A while ago IWC introduced an entirely renewed Aquatimer collection. All IWC Aquatimer watches have been redesigned and now feature the same design cues, and, more importantly, functional upgrades such as the new Dive-Safe system and an externally operational internal dive-time bezel. We tried out the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau” for several weeks and ended up liking it more and more as the test period went on.The IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau is a special edition, based on the Aquatimer Chronograph. It features a recognizable blue dial that previous “Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau” watches also had. It commemorates Cousteau’s fantastic voyages and films that made millions aware of the beauty of the underwater world — in a time when most people didn’t have a clue about what was going on under that blue surface.In 1967, IWC introduced the very first Aquatimer, which had a depth rating of 200 meters. The first charming fake watches Aquatimer adopted style elements similar to those used on many dive watches of that era. This is called a compressor-style case, featuring two crowns on one side of the case. One crown to wind the movement and adjust the hands, and the second crown to turn the inner diving bezel.
In 1982 IWC introduced the legendary Ocean 2000, conceived in collaboration with the Porsche design team, which, as its name indicates, had a depth rating of 2,000 meters. At the time, it was the first serial-produced dive helpful fake watches in titanium with a 2,000-meter depth rating. Today it’s a highly sought-after collectors’ piece. During this period, the “normal” Aquatimer was not in IWC’s collection. The Ocean 2000 did not feature an inner diving bezel, as its predecessor did; however, its external one obviously served as an inspiration for the new 2014 Aquatimer collection.The Aquatimer reappeared in IWC’s collection in 1997, as part of the legendary GST collection. GST stands for “Gold, Steel, Titanium,” and functional copy watches was a pioneer in using titanium as material for watch cases and even bracelets. The new IWC Aquatimer models features an external dive bezel, like the Ocean 2000. Two years later, in 1999, IWC introduced another iconic dive watch: the Replica Watches. This was IWC’s first dive watch with a mechanical depth gauge.
In 2004, IWC introduced an entirely new Aquatimer family of watches. All models featured an inner diving bezel, which wasoperated through a dedicated crown. In 2008, IWC Replica celebrated its 140th anniversary and introduced the Vintage Collection, which comprised of six “founding legends,” including a re-issue of the very first Aquatimer. The re-issue featured an inner diving bezel, like its predecessor. An entirely new IWC Aquatimer collection debuted in 2009, again without an inner dive bezel on the watches. (The inner diving bezel and IWC seem to have a bit of a love/hate relationship: while the brand recognizes the importance, both functionally as well as aesthetically, it remains a difficulty in production and service.) Together with the new Aquatimer family, a new version of the iconic Deep One, now called the Deep Two, was introduced. This year, IWC Replica Watches brings back the inner rotating dive bezel, which is now, for the first time, operated by an external rotating bezel. All the new watches in the 2014 Aquatimer family feature this very user-friendly diving bezel. Also, a third version of the dive watch with mechanical depth-gauge is introduced: the Deep Three.
The external bezel is bi-directional, and through a sliding clutch system it locks into place at one-minute intervals and ensures that the internal bezel can only be moved counterclockwise. Another new feature that can be found on the new Aquatimer family of watches, is the Cheap IWC Replica bracelet quick-change system. The well-known system, which uses spring bars, is easily accessible with a spring-bar tool, and has more solidity with the additional metal clamp. This may seem insignificant; however, if you have tried to change a rubber strap before, you know how much fidgeting it takes before you finally can remove the strap. The new bracelet quick-change system might not look like something very special, but in reality it’s a vast improvement.
