The 2011 Lagunare L1000 (Ref. 3899.18-D9) comes at a fairly affordable price and combines robust design and high build quality with an exterior that many potential customers may find elegant: an important thing in the world where most diving timekeepers spend most of their lives under an impeccably white shirt cuff of an office worker. According to Glycine, the diving tool will be available with three versions of the dial: black, white and blue (which, by the way, looks more like turquoise to me.)
While the first two dials look nice, the blue (pictured) is the one that makes my heart beat a bit faster.
Maybe, that’s because the Lagunare L1000 comes in a rather stodgy case with most of its surfaces satin-finished and, combined with a white or black dial, the case looks somewhat overweight and dull. However, when the same case comes equipped with a turquoise dial, the watch immediately starts to feel light and even good-humored!
By the way, this is the first Glycine Lagunare that comes in a 44-millimeter case, which makes it two millimeters smaller than previous iterations of the diver. Being only 11.70 millimeters in height, it is also slim for an automatic diver, which is rated for an impressive 300 meters of depth. Yes, I am sorry to disappoint you, but the “L1000” part of its name stands for the depth rating of 1000 feet, not meters, so do not be confused by the clumsy efforts of marketologists.
What I am not particularly fond of here is the choice of strap.
I mean, the black rubber band itself is fine -it is reassuringly thick and looks quite comfortable-, but I don’t care much for the steel tang buckle that comes with t. Sure, a buckle is what you normally get with rubber and silicone straps, yet a nice deployment clasp would make the process of securing the timepiece on your wrist not only easier but also a great deal faster.
If I was seriously thinking about getting one of these beasts, I would probably have to factor in the price of a nice steel bracelet or, perhaps, a third-party replacement rubber band with a clasp.
Of course, playing in the second league, Glycine lacks the resources to design and produce its own in-house calibers, so it is bound to use blank movements from third-party manufacturers. However, the Italian brand offers its watches with high-grade ETA 2824-2 automatic movements that are known for their robustness, reliability, and accuracy: something that any mechanical “tool watch” needs.
The mechanism comes with some minor decor (which can’t be seen anyway due to the Lagunare L1000 being supplied with a solid case back cover) and without any serious modification that would be worth mentioning. Yes, that extra crown at four o’clock isn’t here to control the movement: it is just a part of the rudimentary locking mechanism designed to keep the rotating bezel in place. While I doubt that it has any practical use here, it still makes the gadget more interesting to look at.
The watch is going to be officially presented in March 2011 at the Baselworld 2011 trade show. No info on pricing* and availability yet.
* UPDATE ON PRICING: It was just reported that the Lagunare L1000 will go on sale at a list price of $1900
See also: Frozen Flame: IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar
Photos: Glycine
Glycine Lagunare L1000 Automatic 899.18-D9 specification
Price: $1900 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, caliber ETA 2824-2, nickel-coated oscillating weight on ball bearing, decorated Cotes de Geneve, 25 jewels, 25.94 mm in diameter, 28,800 vph, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power reserve: 38 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 44.00 mm
Lug width: 24.00 mm
Case height: 11.70 mm
Dial: Blue
Numerals: Arabic
Hands: Black, nickel, covered with Superluminova
Water resistance: 300 meters
Strap: Black natural rubber with steel tang buckle
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Solid steel