Last year Oceaneva introduced the 6000m Deep Marine Explorer VI, a pretty revolutionary watch in terms of offering ultra-deep dive watch specs at a seriously competitive value. Naturally its success led to quick follow ups with a GMT model and even a second generation of the time and date model. The logical next step is to also produce a second series of the GMT, which is what I’ve been hands-on with here, the new Oceaneva 6000m Deep Marine Explorer VI Titanium GMT True Dive Full Lume.
On the wrist it’s as dominating as all the previous versions with its large 44mm diameter and 19.4mm thickness, which is necessary for the 6,000m water resistance rating. It’s a simple logic that in order to resist higher pressure environments, you need a stronger case that won’t collapse, and a stronger case often means thicker walls and therefore larger dimensions.
Fortunately, Oceaneva have produced the case in Grade 5 titanium, a metal with a high strength to density ratio, which means that the watch is surprisingly lightweight in comparison to its size. To the extent that it feels like wearing a 40mm steel watch. Using Grade 5 titanium as opposed to alternatives such as Grade 2 also means there are more finishing options as Grade 5 has a harder surface making it easier to polish. Something you can see with the polished lugs and brushed flanks of the piece.
One of the major differences between the 6000m Deep Marine Explorer VI Titanium GMT True Dive and the previous GMT is the configuration of its dual time zone display. The previous version had a 24-hour rotating bezel whereas the new one is equipped with a traditional 60-minute dive timer bezel and the 24-hour scale is moved to the inner flange around the edge of the dial. It means you’re not sacrificing any of the diving utility for the sake of knowing what the time is somewhere else in the world when you’re in an emergency underwater.
There are a few other visual updates too in line with the second series time and date model. Specifically moving away from the Mercedes style hand set to arrow hands with triangular hour markers. Here they’re set against a full lume dial that illuminates with a green emission in low light conditions. It’s not Oceaneva’s first foray into full lume but I think it’s possibly the best looking with its sleeker array of hour markers on top of it. There are actually two other full lume references in the new collection with blue or yellow emission, alongside a trio of standard dial options in purple, black with red/blue GMT scale and black with black/blue GMT scale.
Mechanically the most significant upgrade of this model compared to the first series GMT is the use of a True GMT movement, specifically the Miyota 9075. ‘True GMT’ also known as a ‘Traveller GMT’ means that the regular 12-hour hand can be jumped forwards or backwards in intervals of an hour independently, without changing any of the other hands. That makes it easier to change local time without resetting the entire display when you cross a time zone border. Beyond that, it’s a solid Japanese automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve and time, date and GMT functions.
For pricing, the Oceaneva 6000m Deep Marine Explorer VI Titanium GMT True Dive Full Lume has a standard price of £2,931 and a pre-order price of £676. In terms of raw specs per price, I don’t think there’s any other brand in the entire industry that comes close to Oceaneva. The balance to that accessibility is that Oceaneva’s designs tend to be heavily influenced by traditional archetypes and styles seen throughout watchmaking history rather than innovative and original, but hey, those styles are popular to begin with for a reason.
Price and Specs:
More details at Oceaneva.
