Linde Werdelin Octopus 1111m diving instrument

At the upcoming trade fair in Basel, Linde Werdelin will present the new member of its Octopus family. The new watch is able to sustain water pressure of up to 110ATM and is rated for the depth of up (or is it, actually, down?) to 1111 meters.

During the first two months of the year, demand for Swiss made watches declined by some 22 percent. If not the impressive failure of the European and American automotive industries, one could even say that watch sales are falling trough the floor. So it’s no wonder that watch makers of Switzerland are preparing to overwhelm us with even more exciting timepieces. The Linde Werdelin Octopus 1111m is one of them.

I am not the greatest fan of the diving watches (frankly speaking, I wouldn’t even tell a scuba set from a tear gas mask), so if I was given a choice I would have preferred the DLC-coated version of the Linde Werdelin SpidoLite timekeeping instrument: it somehow appeals to a Star Wars fan in me.

However, if I had to buy a diving watch, the Octopus would top my short list. Perhaps, it would even enter my Personal Top Three Diving Watches, fighting its way to my wallet against such great timepieces as the new Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Titanium chronometer, which is three times more expensive (and dressier) and six times less water resistant, and the DOXA SUB 5000T Seaconqueror, which is three times cheaper, is WR 1500m, but you can’t wear it for a party. Tough choice, right?

The Octopus 1111m features a rather large by today’s standards 46mm x 49mm case. Being only 13.5mm thick, it is made of steel treated with black scratch-resistant DLC coating. It is powered by the ETA 2892-A2 caliber that has a good reputation of both rugged and accurate movement (fit with a chronograph module from Dubois-Depraz, this little engine also powers the recently unveiled Breitling Navitimer 125th Anniversary watch).

To ensure the maximum protection for the movement, the watch is equipped with a screw-in crown and a thick 4.0mm sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment. The AR coating is applied on the crystal’s inner side, so unavoidable dents and scratches will not be such a serious issue for prospective owners.

Its jet-black dial with thick SuperLuminova-coated hour and minute hands and huge Arabic numerals doesn’t look like the most elegant thing on the face of Earth, but it will quite useful deep underwater in extremely poor lighting conditions.

Of course, like all LW’s watches, the Octopus 1111m may be coupled with both The Rock or The Reef computers. It is limited to only 22 pieces.

Linde Werdelin Octopus 1111m diving instrument’s specification :

Price range: €5940
Movement: ETA 2892-A2 automatic caliber
Complications: N/A
Power reserve: 42 hours
Case material: Steel with DLC treatment, unidirectional rotating bezel
Case dimensions: 46 mm x 49 mm
Case height: 13.5 mm
Dial: Black
Water resistance: 1111 meters
Strap: Black alligator strap with black DLC steel ardillon buckle (not really practical, you’ll have to spend some extra money for a rubber band)
Crystal: Sapphire, anti-reflective, 4.0 mm thick