Introducing – Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver “Blue Devil” Limited Edition for North America – The Devil is in the Details

The Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver has been covered before, but now the Swiss brand is offering a new iteration; the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver “Blue Devil” Limited Edition. It has all the design elements that made the original Pontos S Diver so cool but in a new color derived from… a fish! Usually it is something of a historical reference, the ocean itself or simply the best legible color combination available that determines the look of a watch. Well, not in this case.

The clear cut, modern design of the Pontos S Diver collection by Maurice Lacroix is one of the few purpose-built tool-watches in the current line-up. Its bold look somewhat stands out of the often more favorable traditional designed diver’s watches available. So in terms of “standing-out-of-the-crowd”, this has all the cues to be noticed! The first Pontos S Diver we’ve covered was a Movember special edition, coincidentally released in the same time of year in 2014 and that series also featured a blue one. So how is this one different you ask? Well, let us explain.

Like mentioned in the introduction, this watch is based on a fish. An unusual choice of subject at first, but bear with us. The Southern Blue Devil fish, or Paraplesiops Meleagris as it is officially called, lives along the southern coastal areas of Australia. It looks quite stunning, with a deep blue skin and a scattering of brighter blue spots on its flanks. The Southern Blue Devil fish grows to about a foot in length, or roughly 35 centimeters for those on the metric system. It can be found in small groups consisting of various sized and aged Blue Devil fish, dwelling in and around reefs to a depth of about 40 meters so ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts.

And that is exactly where the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver Blue Devil Limited Edition will perform, with its water resistance to 60atm, which corresponds to a depth of 600 meters. A depth rating of 600 meters makes it suitable for professional diving so it is more than enough for the recreational diver discovering the Great Barrier Reef for instance. Although you are more likely to bump into the Southern Blue Devil’s cousin, the Eastern Blue Devil, but what’s in a name.

The Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver is a solid 43mm wide chunk of steel with a modern, almost minimalistic look. The blue dial in this Limited Edition is of course inspired on the fish, while the yellow touches mimic the yellow “rings” surrounding the eyes or the occasional yellow markings on the side of it. The yellow can be found throughout the entire watch, but in a very cool yet subtle, restraint manner. A little yellow ring on the secondary crown that adjusts the inner rotating bezel (a sort of reminiscence to the compressor case), the centrally mounted yellow seconds hand and the yellow dots in the dial accompanying each hour marker make it a cool addition to the collection.

Its looks and the strong limitation, 100 pieces in total (for North America retailers only), will surely make this sell out fast, and the choice of straps will most likely only help this. In addition to the very nice matching blue NATO strap, you also get a full steel bracelet and a texturized black rubber strap. A very complete package all together, at an interesting price to be honest: 2,950 USD. For that money, you really get a lot of watch, and some strong specs. Here are a few more for your entertainment and education:

• Case: 43mm, steel, 60atm/600m water resistance, crown at 3, secondary crown for inner rotating bezel at 1 o’clock, helium escape valve at 9 o’clock, domed sapphire crystal.
• Straps/Bracelet: Blue calfskin leather NATO with yellow stitching, steel link bracelet, black rubber strap.
• Movement: ML115 automatic movement (Sellita SW200 base), 38 hours of power, 26 jewels, 28,800vph
• Dial: Sunburst brushed blue dial, white and yellow markings, white date wheel, applied hour markers, sandblasted aluminum inner rotating bezel.
• Hands: Yellow tipped hour and minute hand, centrally mounted yellow seconds hand
• Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, inner rotating bezel, date at 6