quality of the homage?

Let's get to the details first (and the assessment will make sense)

The issue is named the Decompression Watch 1960s with no reference number that I could find. It is running a manual Merkur M01D (Fanzi M01D) Chinese movement with a case size of 40mm, height of 11.4mm, domed K1 mineral crystal, push/pull crown, 50M WR, and a either a green "leather" strap or a stainless steel Beads of Rice bracelet. The list price is $397 and can be purchased for around $120 depending on your Aliexpress discount coupons.

Here is a close-up of the dial

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Here is a wrist shot

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Let's tackle the assessment of the watch:

  1. Overall fit and finish - moderately OK - it feels cheap as hell but there are no sharp edges and everything works
  2.  The movement - acceptable - I have seen several reviews where the reviewer had trouble getting the movement to start. I have also experienced this same issue. You have to give the watch a tap or a little shake after winding to get the second-hand to start. After that, it seems to run fine and keeps good time.
  3.  The dial - while staying true to the Mido and Vulcain design, the printed dial is clearly inferior to the reissues. Again it is acceptable without any poor printing.
  4.  The bezel is a pressure bi-directional bezel that is OK and lines up reasonable well. You won't be relying on this bezel to stay put as just wiping the watch with a cloth moves the bezel.
  5.  Push/pull crown and 50M WR - complete fail - this is clearly not intended to be a decompression dive watch when it barely qualifies to get near a sink when you are washing your hands.
  6.  Bracelet - super cheap feeling BOR bracelet that happens to look really good and has a nice milled butterfly clasp. I was able to fit it nicely removing two links for my 7.5 inch wrist.
  7.  Price - you get what you pay for plus a little extra for the cool factor.

My conclusion:

If you cannot obtain or afford the Mido or the Vulcain, then this Merkur Decompression Watch 1960s makes for a reasonable facsimile to wear to parties and the office. I would not recommend wearing the Merkur anywhere near water, let alone underneath it.

It does turn heads and I have received compliments on the watch. Just don't let anyone look at it too closely.

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Reply
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Well thought out and executed piece. Would make for a good conversation starter on old school tech.

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OldSnafu

Well thought out and executed piece. Would make for a good conversation starter on old school tech.

Thanks!

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Thanks for a great reveiw warts n all. Despite its obvious shortcomings its certainly a looker and as you say gets attention, thanks again.

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So confusing dials, but soooo charming 🥰

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What seems so obvious: compare the Merkur to the watches upon which it is based, is practically impossible.  It is the rare collector who would have the Mido.  Rarer still to have both Midos AND the Vulcain. And then, having them, would want to own the Merkur.  It really is a unique perspective and thanks for taking the time to write it up. (And I know that it took time.)

Most people are going to click on this post and read about the pretty dials.  These are all visually arresting pieces. But I just want to applaud the magazine quality post with clear writing and analysis. This sort of content isn't always free.

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Aurelian

What seems so obvious: compare the Merkur to the watches upon which it is based, is practically impossible.  It is the rare collector who would have the Mido.  Rarer still to have both Midos AND the Vulcain. And then, having them, would want to own the Merkur.  It really is a unique perspective and thanks for taking the time to write it up. (And I know that it took time.)

Most people are going to click on this post and read about the pretty dials.  These are all visually arresting pieces. But I just want to applaud the magazine quality post with clear writing and analysis. This sort of content isn't always free.

Thanks for the generous and kind words - it makes the time spent researching and writing the posts worthwhile.

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Thank you for the post. That Vulcain with the case C-shaped case and the colourscheme makes me tremble of exitement.

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I own the Merkur and I picked up because it looked interesting and it’s affordable. It’s not terrible about what you would expect for the price 

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I had the opportunity to buy a couple of them, but I did not decide, today I regret myself.

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Greatgaspiwrist

I had the opportunity to buy a couple of them, but I did not decide, today I regret myself.

Which ones were you looking at? I would love to hear what's on your wish list.

Myself I would still love to find a vintage Mido in superb condition. I've seen some that have been heavily used, but I'm a bit of a condition nut and really cannot bring myself to buy too many watches that have seen a lot of action.

That being said there have been a few that I've picked up where there was a good story involved that overrode the condition requirement.

For example, this Benrus Field Watch that saw action in Vietnam. I had read articles about the basic field watches used by the military in WWII and in Vietnam. I then went on a search for an appropriate watch that would fit the time frame. I came across this most humble Army Infantry field watch from Benrus made of resin with a manual 1 jewel movement (Benrus Belforte Caliber 11 K1F) and with the notation that they were to be disposed of after use. The fact that a disposable resin watch from 1965 had survived and was still working beautifully having been in an extremely challenging conflict appealed to me to add to my collection of military watches.

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ChronoGuy

Which ones were you looking at? I would love to hear what's on your wish list.

Myself I would still love to find a vintage Mido in superb condition. I've seen some that have been heavily used, but I'm a bit of a condition nut and really cannot bring myself to buy too many watches that have seen a lot of action.

That being said there have been a few that I've picked up where there was a good story involved that overrode the condition requirement.

For example, this Benrus Field Watch that saw action in Vietnam. I had read articles about the basic field watches used by the military in WWII and in Vietnam. I then went on a search for an appropriate watch that would fit the time frame. I came across this most humble Army Infantry field watch from Benrus made of resin with a manual 1 jewel movement (Benrus Belforte Caliber 11 K1F) and with the notation that they were to be disposed of after use. The fact that a disposable resin watch from 1965 had survived and was still working beautifully having been in an extremely challenging conflict appealed to me to add to my collection of military watches.

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Now I'm trying this new social network, but I have all my current and past pieces in my feed on IG, if you like to go for a walk, although I will try to be as active here as there on IG.

I have a similar story with a Kienzle, a German military field watch, which is 34mm. sometimes it feels like a watch with too much history.

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Greatgaspiwrist

Now I'm trying this new social network, but I have all my current and past pieces in my feed on IG, if you like to go for a walk, although I will try to be as active here as there on IG.

I have a similar story with a Kienzle, a German military field watch, which is 34mm. sometimes it feels like a watch with too much history.

Ah, IG. Not a grammer myself. I pretty much avoid all social media except LinkedIn (for business purposes only). 

My guess is if I started on IG I would never get any sleep and my eyes would get shot looking at my tiny phone screen all the time (like my wife and daughter do).