Just wanted to give you a brief heads-up regarding a new offering from a small American watchmaker Deep Blue Watches. They have just updated their Daynight range with a Deep Blue Daynight T100 GMT Chronograph. Still capable of withstanding the water pressure of up to 50ATM, it can now be used by especially busy combat divers and other SoF operators featuring not one or two, but whole three time zones. Well, sort of.
The Dial
If you take a look at the timekeeper’s traditionally busy dial, you will notice that there are 12 hour-markers decorated with blue tritium tubes that are accompanied not only by a 24-hour scale on a bezel flange, but also by an extra scale in the same military format, but with odd numbers printed between the hour markers.
Although to my taste, the additional scale is somewhat superfluous, it is still a nice “free” option, at least for a person whose idea of a fine time measuring device is something closer to Breitling Navitimer rather than Rolex Submariner.
The Mechanism
While their Daynight 32 T100 three-hander features an inexpensive Seiko NH35 hand-wound caliber, this version sports a more complex ETA Valjoux 7754 caliber that comes in an Élaborée grade and features a personalized oscillating weight with nicely done vertical Geneva stripes.
Besides offering about four extra hours of power, the mechanism also beats at a higher frequency of 28,800 vph which allows for a smoother, more satisfying manner in which the seconds hand rotates around its central axis.
The Case
The water resistance rating is sort of impressive at 500 meters. This partially explains why the stainless steel case is massive at 46 millimeters in diameter and whole 20 millimeters high.
The size of the body will limit the demand for the timekeeper because it is much less comfortable to wear on a daily basis. On the other hand, it may be popular among hardcore divers who prefer to go underwater with an electronic diving computer and with a mechanical wristwatch as an additional safety measure.
However, the remarkable WR rating of this gadget is partially neutered with an impressive price stick, which turns this otherwise nice tool into a luxury item leading us back to square one: there are not so many persons willing to wear this giant monster as an accessory. Go figure.
Another thing that makes this new T100 GMT a bit less desirable than, say, their own DayNight T100 OPS Diver three-hander that they have released just last year, is the way the dial tries to give you all the data at once. You don’t need all these scales and sub-dials: a tool watch doesn’t have to be a Swiss Army knife, you know.
To increase its water tightness, the case was equipped with a 4.00-millimeter thick sapphire crystal and a screw-down chronograph push-pieces and crown.
The Price
Given its complexity and not counting the brand name on the dial, the watch sports a fairly attractive price.
At this time, the T-100 GMT sells for $2000 USD. To put this in perspective, the official price tag makes it almost as expensive as the gorgeous Perrelet Seacraft GMT. Rated at 777 meters, it sports a tad less impressive caliber, but will probably not depreciate as fast as the Deep Blue model.
Yet if you don’t care about brand names, logos, and all this consumerist stuff and are simply looking for a timekeeper that could also be used as a real diving tool (the 60 tritium tubes that illuminate its dial even in the darkest water are nothing to sneeze at), the Daynight T-100 GMT looks like a better choice.
See also: Deep Blue Daynight Recon T100 White 500M
Photos: Deep Blue Watches
WWR verdict
Originality 4/5
Build quality: 5/5
Usability: 4/5
Legibility: 3/5
Value for money: 3/5
Deep Blue Daynight T-100 GMT Chronograph specification
Price: $2000
Movement: Automatic, caliber ETA Valjoux 7754, Élaborée execution, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 25
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 46 hours
Decoration: Geneva stripes on the oscillating weight
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph, GMT
Case: Stainless steel
Bezel: Sapphire, luminous scale
Shape: Round
Size: 46.00 mm
Case height: 20.00 mm
Lug width: 24.00 mm
Dial: White / Black / Blue
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Orange tritium tubes
Hands: Tritium tubes
Water resistance: 500 meters
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with wetsuit extension and four micro-adjustments
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective, 4.00 mm thick
Back: Sapphire