Oceaneva have rapidly become the go to brand when it comes to excellent value ultra-deep dive watches – the 6000m Deep Marine Explorer VI is testament to that. But where do you go from there? Oceaneva challenged themselves to produce a deep diver equipped with a chronograph. The result is the WaveRacer Chronograph, a bold new chrono with a 1,000m water resistance rating and available in 10 different styles, making it ideal for the modern adventurer and collector.
The watch is built around four core pillars: it’s an automatic chronograph, it uses an integrated column-wheel movement with vertical clutch, it has 1,000m water resistance and it’s made from grade 5 titanium. It’s the first timepiece in history to combine these seemingly disparate qualities into a single watch. In order to accomplish this, the watch is on the large side of the tool watch spectrum at 44mm diameter x 16.5mm thickness including sapphire, but that size is offset by the lightweight titanium construction.
For the dials, the WaveRacer chronograph has a hybrid dive/chronograph display. It has large hour markers coated with lume to provide legibility underwater while the centre of the face is occupied by a tricompax chronograph layout. There are 10 styles to choose from, each limited to 50 pieces, making them all exclusive and highly collectible. Four versions worth highlighting are the meteorite, turquoise, tiger’s eye and panda editions.
The meteorite edition, as the name suggests, introduces a dial made from a slice of genuine meteorite. It was formed over thousands of years travelling through space with the distinctive Widmanstätten pattern that’s different on every dial. It adds a cool cosmic element to the watch. Equally cool is the tiger’s eye edition, which features striations of a more terrestrial origin. The warm brown and orange tones lean into the recent popularity of natural stone dials.
Turquoise is another natural stone but this time with a dramatic colour that really leaps from the dial. It makes for a real statement piece on the wrist with the contrast between the vivid blue matrix of the stone and the steel case. Although if you want a more traditional, motorsport themed version of the WaveRacer Chronograph, the traditional panda is the way to go with its white dial and black subdials.
Beneath the surface of the watch is the Oceaneva calibre 4155. It’s a column-wheel chronograph movement with vertical clutch that offers a 55-hour power reserve, 4 Hz frequency and an accuracy of +/-8.5 seconds per day. It’s protected by a solid caseback engraved with Oceaneva’s signature depiction of Neptune.
For pricing, the WaveRacer Chronograph is £3,388 for all of its variations with a pre-sale price of just £677, an 81% discount. The pre-sale period running until the third week of May with delivery starting at the end of the month. All that remains to decide is which version is your favourite, from the more traditional panda to the striking turquoise, there’s something for everyone.
Price and Specs:
More details at Oceaneva.
