Summer is almost over here in the northern hemisphere, but if your home is closer to the equator or you are simply lucky enough to live in the southern half of the globe, then the new Deep Blue Alpha Marine 500 still may be of some interest to you. This may be especially true for those who plan to visit one of those exotic countries with warm seas and lots of colorful fish in it: the bright-colored dials will blend nicely in that environment.
As the name implies, the Alpha Marine 500 is rated for depths of down to 500 meters: more than enough even for serious divers that use special gear to get to the bottom of the sea.
Since there is not so much light at this bone-crushing depth, the timekeeper is equipped with Deep Blue’s signature luminescent dial.
Glowing electric blue in total darkness, it would be an excellent background even in case the watchmaker didn’t equip the timekeeper with glowing hands, hour markers, as well as four large Arabic numerals.
However, they did and they even offered the timekeeper in two color variations with the lume available both in bright orange and in vivid green Superluminova.
Of course, the colored versions of the compound wear out faster than the monochrome version, but they certainly provide the watch with more interesting, pleasant to look at, dials.
The whole display is protected from salty seawater with a thick sapphire crystal that even features an anti-reflective coating: something that you won’t often encounter in a watch that costs less than $600.
Like most contemporary divers, the Alpha Marine 500 features the standard Rolex-style diving bezel. Marked for 60 minutes and featuring the usual 15-minute scale, the notched rotating bezel features only one tiny dot of the luminous substance placed at the “00” mark.
Although supposed to be worn over a wet suit, the watch is not particularly large.
According to official specs, the timepiece is only 46 millimeters in diameter and is just 15 millimeters thick. In fact, the watch is compact enough to be worn with casual dress, especially if you have the big, muscular arms of a professional swimmer.
As usual, the device is powered by a standard ETA caliber 2824-2. Robust and reliable, the self-winding caliber sports a branded oscillating weight that features the distinctive Deep Blue logo.
The movement, by the way, is perfectly visible through a transparent case back.
All in all, I must admit that this is an interesting sporty watch that looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. If it was available in my city, I would gladly get myself one, although I don’t do much diving besides some basic snorkeling.
See also: Designed for professional divers: Deep Blue Depthmaster 3000
Photos: Deep Blue
Deep Blue Alpha Marine 500 specification
Price: $599 (plus shipping expenses)
Movement: Automatic, ETA caliber 2824-2, 25 jewels, 28,800 vph, Swiss Made
Movement decoration: Branded rotor
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power reserve: 40 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 46.00 mm
Lug width: 22.00 mm
Case height: 15.00 mm
Dial: Blue lume
Numerals: Arabic, luminous
Hour markers: Raised, luminous
Hands: Luminous
Water resistance: 500 meters
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Transparent