German watches
The German watchmaking specialist has recently expanded its “Tactical” collection of extreme divers with a new model. Called Dievas Tactical Maya, the new diving watch offers all the usual stuff, like an oversized, ruggedized body, extra-bold hands and numerals, as well as impressive water resistance rating.
Designed with professionals in mind, the new Dievas Tactical Maya Diver is rated for remarkable 1888 meters of water resistance, which makes it one of the most extreme diving timepieces on the market.
To protect the modified ETA 2824-2 automatic movement that powers the timekeeper from salty water and extreme, the German engineers employed a huge stainless steel body with thick 4.5 millimeter sapphire crystal, as well as multi-gasket case back and a Helium Escape Valve (HEV) technology.
Its dial traditionally features a set of wide hour and minute hands and has all of its elements covered with greenish Superluminova. While the arrow-shaped hour marker at 12 o’clock certainly looks cool, I am not sure that shaping it in such a way was a wise idea: a simple B-uhr-style triangle would look a lot clearer and, well, more appealing for a person looking for a military-styled timekeeper.
As usual, the watch is crafted from micro-blasted, hardened stainless steel, which is known for its high resistance to scratches. Thanks to their proprietary heat-hardening process, the metal is about six times harder to scratch than you usual surgical-grade steel used by an overwhelming majority of watchmakers to produce wrist watches. The German company uses the process not only for the body itself, but also for smaller elements, like bezel or setting crown (speaking of which, I would like to note that I really like how the crown is placed somewhere between four and five hours: it is safe, ergonomic, and also a bit unusual, which is great).
Although this is clearly a professional watch, I could argue that Dievas Maya could be used as an everyday timekeeper, especially if you prefer a pair of jeans and a rough sweater to an Armani suit.
Of course, being as large as it is (according to official specifications that came together with the wristwatch, the Tactical Maya measures impressive 45 millimeters in diameter and is 16.5 millimeters thick), the piece’s audience will still be mostly limited to guys that have wrists from about eight inches and above.
While the diameter of the gadget doesn’t worry me a lot, I must admit that I find its lugs a bit too long for a normal wrist, while a number of people will clearly not approve its impressive thickness. Yes, for something that is sold as a tool watch (or, given its price of more than €1500, something that looks like a tool), the dimensions seem to be well chosen, but I still fear that for many potential owners the accessory will not be particularly comfortable, especially if they mostly plan to ‘dive’ behind their office desks.
Machined from very good, dense steel, the device is also quite heavy, so, however much trust you put in reading this small review, make sure that you try this (otherwise absolutely brilliantly designed) trinket on your own wrist before actually breaking the bank.
See also: Dievas Vortex Tactical Diver in DLC Titanium
Photos: Dievas
WWR preliminary verdict
Originality 5/5
Build quality: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Legibility: 4.5/5
Value for money: 4.5/5
Dievas Tactical Maya Automatic Diving watch specification
Price: Approx. €1500
Movement: Automatic, caliber ETA 2824-2 (modified), Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 25
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 38 hours
Movement decoration: No data
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Case material: Stainless steel
Bezel material: Matches case
Crown material: Matches case
Case shape: Round
Bezel shape: Round
Case size: 45.00 mm
Case height: 16.50 mm
Lug width: 22.00 mm
Dial: Black
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Luminous (BGW9 Superluminova)
Water resistance: 1888 meters
Strap: Anti-static Italian Caoutchouc rubber strap with genuine alligator leather insert + G10 NATO Military strap
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective, 4.5 mm thick
Case back: Solid