Edox recently released the North Sea 1978, a deep-sea diver that paid tribute to the “Inverse Moon Landing” in 1978. This remarkable feat saw North Sea Divers descend to 320 metres in Norway’s icy waters in 1978. The Swiss brand has followed up with a limited edition that goes back to the first expeditions of the North Sea Divers in 1967. The Edox North Sea 1967 Historical Limited Edition also pays homage to the brand’s legendary dive watches like the 1960s Delfin, which used an innovative double O-ring system allowing for water resistance up to 500 metres. The use of a bronze case also represents a rich history of deep-sea exploration.
The Edox North Sea 1967 maintains a lot of what made its North Sea 1978 counterpart a great diver, including its proportions – case diameter of 43mm and height of 14mm. The DLC-coated stainless steel case has been replaced with aged bronze that recalls vintage deep-sea diving equipment. The screw-down crown is protected by partial guards and features the Edox double O-ring system for water resistance of 320 metres, the same depth achieved by North Sea Divers in 1978. The ceramic rotating bezel has typical diver’s markings and a detailed 15-minute scale, but is all black like the North Sea 1978 model, which could make visibility challenging in dark waters. A sapphire crystal protects the dial and the stainless steel caseback features a stylized dive helmet, the logo of the North Sea Divers. A limited edition number is also engraved on the back. Strap options include black leather with gold stitching or water-resistant black nylon and leather.
The black dial has excellent legibility and retro flair, with gold Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock with a tasteful date window at 3 o’clock. Round gold indices with Super-LumiNova mark the remaining hours. The gold hour and minute hands have black Super-LumiNova inserts, and the seconds hand has a round counterweight matching the indices. The dial is the same as the North Sea 1978, save for a red “1967” replacing “1978” above 6 o’clock, but it harmoniously blends with the new bronze case.
The heart of the watch is the Edox Calibre 80A, based on the Sellita SW200 automatic (ETA 2824 alternative). It has 25 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes, hacking seconds and date, and has a maximum deviation of 30 seconds per day. This movement generally runs well within that range at an average of +/- 12 seconds per day.
The Edox North Sea 1967 Historical Limited Edition is limited to 320 watches, the same number as its depth rating (and famous 1978 dive) and retails for EUR 1,790. Not a bad price for a bronze saturation diver that’s limited to just a few hundred pieces. For more information, visit Edox website.