Over the decades, dive watches have moved beyond their technical origins as a necessary device to survive underwater scuba sessions, becoming just as much of a style accessory for those never intending to take to the water. However, Breitling’s Superocean has long successfully found a balance between fun and functional, and its latest playful and colourful collection is no exception.  

These new additions to the family look to one particular piece in the archive for inspiration – the SuperOcean Slow Motion from the 1960s and 1970s. This handsome model eschewed superfluous features in favour of clear design and optimal legibility, with a high-contrast dial ring introduced to the minutes scale. More unusually, the standard seconds hand was removed, as it wasn’t often used by divers. Instead, it featured a minutes-based chronograph that took an hour to make a full rotation of the dial. 

While the latter is something of an idiosyncrasy that holds little relevance to how people wear their watches today, many of the other distinctive features of the Slow Motion instead make a welcome return on these latest releases. These include its square minute hand, while a circle near the tip of the second hand nods to the original’s circular window that displayed different colours depending on whether the chronograph was in motion. 

These little details provide a quirky retro touch to the otherwise contemporary range, available in a plethora of dial colours, four different sizes and in combinations of stainless steel and bronze. The same attention has been paid to practicality, should you wish to do more than just look good on the beach. The new Superocean is water resistant to 300 metres, and offers excellent protection against shock, sand and saltwater. Meanwhile its two strap options, in rubber or a metal version, have a folding clasp that allows for micro-adjustments to comfortably fit over rash guards or dive suits. 

For those super serious about their surfing, Breitling has once again teamed up with their all-star Surfing Squad for this collection. This includes a limited-edition model co-designed by world champion Kelly Slater, in an eye-catching orange and green colour scheme influenced by a watch his dad used to wear when hitting the waves. 

breitling.com