Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. E.C. Andersson Calypso Denise Date
An affordable diver’s tool with onshore and offshore use.
Divers owe a lot to French naval officer Jacques Cousteau and his unrivalled contribution towards marine research. But they also owe a lot to watch manufacturers that create timepieces that pay homage to his pioneering work, like Nordic watch brand, E. C. Andersson. The brand has created the Calypso Denise watch – a dive watch inspired by Cousteau’s SP-350 submarine, designed to be easily readable.
MONOCHROME has explored the brand’s previous sports watch offerings before. The atelier gained recognition through Kickstarter crowdfunding opportunities and has emerged as a manufacturer that specialises in rugged exploration watches. The Calypso Denise features a timing bezel, a compass, 200m water-resistance, improved luminosity and a precision-certified beating heart. For the first time, it comes with a date feature too.
From sporty to specific
Still considered a youngster, Nordic watchmaker E.C. Andersson first put itself on the map in 2016 when it launched a robust sports watch called the North Sea followed by the North Sea II – both with a recognisable cushion-shaped case and a precise Japanese movement developed by Seiko. The brand’s first high-end watch soon followed – the Calypso, which used an in-house designed rotor made visible through a sapphire caseback.
The Denise watch, which launched last year, specifically focused on the needs of the professional diver. Its subtle 1970s vintage aesthetic had bulkier casebands for a squarer look, a 40mm case width (46mm lug-to-lug), and a micro-adjustment clasp.
The New E. C. Andersson Calypso Denise Date
The Calypso Denise, intended as a diver’s watch, is both functional and easy-to-read. The model has kept its size but now features a large date counter residing at 6 o’clock and legible, hollowed-out hands. The skeletonised hands have been bead-blasted to coincide with the finish on the case and their luminous coating now promises to glow five times longer than its predecessor.
Referencing elapsed time whilst underwater seems easy enough since the markers on the watch’s ceramic bezel are also luminous. The compass feature also enables the watch to be utilized whilst exploring, as well as out of the water. Two different surface finishes can be noted on what looks to be a pretty standard diver’s dial. The visible calendar window is matte finished and set against a white lacquered backdrop.
In addition to the bead-blasted hands, there are pockets of light that hit the dial adding some degree of depth to the watch. The power reserve indicator hand is coated in red and monitors the remaining life of the modified Cal.ECANE01 Seiko NE57 movement, indicating when its energy is spent.
Whether opting for the black rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet, both versions of the watch come with a micro-adjustable diving clasp for securing over the top of thick diving gear. As well as a movement regulated to Precision Certification standard, E. C. Andersson has also limited the production of the Calypso Denise Date watch. Although geared towards professional and amateur divers, its compact design and legible dial are features that can be utilized both offshore and on dry land.
Availability & Price
The E. C. Andersson Calypso Denise Date will be limited to 105 pieces and is now available for orders, at this page. They will be delivered in October 2020. The final retail price will be EUR 1,120 on rubber strap and EUR 1,200 on steel bracelet. However, the price is now lower (at EUR 870 at the time of publishing), as the closer the brand gets to the final watch, the higher the price will be.
More details at www.ecandersson.com.
After a number of negative comments and complaints, we reached out to Erik Andersson and asked for his response. This came in this morning (23 Feb 2021):
Hi Frank,
We’ve been having a difficult time on our end, as my colleague has been sick for more than 6 months. I’ve been trying to manage everything from assembly, service, marketing, economy, customer service, etc, alone. Of course, doing my best to catch up with all email enquires.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Erik C Andersson
17 responses
I own the first iteration of the Denise (and a Calypso before that) and it’s a lovely watch. However, in my experience, the customer service is disgracefully bad. The buckle on my strap broke and despite endless e-mails from me over months, nearly all of them ignored by ECA, the problem still hasn’t been fixed.
Ouch !! the end of your comment Chris might be a serious issue for potential customers 😉 !!
All the best..
To be transparent, I received an email from ECA today saying they’ll be sending me a new buckle soon. Coincidence?
Hi Chris,
I doubt it ( coincidence), did you get few words of excuses with it ?
It would be the less they can do after such a behaviour !
Quite franckly , your experience is putting me away from buying from them, which is a shame, I do like the watch and i am looking for an affordable tool watch.
But there are plenty of choice so it should be fine 🙂
I think he deserves credit for the design and strict utilitarianism. I would consider this watch on the rubber strap as a daily-wearer companion to my 116610LN
Has anyone been able to contact them lately?
@Alex… I have sent an email to Erik, to let him know about the comments. He replied within the hour, saying he would look into this asap.
For me, this is the most elegant iteration of the ECA divers. It’s the most formal looking and the one I can see wearing in the widest possible settings. Just ordered the Denise Date with the bracelet and strap combo. It’s refreshing to see a truly unique take on the diver – not just another homage.
If you are thinking about purchasing an E.C.Andersson watch, think again;
Four months ago, I ordered from Eric Andersson the Kontra-Gauss GMT (1,900 euro).
When the watch arrived 6 weeks later, I found out to my disappointment that it had a faulty movement, and that the rubber strap was missing.
Since that, I’ve had trouble communicating with Eric. he barely responds to my emails,
It took a week before he responded and asked me to send back the watch, but he refused to collect the parcel when the watch arrived at the Swedish custom.
After two months of waiting in the custom, it was announced “no claim” and the parcel was sent back to me.
Summarize the situation:
– I have in my hand an expensive watch that does not work properly.
– I had to pay an additional 200 Euro for sending and receiving the watch back.
– The rubber strap is missing.
– Eric is not replying to my emails
I hope you find this helpful.
Thanks for sharing, Ilan. I’m very sorry to read about your experience with Eric Andersson. I hope he will improve!
I have paid £1,400 for a Contra Gauss edition, ordered in November. I had cause to cancel the order, and have thus far written 10 emails to the company requesting a refund … and so far just a single reply in early January but nothing since (5 emails later).
Customer service is completely non existent, and I have grave concern for anyone that chooses to deal with them … which is a real shame because they are nice looking watches.
As you can see by my earlier response here on September 26th, 2020, I bought this watch with both the steel and rubber band. E.C. Andersson stiffed me on the rubber band. I have written to all the email addresses I could find, including Eric’s personal email address and NO ONE has EVER responded. Their customer service is horrible. They pay no attention at all. I don’t know what else to do. But they literally took my money and have abandoned me. Like the others writing here, I’m furious and frustrated.
This will be my last comment because I don’t mean to pile on, but aside from paying for and not receiving the rubber strap, I also had to pay $122 is custom fees to get my watch from DHL, which I was never aware I might have to pay. Despite having to wait months for delivery, E.C. Andersson never answered any of my questions about the watch or the lengthy delivery time and they never even sent a boiler plate, “Thank you for your purchase.” I’ve been in business for over 40 years and I know it doesn’t take much to say Thank you; and to respond to customer questions. It’s just part of the job. God help me if something goes wrong with the watch. Based on my experience and what others have said, I know I’ll be on my own. I have a decent collection of watches. This E.C. Andersson was my biggest mistake. Eric, are you finally getting the message?
I ordered and received a really nice Calypso Denise,that is it for customer satisfaction.No papers ,no warranty,no receipt, no instructions,nothing to prove the watch is one of 105 as advertised.Last but not least,it came in a scratched box not even wooden as one sees in watch reviews.Very poor service,plus EC Anderson are quick to take your money but very slow to respond to emails(Still waiting) !
@Rod… I received this from Erik several weeks ago:
We’ve been having a difficult time on our end, as my colleague has been sick for more than 6 months. I’ve been trying to manage everything from assembly, service, marketing, economy, customer service, etc, alone. Of course, doing my best to catch up with all email enquires.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Erik C Andersson
Thank you Frank, but that is his explanation to you,it does explain the poor service I and others have received,there seems to be a consistent pattern to this.Also some of the comments go further back than six months,by that token I do not buy the excuses which are excellent like the watch.Shame really!
Hi, I found ECA about a year ago and really liked their watches. Watched an interview with Eric on youtube and comes across well. When ECA released the Denise I noted that they were a little slow to reply to emails or questions on Instagram. I was undecided about the new Denise, but today looked again and was about to order one until I read this. I find the response from Erik surprising. I’s a shame about his partner but in a competitive market, building a reputation is all important. Erik could easily have got temporary assistance in place to help with customer service. I would love to do it!