My Last Dive Watch
I’ve just acquired what (I hope) will be my last dive watch: the Vertex M60C Aqualion. Here’s why:
Goldilocks Size - At 40mm case | 49 lug-to-lug | 13.25mm height, the Aqualion has a lot of wrist presence. On-wrist it feels smaller than its dimensions, accommodating my 6.75” wrist which is surprising, especially for a diver ISO rated for 600M.
Premium DLC Finish - DLC is hit-or-miss, and not my preferred finish for every watch, but Vertex has done a great job here with its combination of polished edges + flat DLC surfaces. It’s also proven to be very wear resistant, without any signs of wear or chipping on the bezel, bracelet or case.
Design - The AquaLion gives off both Pelagos & BB58 vibes, but ends up uniquely its own thing. I’m a big fan of all of the well thought out design choices here: the smooth matte black dial, wide number font, the use of 3D blocks of C1 Superluminova for the indices, long thin minute markers & blocky 5-minute markers and the touch of red text on the depth rating. Indices start light khaki and quickly charges into a bright green. The bezel is one of my favorite parts of the watch, with its grippy knurling pattern and perfectly aligned 60-clicks that have zero play.
Maxxed Out Lume - I wear my watches to sleep so I’m a big lume junkie. The Vertex just edges out the Seiko Landmaster for the brightest lume of any watch I’ve ever owned, and there’s even a lumed logo on the clasp.
Premium Finishing - This is the most expensive watch I’ve ever owned (retails ~$3k), and despite being a toolish diver, it comes close to my Grand Seiko SBGN003 in terms of premium finishing & feel. The surfaces are superbly machined and the dial details hold up under a loupe.
Extra Kit - This thing came with the most robust Pelican case I’ve ever seen, a ZuluAlpha brand NATO with matching hardware and a really comfortable OEM black rubber strap.
5 Year Warranty - Nice
A Couple Quibbles:
No Microadjust - While the clasp is nicely milled, thin and short @ 35mm, it strangely has no microadjust. Luckily, I was able to find a perfect fit, but this could be problematic for some.
No OTF Clasp - IMO on-the-fly adjust feature should be a requirement.
Price - I was lucky to find this one used in close to mint condition, but with its retail price of $3k puts this in Tudor territory.
Serial watch flipper in Los Angeles. Want list: Dodane Type 23 Quartz Anadigi
My guy that is not a watch, it a flux-capacitor!
My guy that is not a watch, it a flux-capacitor!
I charged it up with my UV torch to get that effect, but yes it's a crazy amount of X1 in there!
Super #divewatch shot. Love it
Great shot, just managed to pick up the stainless model used, anticipating its arrival
Great shot, just managed to pick up the stainless model used, anticipating its arrival
You're going to love it. It's a really enjoyable unboxing experience too with all the extras!
You're going to love it. It's a really enjoyable unboxing experience too with all the extras!
Had some issues with it so returned to seller, really want the no date dlc that you have but they do t make it anymore unfortunately
Had some issues with it so returned to seller, really want the no date dlc that you have but they do t make it anymore unfortunately
Bummer! What were the issues with the watch that you got? They don’t pop up often on the forums, but if you set an alert you might get lucky!