December 21st, 2024

SeL is the first American made company to manufacture in-house, a 6000m grade 5 titanium dive watch! A very special edition of SeLturday. Please allow me to introduce you to the new SeL Xos! No, this isn’t a new watch alert! This is in for a good old fashioned review treatment. The case and dial initially screams classic SeL badassery, but after a little investigation it’s more than just another badass Omnidiver. The most notable detail on the Xos aesthetic is the case dimensions. As SeL said though, it’s more than just a downsized MK2 Omnidiver. SeL states that this is their most advanced diver they ever produced. That statement just blows my mind and those of you who own a SeL know how incredibly mind blowing that statement is!

The Xos comes in at:
Case height 13.7mm
Case diameter: 41.9MM
Bezel diameter: 44.4MM
LUG-TO-LUG: 47.8MM

Don’t let the smaller dimensions fool you, it’s still just as badass as any other SeL. It wears comfortably so far and I will keep you posted on that as I spend more time with it. It also has a commanding wrist presence. The blasted case just adds to the SeL aesthetics of the Xos.

MOVEMENTS
AUTO MVMT: SWISS TOP GRADE, SW200-1
BEZEL: BALL BEARING (24) + THRUST BEARING
BEZEL INDEXING: UNIDIRECTIONAL, DUAL PISTON, 120 CLICKS CROWN: SCREW DOWN, TRIPLE SEALED, 6H POSITION
MATERIALS
CASEWORK: GRADE 5 (TI-6AL-4V) TITANIUM ALLOY, US PRODUCED CRYSTAL: SAPPHIRE, KYROPOULOS BEARINGS: CERAMIC, TEFLON HARDWARE/SCREWS: 316L STAINLESS STEEL
ENVIRONMENTAL
WATER RESISTANCE: 2,000M
ENHANCED IMPACT RATING: TESTING UNDERWAY – TBA MAGNETIC RESISTANCE, AUTOMATIC, STANDARD: 4,800 A/m
MAGNETIC RESISTANCE, HAQ, STANDARD: 1,650 A/m MAGNETIC RESISTANCE, AUTOMATIC, ENHANCED: TBA
WRIST RETENTION
BRACELET: WAVLOCK (GRADE 5 TITANIUM) WITH RAPID MICRO SIZING STRAP: 22MM, ON OUR FULL MOTION LUG ADAPTERS
DIMENSIONS
WEIGHT, HEAD: 75g (HAQ) / 84g (AUTO) WEIGHT, WITH STRAP: 110g (HAQ) / 119g (AUTO) WEIGHT, WITH STRAP: 145g (HAQ) / 154g (AUTO) HEIGHT OVERALL: 13.7MM CASE DIAMETER: 41.9MM BEZEL DIAMETER: 44.4MM LUG-TO-LUG: 47.8MM

December 28th, 2024

The new Xos looking all badass! The dial, especially the hour markers are what allow this dial to truly standout. “SeL dials are 100% made in-house. Each dial is first machined from a high-strength, ultra-light-weight aerospace alloy (96,000PSI tensile) then hand finished with a textured, non-reflective finish suitable for the high legibility desired in a tool watch.” A highly legible dial that sets the tone and feel of this watch. What I really like about the Xos dial are the large markers and the large hands. Obviously the size of the hands and markers allow for optimal daytime legibility. We all know SeL are a bunch of lume junkies so that same legibility in the dark is achieved by SeL’s homemade lume. I love the duration of SeL’s lume. Charge it up before bed and it’s visible throughout the night.

The dial also plays a roll in the technology that is going on inside of the Xos case! “Xos dials are designed as an integrated part of the Labyrinth Flux enhanced shock isolation system so the dial and rehaut is machined as a single piece. The dial is secured to the Labyrinth Flux with high strength machine screws, not to the movement with dial feet as with more traditional watch construction.” I’ll go more into detail about the Labyrinth Flux when I get to the inner workings of the Xos later in this review.

SeL offers a plethora of dial variations. If you prefer a less busy dial, SeL can do that or if you like a dial with large numerals, well that’s an option too. You can change up the look of the hands too. So what you see here with this Xos, isn’t what you have to get. You can customize the watch to make it more “your watch”. Something you can’t do with the big name brands, but if owning a watch that a million other people own the same exact watch is your thing, I won’t fault you for your preference. When you order a SeL Xos, you are getting a watch made for you and you only. In my opinion that is pretty damn badass.

January 4th, 2025

Did you know that SeL’s dials are made 100% in house? It’s amazing what this little company based in Arizona is doing! The Xos dial is legibility to the 9th degree. But there is more to the Xos dial that meets the eye. “Xos dials are designed as an integrated part of the Labyrinth Flux enhanced shock isolation system so the dial and rehaut is machined as a single piece. The dial is secured to the Labyrinth Flux with high strength machine screws, not to the movement with dial feet as with more traditional watch construction.”

What is the Labyrinth Flux you ask? Labyrinth Flux™ is an entirely new shock protection system SeL developed for OmniDiver Xos 42. The innovation also allows for integration of enhanced magnetic protections in applications where it is desired.” It’s all about impact resistance. SeL watches are all about abuse! They are tested to extreme, so when there are areas to make a watch able to withstand beyond the extreme, SeL isn’t going to rest until they achieve this. Their labyrinth flux is an example of this!

The dialed movement is permitted a range of motion to “float” in three dimensional space within the casework. There are gaps that are present between the case and dial and the case back and the lower section of the single piece Labyrinth Flux suspension component. At rest, the movement and dial have no direct contact with the case, case back, or crystal.

A semi-flexible stem interface in the screw-down crown (not shown here) is an important part of the concept. In the event of an impact to the case, the system functions simply by damping that impact force (reducing impulse) by decelerating the mass of the dial/movement more slowly than the case turning some of that force into heat. This works in conjunction with the shock protection of the balance jewels to provide enhanced resistance to impact shock.”

January 11th, 2025

I want to talk a bit about this bezel today. The bezel on the Xos is free-floating. What does this mean? There is no metal to metal contact between the case and the bezel. The bezel itself is not touching the case. This is done in order to protect the case and crystal against impacts. Like we discussed before, the dialed movement is also free floating. This engineering is what makes SeL so incredibly innovative and special.

The bezel on the Xos doesn’t disappoint either in terms of function. Under the bezel there are ball bearings with teflon thrust bearings. That ensures the smooth rotation of the bezel but what about the precision. There’s nothing worse than a wobbly bezel with too much extra play. SeL bezels are the best in the business. I hate using “the best” but it’s true. The two pistons control the indexing. As many of you have experienced the industry standard of the click spring metal ring that’s under most bezels. It’s that circular metal ring that can be bent with little force. The SeL difference is the pistons indexing in conjunction with the bearings which makes for a bezel experience like no other.

It wouldn’t be a SeL if there wasn’t improvements done on what was already thought to be amazing. As many of you have seen my MK1 bezel insert that has some nice battle damage on it. It’s beautiful in my opinion but SeL wasn’t satisfied with it, so for the Xos they wanted better. The insert in the Xos bezel is an alloy that is 2 times stronger than their previous models. It has a surface hardness of 8,500HV (vickers) and through hardness of rockwell C38! A high Rockwell C rating indicates that the material is strong, a mid-50s or higher is considered hard but that doesn’t always mean the material is the best choice for certain applications.

January 18th, 2025

It’s supposed to be 0 degrees for a high temperature here this week. I’m so excited! Obviously the case is an awesome work of engineering. This dial is also an awesome work of engineering. Let’s start with SeL’s homemade lume, aka SrAl204. It’s some of the best lume that I have experienced. When you charge up this lume it glows bright like a flashlight. The lume does gradually fade but it has a steady glow for 18 hours. A strong enough glow that it can be easily read in the dark for that duration.

The hands on any SeL are so well designed. The hour hand is what initially drew me to SeL 6 years ago. I like the larger size of the hands on the Xos. It makes for even greater legibility on a watch that had no legibility issues. That’s what I appreciate about SeL, they are never satisfied with being satisfied. They are always looking at ways to improve upon their designs. The improvements are always function over form. SeL hands are 100% made in house including application of their heat cured enamels. What I appreciate about SeL’s hands are how they are secured to the movement. The hands are secured to the movement with a set of hubs that are made from high strength alloy. Again it’s function over form because these hubs add strength and stability to the setting. The hubs also increase the space between the hands which add a lovely aesthetic to this dial.

I really love the new style of markers on the Xos dial. They almost have a sandwich dial style look to them. The larger circumference of each marker allows for greater legibility both in daytime conditions and obviously in dark conditions because of SeL’s home brew lume. I’d love to have this style of markers on my MK1 Omnidiver. That’s how good this Xos dial is.

January 25th, 2025

Something that I appreciate about SeL is that if you don’t like this dial or hand combination, you can customize the dial & hands to make the watch more “yours”. That’s what makes these brands so special. You order your watch from SeL, customize it to make it personalized and then they build watch just for you. You aren’t getting a mass produced watch that millions of other people have the same exact watch as you have. A personalized watch that was made just for you. It doesn’t get better than that in my opinion.

I like this busy dial. The exposed jewel is a nice touch of detail. If that is a detail that isn’t something that you prefer then you have the option to have a dial without it. Same with the date, you can go with or without a date window. Yes SeL is all about the badass in-house engineering, but they are also all about the customization process. That’s one of the reasons why they are a special brand. If you follow them on instagram, they have been posting behind the scenes videos in their stories, highlighting their in-house manufacturing process.

The Xos is a very special watch, which isn’t just a “honey I shrunk my Omnidiver” gimmick. They spent months on this design and engineering. The labyrinth flux and antimagnetic properties for me make the Xos worth it. It’s incredible that they were able to pack so much engineering into this smaller “package”. With all the customization options you can truly make the Xos so different from its bigger Omnidiver sibling. I think the smaller case size works fantastic on the Xos. It’s cool that SeL has an option for those who prefer something more compact in terms of case dimensions.

February 1st, 2025

Gotta love a second hand with a counter-balance! What I appreciate about SeL is that they think of everything. Well, actually they overthink everything and then they over engineer everything. It’s not that they over engineer their watches, but when you compare them to the industry standard set by the hype brands, SeL is engineered well beyond what the hype-standard is. The truth is that SeL makes watches that are engineered in high performance standards.

“SeL dials are 100% made in-house. Each dial is first machined from a high-strength, ultra-light-weight aerospace alloy (96,000PSI tensile) then hand finished with a textured, non-reflective finish suitable for the high legibility desired in a tool watch.”

OmniDiver uses SēL MKI retention to integrate lug adapters and dual case lugs for bracelet or strap configurations secured with machine screws that are captive at both ends for increased strength. All that means to you is that you can change your mind easily, from bracelet to strap or back again, in about 30 seconds with a common hex wrench (included). What I really like about the bracelet on the OmniDiver is that the solid titanium links and cross bars are nicely spaced, allowing any mud, sand, and dirt to slip right through. I am no fan of bracelets by any means, but those crafty bastards at SEL made a bracelet that this asshole absolutely loves.

“The SēL WavLock, machined from solid titanium, gives you 24mm incremental adjustment (4mm increments) and a 14mm auxiliary extension. That’s 38mm total adjustment.  No tools required.  Plus, when closed, the design puts all of the stress forces into the solid titanium bottom plate instead of the hinge and catch like a trifold does.”

Every detail on a SeL doesn’t happen by chance, each detail happens through planning, designing, prototyping, testing and failures. Yes, failures. For true success only comes through failure. Not just one failure, but many. SeL tests are so thorough that after so many failures, that when the watch is on your wrist you don’t have to worry about it failing. If by some rare occurrence that it does fail, SeL stands 110% behind their products!

February 8th, 2025

A tale of two Omnidivers. The beginning and the current! I already thought the OG Omnidiver was pretty damn perfect, so when I got the Xos Omnidiver in for review I was blown away by how SeL improved upon “perfection”. I have said this before and I am saying it again, SeL isn’t the type of company to just sit around in contentment with what they had achieved with their previous releases. Andrew went back to the drawn board and designed a new Omnidiver from “the ground up”. Not only is the case size new, but the inner structure of the Xos is new, which I highlighted previously about the labyrinth flux. The case sides near the lugs are also a new design addition which not only add an aesthetically pleasing look to the watch’s profile but also makes for cleaning the Xos easier too. This little detail also allow water to flow through better as well. Andrew posted a video of this. I don’t remember if it was in an Instagram story or if it was on their main feed.

The Xos is an incredible piece of engineering. It’s SeL’s most impressive release yet. I am quite blown away by this watch actually. If I didn’t already own an Omnidiver, I would definitely buy the Xos. It’s that good! I want to thank SeL for allowing me to spend some time with the Xos. Thank you to all of you for reading!

Configure your Xos:

https://selinstrument.com/allocations/