December 11th, 2023:

Going into Monday battle with the @azimuthwatch Deep Diver Xtreme-1!
For those of you unfamiliar with the brand it was founded by Alvin Lye and Christopher Long back in 2004.

“Throughout the ages of history and time, adventurers have used azimuth, a signature denominator of bearings and direction, to guide them through unchartered lands. The Azimuth can only be fully understood by individuals who seek the avant-garde, the fine line between logic and illogic. With Azimuth, you navigate different universes. You are brought to fascinating and mysterious dimensions, which have never ventured into by humankind. Navigate the unknown with Azimuth.”

Specs on the diver:

Mvt: Automatic ETA 2826-2 encapsulated in a movement capsule and further protected by an anti magnetic dust cover.
Beat: High beat 28,800 A/h
Function: Big Date. Automatic with 46 hour power reserve.
Case: 56.5mm x 46mm x 20mm (LxBxH). One piece high grade Titanium equipped with Helium Gas Escapement Valve.
Crystal: Double domed Sapphire, double coated.
Sapphire thickness: 4.00mm.
Winding Crown: Screw down waterproof Titanium crown.
Bezel: Single directional ratcheting bezel with Super Luminova depth markings.
Dial/Hand Set: Super Luminova filled markers and Hands.
Strap/Bracelet: Rubber strap with Deployment buckle.
Waterproof: 2,000m / 6562ft.

December 18th, 2023:

Monday battle! Thank goodness for this wrist armor to keep me protected. This case is a work of horological art. The titanium beauty of a beast is packed full of so many lovely details that just scream Azimuth! Azimuth has been wowing me since 2004. The case shape and the crystal are two details that I admire constantly while wearing this watch. I tried to capture the domed goodness of this 4mm thick crystal. I do appreciate a thick, domed crystal and this one adds to that Captain Nemo vibe that is pulsating throughout this watch.

I appreciate a good logo too and Asimuth’s hairspring logo is one that I definitely appreciate. I like the cohesive carry over of using the logo on the crown and on the caseback. The screw down crown is visually stimulating not only with the logo but also with the large knurled details. I do love aesthetics but I love function more. The knurling on this crown allows for precision grip when screwing/unscrewing and ease of setting the time, date, manually winding. The crown guards are securely attached to the case via two screws. Azimuth did a nice job of designing this crown/crown guards. I really like how when the crown is screwed down it sits flush with the crown guards. That is attributable to having a clear and deliberate design plan and executing it brilliantly.

The bezel is also a highlight on this watch and it’s not only attributed to the raised markers but also attributed to the lume filled areas from the 12H to the 3H positions and the 5, 7, 9 and 11 hours that have small lume filled dots. I love that the bezel sits below the case at the 9H and 3H positions because of the extreme curvature of the two part case.

December 25th, 2023:

Going in work wristed with the @azimuthwatch Xtreme-1 Deep Diver. Perfect watch for a Monday battle. #watchesinpuddlesweek continues as well. I love the rain, don’t get me wrong but where’s my f-cking snow?!? It’s December, I want my snow!

I am really enjoying this watch. It is so unique and unlike anything I have experienced before. This uniquely designed watch case cosists of two parts. The watch movement is housed within an inner module. Why are there two parts to this case? To achieve the water resistance, Azimuth placed the movement in the inner module which helps in equally distributing the intense pressure that is placed on any object at this deep depth.

If you wondered what purpose the 6 screws on this case where for and if you guessed just for aesthetics, unfortunately I have to say that you guessed wrong though they do look good. The screws are actually functional because they hold the inner module to the outer square shaped case. This squared and beautifully contoured titanium case hugs the wrist so damn well.

If you look at the hole that is at the 9H position on this case, you can see through the outer case to the inner module that has an HEV valve that allows this watch to go to the depths it’s rated for without the case exploding. Which is always helpful.

January 1st, 2024

I like how Azimuth took it further in terms of engineering of this watch by adding a faraday cage to protect the movement from magnetic fields. This kind of added, purpose driven engineering is what makes it a tool vs just being a watch.

Yes this domed crystal makes it hard to photograph but it’s so damn cool. That’s why I chose that pic to lead this series. The double domed crystal adds to this already fascinating profile. This is one of those watches that I am constantly taking off my wrist to pull closer to my eyes so that I can admire all of the amazing & fascinating details.

The dial is also packed with detail. I love the painted sausage style markers on this dial. I want to address the white elephant in the room first. The large date window is the elephant that I am referring too. Typically I am a no date guy all day and night but Azimuth did something quite cool here. If they didn’t do it exactly as they did, I would have not been a fan of the inclusion of the date window. I love and appreciate that they went with an oversized date window for this dial. It is cohesive with the oversized cardinal markers and works brilliantly well.

January 8th, 2024:

The hands on this watch are exactly how I prefer the hands on a watch to be, both aesthetically and functionally. Once again, Azimuth took design and engineering a step further, this time was with the hour and minute hands. If you look closely at the hands, you will see that Azimuth extended the lume from the tip of the hour & minute hands and used lume to trace the edges of the semi-skeleton hands. I appreciate when a company takes design a step further like this. It not only makes for a more aesthetically pleasing experience but also makes the functionality of the watch a much more pleasurable experience as well.

The all three hands are proportional to the dial, which is always a very important design detail for me. The lume and the size of the hands allow this watch to be legible in all lighting conditions. Thankfully the lume wasn’t just limited to the hands. The massive painted “sausage” markers on this dial received a healthy dose of lume treatment/coating. This is an example of how cohesiveness is important to Azimuth as evidenced by the lume coating on the bezel, the markers and the hands. I love when a company has a clear design vision but I love it so much more when that vision is executed like we see here on this watch.

I like the red text on this dial, that adds a touch of color to this matte black canvas. The text was kept simple on the dial here and I can appreciate that. Azimuth not only kept the text simple but they also balanced it extremely well. That’s a common theme throughout this watch. There’s a sense of balance in the design of this watch. The dial has a uniform balance and the case does as well. The ergonomic design of the case allows this watch to hug the wrist which not only creates comfort but also allows the watch to sit quite balanced on the wrist.

January 15th, 2024

I am thoroughly enjoying this watch and again I am saddened that it took me 13 years to finally get one. As I have said in the past though, I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as I do now. I was so spoiled by the constant flow of buying, trading, flipping watches for years, that it took having to sell my entire collection to make me appreciate building a new one. Yes it’s a bummer that I don’t have watches in the collection that I’ve had since getting seriously into watches over 2 decades ago……wait I just did the math and it was 29 years ago when I bought my first watch. 🤯🤯🤯 I was in England for the first time too. That’s a story for another time.

The only thing that I would change on this watch and honestly I don’t know if I would. That sounds weird but it’s true. You are limited to just the rubber strap on this one, though I am sure a talented strap maker could come up with some custom awesomeness for it. I really like this rubber strap which is the first rubber strap that I truly enjoy wearing. The clasp is also a first because it the first deployant clasp that I like. It also has an attachable dive extension that allows you to wear it over a wetsuit.

I like that this is a different take on a dive watch. The market today is even more flooded with the same old tired designs than it was in 2010 when these were first introduced. As most of you know by now, I always applaud and appreciate unique watches that have outside of the box designs.
Those unique watches must be supported by quality and engineering in order for me to fully appreciate. This Azimuth diver certainly meets that criteria.

January 22nd, 2024

I’ve been a fan of Azimuth since 2003 and a fan of this particular watch for about 13 years. I was so incredibly happy when I was able to add one to my collection in 2023. Over the years I became friends with Alvin Lye, one of the founders of Azimuth. He is a like minded, passionate watch enthusiast who I have admired for two decades. It’s always a surreal experience when I befriend idols who I have admired what they have done for the watch industry. Azimuth’s Avant-garde quirkiness has always been appealing to me and I have always appreciated their outside of the box approach to watches.

The case on this watch is what I appreciate most about this watch. The two part case design that is separated by the outer square case and the inner round case is spectacular in and of itself. Throw in the mega domed crystal and the watch looks like some kind of instrument that Captain Nemo himself would use on his Nautilus adventures.

I am looking forward to taking this watch on more adventures this winter and into spring. It’s wrist hugging comfort makes this watch a pleasure to wear and it’s outside of the box approach to a dive watch makes it a pleasure to look at while it’s on the wrist. Its design and its quality are two things that I can appreciate today, tomorrow and for years to come.

January 29th, 2024

I was trying to think of what influenced me to search for watches that have more engineering in the design that separates them from other watches. My conclusion drawn from searching the dark depths of my mind came to this, the disappointments from watches I owned made me want to search for watches that didn’t disappoint me. The more watches I tried, the more disappointed I became so the importance of searching further became the main influence of my collection today, almost 3 decades later.

What influences you personally? Are you influenced by what you see others enjoying? Are you influenced by marketing? Or are you influenced by something that comes from within you?

I’ve enjoyed my journey and I’ve enjoyed the disappointments that came with that journey because the disappointments allowed me to appreciate the watches I find that don’t disappoint me.

Obviously nature influences my photography. It’s my driving force which coincidentally influences my sanity. Being trapped indoors for work allows me to appreciate my time in nature. I like being out in the more extreme elements because I find peace in the chaos. It’s hard to explain.

I’ve been enjoying the show @on_the_roam which oddly enough inspired me to do a bit more soul searching. My favorite episode thus far was last Thursday. Seeing one of my idols, @richardbaggettstudios hanging with my man crush @prideofgypsies was so cool to see. Richard is a true artist, a genuine soul and just a great human being. Please check out his art because he is a master of his craft. There’s such an earthy and organic soul to what he creates. I am always in awe of his talent!