Top 3 dive watches in titanium that take the route less travelled – Tudor vs Carl F. Bucherer vs Ulysse Nardin

Top 3 dive watches in titanium that take the route less travelled – Tudor vs Carl F. Bucherer vs Ulysse Nardin

Today, we look at the top 3 dive watches that take the route less travelled. We all know that dive watches come in various materials, shapes and sizes. 

So for our list, we have chosen the following selection criteria: Titanium case material.

We are listing the top 3 dive watches in terms of the release date: brand new, Carl F. Bucherer; recent, Ulysse Nardin; and not so recent, Tudor.

Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Black

The Patravi family currently features sports watches that include the 2019 Black Manta Special Edition, men’s models in blue or black and a range of colourful timepieces for women. Joining this family in April 2020 is the new Patravi ScubaTec Black: a blacked out stealth version. Exceptional legibility is the most striking part of this watch. The black dial with stylised wave pattern features an impressive amount of blue Super-LumiNova in the hour, minute, second hands and the black indices.

Quick Tech Specs: The reference 00.10632.28.33.01 (rubber strap with PET textile layer) features a COSC-certified chronometer calibre CFB 1950.1 that is an automatic mechanical movement. The movement that is based on ETA-2824 beats at the frequency of 4Hz (28’800 A/h) and comprises of 25 rubies. The movement is encased inside a 44.6mm diameter and 13.45 thick DLC-coated titanium case. The case features a unidirectional rotating titanium black DLC bezel with black ceramic inlay and a 60-minute scale and luminous markers. The black dial shows hour, minute, second hands, and date at 3’o clock. The watch offers an okay 38-hour power reserve and water resistance of 500m (50 ATM). The watch also features a titanium screw-down winding crown at 3’o clock and an automatic helium escape valve at 8’o clock. It comes on a rubber strap with recycled PET textile layer on a diving folding clasp in DLC-coated titanium.

Standout: A black rubber strap with fabric made of 100% recycled plastic bottles removed from the ocean rounds out the sporty, elegant look. We commend Carl F. Bucherer’s focus on the idea of sustainability and the fact that they have been collaborating with the Manta Trust for many years to help conserve manta rays and their habitats. Aside from this, the legibility on the dial is killer.

Ulysse Nardin Diver X

The brand has launched two new limited edition — 300 pieces each — releases to mark the Vendée Globe race, the world’s most daunting open-ocean race. Two new editions, the Diver X Cape Horn and Diver X Nemo Point are released to front the brand’s sponsorship of the event. The races occur every four years and the next one that is due to begin on November 8 this year will see the brand as the official time keeper. Both the watches are 44mm in diameter and the geographical coordinates of both Cape Horn / Nemo Point as well as the route of the Vendée Globe race are stamped on the back of each watch. 

Quick Tech Specs: The references 1183-170LE/92-CAP (Cape Horn version) or 1183-170LE/93-NEMO (Nemo Point version) feature the calibre UN-118 that is an automatic in-house designed movement. The movement is encased inside a 44mm diameter black DLC-coated titanium case. The case features a unidirectional rotating black titanium and carbon bezel (or a blue rubberised bezel). The black (Cape Horn) or blue (Nemo Point) dial shows hour & minute hands, small direct seconds and round date window at 6’o clock and a power reserve indicator at 12’o clock. The watch offers a very decent 60-hour power reserve and water resistance of 300m (30 ATM). Both watches come on fabric straps with velcro closing. 

Standout: We like how Ulysse Nardin has incorporated a variety of additional designs to make their watches stand out. Both watch dials feature the instantly recognisable “X” that is boldly stamped 6-12 in relief across the face. The Diver X Cape Horn features a saffron burnt orange stitching on its strap that recalls the Spice Route while the Diver X Nemo Point features a blue fabric strap with red lining that is reminiscent of the leash on a surfboard. Since 1846 Ulysse Nardin has maintained its links with the nautical world; these limited edition releases are presented in true testimony to that. 

Tudor Pelagos LHD

The Pelagos LHD (Left Hand Drive) is a technical diver’s watch that is aimed at people who wear their watches on their right wrists. Divers’ watches that were intended to be worn specifically on the right wrist caused issues as the diver would have to wear their watch turned upside down on their right wrist. The dial is a standout feature of the watch, given its been reworked with beige luminescent markings, features the “snowflakes” hands that first appeared in reference 7021 in 1969, and the name “PELAGOS” in red at 6’o clock. Nicknamed “Roulette” by collectors, the watch features a beige calendar disc that displays even days in red and the odd in black. As a first for Tudor, Pelagos LHD is produced as a numbered series with each model featuring a unique production number that is engraved in large Arabic numerals on the case back.

Quick Tech Specs: The reference 25610TNL features a COSC-certified manufacture calibre MT5612-LHD that is a self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system. The movement beats at the frequency of 4Hz (28’800 A/h) and comprises of 26 jewels. The movement is encased inside a 42mm diameter titanium and steel case with satin finish. The case features a unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel in titanium with a ceramic matt black disc and graduations with beige luminescent coating. The black dial shows central hour, minute, second hands, and date at 3’o clock. The watch offers an impressive 70-hour power reserve and water resistance of 500m (50 ATM). The watch also features a titanium screw-down winding crown at 9’o clock with the TUDOR logo in relief and an automatic helium escape valve at 3’o clock. It comes on a titanium bracelet with folding clasp and an additional rubber strap with buckle.

Standout: We commend this for its 70-hour power reserve: theoretically the user can take off the watch on Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to rewind it. And the daily wear appeal is tempting. At 42mm the Tudor option is perhaps the most daily wearable of these three.

There you have it, top 3 dive watches in titanium. In this underwater battle of Carl F. Bucherer vs Ulysse Nardin vs Tudor, who would you pick?

Please leave your comments in the section below.

For more information on these watches, head to their websites via the links here: Carl F. Bucherer, Ulysse Nardin, and Tudor.