Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze Limited Edition

Not so long ago, we introduced you to a fairly good-looking, yet accessible, heritage dive watch by Edox, the SkyDiver Military. Visual matters apart, the main point of interest with this watch was where it comes from… It is based on a somewhat mysterious 1973 dive watch, found in the brand’s archives. Nevertheless, the result was a re-edition in steel with all the ingredients of a good, accessible diver. Today, the brand introduces a new limited edition, still based on this 1970s design, with an exotic material. Meet the new Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze Limited Edition.

background

Behind the Edox SkyDiver Military lies quite a cool story. According to the brand, “a mysterious drawing found in the archives of Swiss watchmaker Edox” turned out to be  “the sketch of a long-lost timepiece, the SkyDiver.” Along with the sketch, there was “a scrawled note reading: 1973. Special production in strictly limited edition.” Yet, last year, the brand found the explanation behind this enigma, which led to the creation of the modern re-edition presented here.

According to a retired Edox watchmaker, the SkyDiver was rumoured to be a secret project for a mysterious, wealthy Swiss colonel. The anonymous colonel wanted an exclusive timepiece for elite mountain paratroopers under his command. The watch had to be dependable and rugged – just like his troops. He chose Edox because of the brand’s exceptionally water-resistant watches, able to handle any situation the paratroopers might face – on land, air or sea. The colonel insisted on total secrecy. This led to the creation of the 1973 Edox SkyDiver.

The Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze Limited Edition

Following last year’s steel limited edition, the brand now unveils another model, still retaining the same specifications, but with a new (and trendy) material, as well as an equally trendy dial. Compared to the steel model, there are further updates on the case and bracelet, still maintaining a fairly reasonable price though.

The new Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze has all the classic elements of a vintage diver with 1970s roots. The case is 42mm in diameter, with a typical Sub-like design, pointy crown-guards and robust screw-down crown and lugs. Modern touches can be appreciated with the presence of a sapphire crystal on top and, new to this 2020 model, a black polished ceramic insert for the unidirectional bezel, with the indispensable 60-minute scale (the 2019 steel model featured an aluminium insert).

The case is made out of bronze and protected by an anti-fingerprint nano-coating. Although the case will still develop a unique patina, don’t expect it to “grow” green oxide all around but do expect a reasonable amount of green discolouration. The caseback, which comes into contact with your skin, is printed with a parachute motif and made from hypo-allergenic stainless steel. The watch is water-resistant to 300m. For this bronze model, no metallic bracelet but instead two leather straps are included: one in black suede, the other in smooth brown leather.

The dial of this Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze Limited Edition has been updated with a gradient colour. The centre of the dial is dark grey while the periphery is pitch black – adding a cool vintage factor. The applied markers and hands are gold plated to match the bronze case and largely filled with white Super-LumiNova. Good news compared to the steel model is that this bronze version now has a no-date display.

Powering the Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze is the so-called calibre 80, based on the SW 200 architecture (an ETA 2824 clone, Swiss-made). This robust automatic movement, provided by Sellita, offers 38h of power reserve and beats at 28,800 vibrations/hour. A no-brainer movement that will do the job perfectly and keep the price relatively low.

Price and availability

The Edox SkyDiver Military Bronze (ref. 80115 BRZN NDR) is a limited edition of 555 pieces, available soon. It is delivered with two leather straps as well as a leather pouch. It will retail for EUR 1,490.

More details at www.edox.ch.