Swiss watchmaker Delma has labored to ascertain itself as a model dedicated to the realm of deep waters, and a testomony to this dedication is its Blue Shark sequence, which stands out within the area of deep dive watches. The inaugural Blue Shark, launched in 2011, set a brand new commonplace with its extraordinary water resistance of three,000 meters, laying the groundwork for a lineage of watches. Constructing on this legacy, the Blue Shark II, launched 5 years later, integrated an upgraded bezel for enhanced operability with gloved arms. Quick ahead to 2020, and we’ve the Delma Blue Shark III, pushing the boundaries with 4,000 meters of dependability and ruggedness packed into its design. Appropriate for a 5,000m dive, the Delma Blue Shark IV arrived earlier this yr with six references, distinguished by look. We had a hands-on expertise, and listed here are our findings.
Every successive technology of Blue Shark watches introduced distinct traits to the forefront – efficiency, sturdiness, and superior underwater capabilities. The 5,000-meter rated Blue Shark IV stands tall, engineered for power and safety, and each part of the Blue Shark IV exudes high quality, with options just like the helium escape valve and screw-down crown, protected by guards, to make sure distinctive water tightness, making it a dependable companion within the ocean’s depths – or on the seashore, for the Blue Shark IV is an aesthetically interesting sequence, no less than in its class of ultra-robust, purely utilitarian watches.
At 47mm in diameter and 20mm thick, the watch packs all of the spectacular water-resistance right into a cumbersome, weighty container. This isn’t a leisure-style aquatic watch; it’s, by all means, a real device for deep waters. The case boasts well-defined surfaces and options a big crown on one facet and an computerized helium escape valve on the opposite. The unidirectional bezel correctly graduated with a scale in Tremendous-LumiNova, might be brushed or DLC-coated metal, resembling brushed ceramic. It’s a testomony to Delma’s craftsmanship and is straightforward to grip and function. The ratchet is sort of loud and has a wonderful springy really feel, including to the enjoyable of use.
Regardless of its 20mm peak, the case profile is aesthetically pleasing, with a lot of the thickness coming from the domed caseback, laser-engraved with the model’s brand and picture of a shark, particular person restricted quantity out of 999 (the Blue Shark IV comes as restricted to 999 items per case sort), and water-resistance ranking, emphasised twice, the 5,000-meter with the shark picture, and 500ATM on the periphery of the caseback (and there’s one other 5,000m point out on the dial in case you made it that far and forgot that your watch can’t deal with it anymore…)
The dial, no matter its color (black, blue or orange), presents distinctive legibility. Coated with Tremendous-LumiNova, the arms stand out with readability towards the daring numerals and indices, guaranteeing clear visibility even within the darkest depths. The date window at 3 o’clock is a characteristic designers ought to have skipped; nonetheless, it doesn’t make the watch lose factors. The sapphire crystal, outfitted with an anti-reflective coating, mitigates any hindrance to readability regardless of its thickness.
Transferring to the bracelet/strap, the Delma Blue Shark IV presents some noteworthy options. The three-link bracelet feels easy and refined, and customers can simply change to a sturdy leather-based or rubber strap they personal, for the lug distance is sort of widespread at 22mm. Nevertheless, each Blue Shark IV has a rubber strap matching the dial included within the presentation field. Delma employs safety screws to safe straps and bracelet hyperlinks, offering a screwdriver for the screws fixing the bracelet to the lugs and one other for the screws between the hyperlinks. The security clasp is vast and thick but proportionate to the weighty watch, guaranteeing a balanced really feel.
With a chrome steel bracelet, the watch weighs round 300 grams. For individuals who recognize a considerable timepiece however this appears a bit too heavy, the Delma Blue Shark IV on the rubber strap presents a noticeable enchancment in put on consolation. Energy comes from a Sellita SW200-1, a tried-and-tested motion identified for its respectable precision, sturdiness and ease of serviceability. Nothing spectacular, however a sturdy motion completely fitted for the job – and one that permits a lower cost, too.
The Delma Blue Shark IV is sort of a dive watch, prepared to beat the challenges of the deep waters. It’s all about efficiency underwater and over a wetsuit, much less about consolation on shore. With the lug-to-lug measurement of 55mm and 20mm thickness, the Blue Shark IV shouldn’t be for everybody, however so is the deep diving. Nonetheless, the watch presents distinctive traits and attractiveness for EUR 2,390 in metal or EUR 2,490 in metal with a DLC metal bezel. To dive into your pockets or not, the selection is yours.
For extra info, please go to www.delma.ch.
