One of the core necessities of any dive watch is that you don’t drown. While there are plenty of reasons a wristwatch can’t help you with that, the key one here is knowing how much oxygen you have left in the tank. In short, the classic dive countdown that’s defined dive watches since the 1950s.
There are, however, two different ways of achieving that. On the one and vastly more common hand, you have the unidirectional rotating bezel. This is designed so that if it gets knocked, it can only go one way, so that you’ll only ever think you’ve been underwater longer than you have. Much safer than the alternative.
On the other hand, you have the rotating inner bezel, generally dubbed ‘compressor-style’ even when it’s not used in proper compressor watches. This avoids being knocked by not actually being knockable – at least, beyond destroying the entire watch. It’s an elegant solution and my favourite of the two, horological hipster that I am. But apparently, when the designers at Golby were asked which type of bezel they prefer, the answer was ‘yes’.
The Golby Aquareef is a novel watch in a few ways, but predominantly because it has the classic dive scale, 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel on the outside and a rotating inner bezel. But rather than doubling up, the inner bezel has actually been commandeered for a second time zone. There’s no GMT hand or anything like that, but when you can independently set your 12-hour scale, you don’t need one.
It’s a frustrating idea. Not because it’s not a great one; quite the opposite. It’s frustrating in a ‘why didn’t I think of that’ kind of way. Perhaps there are other watches out there that have combined inner and outer bezels in this way, but I’ve not come across them. Regardless of just how novel it is though, I love the idea. It keeps the Aquareef professionally functional, with a clean, clear dial and proper diving bezel, but with a genuinely useful function subtly thrown in.
This isn’t the first Aquareef of course; the original 41mm version is a couple of years old now. This new version, however, has been refined down to 40mm instead. A 1mm change isn’t earth-shattering, but I still very much appreciate the change. It puts it squarely in the aesthetic sights of the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression, which if you take a look at the Aquareef 40’s array of colours, seems completely intentional.
The Aquareef 40 is all about colour. Across the six-piece collection, you have dark blue and orange; aqua blue and white; white, green and purple and, of course… black. You also have the pair we have here. The first and more unusual is the pink with a white bezel and dark blue inner bezel. Then there’s what I expect to be the most popular of the lot, the green and white. And for once, I’m completely split as to which I prefer – though if I’m honest with myself, I know I’d wear the green a lot more readily than the pink.
The precise tone of the colours can be a bit difficult to pin down. The bezel is a Fifty Fathoms-style sapphire number and the inner bezel is brushed, so even if they were perfectly pantone paired, the light hits them differently, shifting the colours slightly. It’s not a bad thing; none of the colours clash. But it does mean that it’s worth seeing in the metal to get a real idea of how it looks.
Then there’s the main dial, which uses the kind of wave pattern common to dive watches ever since Omega made it famous on Bond’s Seamaster 300m. The pressed dial offers a satisfying, uniform wave that’s relatively subtle on the white dial, much less so on the pink. I like it rather than love it. I’d personally love to see Golby experiment with some less on-the-nose patterns, but I’m happy there’s a pattern at all.
The colours, pattern and dual bezel all give the watch plenty of wrist presence. The bracelet’s serviceable, but given the look, the first thing I’d do is swap to a retro Milanese number, but then I do have a soft spot for mesh. Either way, it fits a lot into a relatively svelte watch, which is 11.5mm, meaning you’ll find yourself wearing it everywhere.
With 200m water resistance, the Aquareef 40’s perhaps not up there with the more extreme professional divers, where 300 is the standard. But if you’re looking for a watch that you can wear risk-free on your next sailing trip (ideally across timezones) and look fantastic at the helm, then look no further. Perhaps more importantly, you’re getting all this – solid specs, a sapphire bezel and a fun dual time function – for (currently) £350.
Part of that accessibility comes from a workhorse Miyota 9015 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, but there’s a reason the Japanese calibre’s a microbrand staple: it punches well above its price tag. Like the Aquareef 40 itself, in fact.
Price and Specs:
Available at Golby.
