Junghans is a very diverse watch brand that produces everything from Bauhaus minimalism to practical Pilot’s watch chronographs. In the past they even produced some dive watches although that’s not represented very strongly across their contemporary collections. Until today and the launch of the new Junghans Aquaris series of dive watches with 500m water resistance ratings.
The Aquaris is split into two subgroups, which each consist of two references. There’s the Aquaris Sport and Aquaris Diver, but structurally and mechanically all four watches are identical so it’s a minor distinction. The Diver models have dark grey dials with either high contrast green or orange accents on the internal rotating bezel, paired with arrow shaped hands. In comparison the Sport models have mono-colour displays in red or blue with sunray brushing and pencil hands. So, it’s not that the Sport models would be bad for use underwater necessarily, it’s that the Diver models feature more traditional dive watch design elements that improve legibility a touch.
Structurally, the Aquaris is a very big watch: it measures 46.9 mm in diameter with a thickness of 14.5mm in steel. Part of that is due to the prominent crown guard that sits between the twin crowns at 2 and 4 o’clock, one of which is for rotating the bezel and the other for winding and setting the time. Size is important for dive watches because thicker case walls is one method for improving water resistance, so a naturally bulky profile makes sense for the Aquaris’ 500m rating. It also allows for a wider display that’s easier to read underwater. Additionally, the natural buoyancy experienced underwater tends to offset the weight of large watches felt on land, so they don’t feel as cumbersome during their intended use.
Another aesthetic difference between the Junghans Aquaris Diver and Sport models are the casebacks. The Diver features an engraving of a school of fish while the Sport has a maritime motif. Protected by those backs is the calibre J830, an automatic time and date movement with 48-hour power reserve. It’s almost a shame that it’s hidden behind the solid caseback because it’s finished really nicely.
For pricing, the Junghans Aquaris Divers are £2,760 and the Sport is £2,690 – presumably because of the small differences in hand design and caseback engraving. If you compare that to an archetypical mid-range luxury dive watch such as the Oris Aquis, the Aquaris (I’m only now noticing how similar those names are) is about £400-£500 more expensive but with an extra 200m water resistance and a slightly higher spec movement. Ultimately it’s exciting to see a contemporary Junghans dive watch.
Price and Specs:
More details at Junghans.
