Modern Vintage Divers...I'm still obsessed

It's been a while since I posted. December has been a crazy month! But I wanted to put this up before Christmas as I've been venturing outside my usual Seiko and mod watch habits.

I've recently grabbed two new vintage-ish styled divers, a Sea Quartz 30 and an Atmos 50. I won't go into the full history of these watches because Momentum pushes it pretty well on their website and TGV (aka Urban Gentry) has enough Squale videos for a mini series. So I suggest you go check out those websites and videos for a proper lesson. That said, I'll start where I meant to, to begin with...

I have been back and forth with Omega divers for some time. Originally, I wanted to get a Seamaster Professional at the beginning of 2023, but Grand Seiko took that prize once I saw one in the shop. I don't regret that decision one bit, but I do keep going back to the SMP and wondering if I should still plan for one. What keeps throwing me off with the present-day models is how hard they push the whole James Bond link. And I get it, the Sub was the original Bond watch, but Rolex don't dedicate entire marketing campaigns to point this out over and over. I just want a boring black dive watch! So naturally I looked at the older Seamasters for inspiration.

I really dig the big triangle at 12 and the simple 3/6/9 layout. However as time and money are not on my side I went the quick route with a recently released homage from Watchdives, which from what I can tell are just a sub brand of San Martin. The build quality is decent as are most SM watches I've handled, and the look is 90% there.

After having the Omega-style diver I can honestly say I was not entirely satisfied. It wasn't the fact I had a copy, I can deal with that, it was moreso the fact it felt stale to me. I know that's hard to believe, especially when I just said I wanted a boring diver, but it's honestly just how I felt. So I started racking my brain for what I could try next, and along came Magnum PI.

Get ready, I'm about to contradict myself again here, I got a watch that's being entirely pushed for being on the wrist of a fictional character and specific actor. That's right, the Sea Quartz 30 claim to fame is the fact Tom Selleck wore it on the first couple of seasons of Magnum PI. The original was actually a Chronosport, but Momentum watches are supposedly owned and operated by the same family. Don't ask me why this doesn't bother me and the Omega-Bond thing does. I think it's just because Omega's marketing seems a bit more overwhelming to me? Anyways, this is the original Chronosport watch:

The Momentum watch itself looks very true to the original model. It still has the vintage vibe with the markers and bezel. I also find it very handy in that it's a quartz watch. So a real grab and go piece. I'm trying not to overinvest in mechanical watches after all because the cost of servicing in about a decade will be another investment in of itself. The thinness is also appealing and the modern upgrades with sapphire insert and crystal should make this a keeper for a while.

My only gripe with the SQ30 is the bezel action. It's almost comically bad. So loose and flimsy. The Casio Duro is much better and less than 1/3 the cost; even the Citizen Promaster (which I sold in part to fund the SQ30) is technically superior in almost every way. If I was looking for a no nonsense capable dive watch, the SQ30 would not be it at its price point. But as a cool looking watch, and for someone that just wants to have that vintage factor, it does the job fine.

Last but not least is the Squale Atmos 50. I've been eyeing this one for a while. The brand does have some legit history, moreso as a case maker, but with this particular line in their own right. They link back to the OG divers coming up when the Sub and Fifty Fathoms were the new kids on the block.

At first I thought the Atmos would give me Seiko vibes, but it really is its own thing. And with the high polish everywhere, even the chapter ring, it's almost a dressy diver, which is odd to say for a 500m capable watch. The fume blue dial was exactly what I was looking for too as I got rid of a Seiko Turtle that had a similar color dial. The Squale is alot more classic looking however. No fancy patterns or graphics here, just a good old blue dial.

I also got the polished mesh bracelet for the Atmos, which really makes me feel like I should be cruising on a yacht and not hanging at a desk. So I think I'll wear it on rubber for the most part. It's still a really nice looking piece, glad I finally tried this model.

As a last bonus mention in this post, I also got one of @Max new Anachronist no-pass nato straps delivered. Two actually, Max was kind enough to send an extra black one with my original order. At first I wasn't sure what they would work on, and frankly it felt a bit odd putting one on at first. But then I tried pairing it with my vintage Sub build and it worked beautifully.

I originally had this Sub clone on a nato, but it was just too tall. It has a domed acrylic crystal which makes it a whopping 16mm total thickness! This is why I thought it would stay on the bracelet for good. But seeing it on this no-pass nato strap makes it feel alot more old school. I think this is it's new pairing. Dare I say, it's even tougher looking now.

So, that's what I've been up to in the last few weeks. It's been alot, and honestly I've missed hanging out here on WC. I watched one of Teddy's latest videos yesterday where he interviewed a federal agent. I won't ruin it (you should all seriously watch it) but the premise is along the lines of a local watch community really stepping up to help this guy out during a very hard time in his life. Total strangers for that matter! I have no doubt there's some of those here, and I only hope to meet some of you face to face in 2024.

Enjoy your holidays Crunchers!