Edox Skydiver Neptunian – Divine but underratred?

Tags: Review | Edox | Men's | Classic | Diving

22.8.2022 | 5 MIN | 4x comment

We have more divine divers in our offer, but divers who dare to stand on the level of the Roman Gods? The Edox Skydiver Neptunian aims really high (or rather deep) with its name and, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting that the current Edox collection has to offer. But how does it stack up against other, more popular Swiss competition?

Ancient name, contemporary watch

Neptunians only joined Edox's offer in 2020, and considering how (let's face it) little attention the brand attracts, these divers have quite resonated with the internet and the attention of watch lovers.

At the time, they were described as divers with a specification that few other models can match: "A full depth of 1,000 meters is quite rare, and Edox achieves it at a surprisingly affordable price" (Erik Slaven, Monochrome-watches 2020). And in general, they became known as "a fully equipped and well-made watch for deep diving", backed by a reliable brand and for which you will not pay a fortune. (Brice Goulard, Monochrome-watches, 2021).

I can't help but agree with that. Water resistance up to 1000 M is quite rare, and I can only think of a few pieces from Invicta (e.g. these StarWars) that reach this value as well. The price tag for such durable mechanics is also favorable, even if we take into account that the Edox brand does not belong to the Swatch Group like many more popular competitors (Tissot, Certina, Hamilton...), and therefore has to depend only on itself.

I don't reckon that everyone who thinks about Neptunians also thinks about deep diving. But the very awareness of the claimed resistance is disarming... Just like Neptune itself with the mighty trident, which turns off his manly chest on a pumpkin (in short, a boy's thing, this watch, huh? ;) ).

The case back is, of course, screw-on and, in addition to Neptune, it also impresses with serrations around the perimeter, reminiscent of the serrations of a lunette.

The case is, of course, full, which should be a commonplace for such a waterproof watch (only the Seastary 2000 is surprising in this regard, revealing the mechanical movement despite its high water resistance... Yes, get ready, I won't resist comparisons with these favorites of mine in throughout the entire article). Underneath it beats the reliable Swiss movement Sellita SW 200 with a power reserve of 38 hours running at a frequency of 4Hz and with 26 stone deposits.

Neptunian belongs to the Skydiver series, which boasts an interesting story! The Sky Diver is inspired by models from the 1970s that a certain Swiss colonel had made for his unit of elite paratroopers. They were to be suitable for both aviators and divers. The whole project was supposed to be top secret. The story of the mysterious order was told only by a former Edox watchmaker, when the search for the origin of the found watch with the engraved text "1973. Special production in strictly limited edition" began.

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They attract with their design and are great to wear

A watch suitable for saturation diving and there will never be any crumbs in the mechanics (perhaps like in some science fiction). And when you name a watch Neptunian, it has to live up to it. Heavy steel divers with a thickness of 16 mm and a diameter of 44 probably won't please men with skinny wrists. On the other hand, compared to the mentioned more popular Tissot Seastar 2000, which we all adore, it is not such an exaggerated value. Seastar 2000 (with 600m water resistance) are 46 mm, so their size and weight can be a burden not only for skinny people.

The legs are then slightly beveled, so they can stick nicely to the wrist.

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The design, although very classic, can definitely please and attract attention. We won't find the currently increasingly popular structuring on it, but the smooth surface in bright (but not flashy) colors, gently transitioning to a darker tone along the edges, looks beautiful without exaggeration.

By the way, it is covered by a 3 mm thick sapphire crystal (the strongest we can find at Edox).

The case is then lined with a ceramic bezel with white markings and a luminescent zero point. It is traditionally black, but recently more interesting color variants have been swarming (both on steel and rubber: take a look at the entire collection so far).

The data is really great to read and that also applies to the watch itself. At Edox, they revived the classic rectangular shape of the indices by beveling them at 6, 9 and 12 o'clock, decorated the arrow hour hand with a "cathedral" pattern, and the second hand has a pleasing lollipop finish. It is known that the Edox brand draws and designs its own designs, and it must be noted that they know how to make classics interesting. Everything from the dial to the bracelet looks very balanced, finished, unbroken... In short, nice work.

Oh, the luminescence...

The indices are then allegedly coated with the highest class of Swiss Super-Luminova. And here comes the first oops. The watch dazzles when illuminated, and as far as durability is concerned, the top class of this lumi should last a really long time. However, the results of our recent luminescence test actually surprised us a bit. While the Tissot Seastar excelled with the same luminescence, the Neptunians... Well, maybe we were unlucky with a defective piece so we'll definitely be testing this model again:

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When watching the luminescence, the "hole" after the date stick stands out even more. Yes, it's a practical complication and many people can't afford it. However, I will not forgive myself a slight nit-picking when I admit that the window, if it has to be there, could be moved back a bit so that its edge matches the edges of the indexes.

The last detail that bothers me a little was pointed out by Jovana Krstevski's review from Wristreview (2020): "Another small detail that I think could have been avoided is the water resistance text on the chapter ring. A clean bezel would have looked better in my opinion and the depth reading could merge with the text above number 6."

And my foreign colleague is telling the truth, without the slightly distracting data on the chapter ring, the entire look of the watch would have a lighter feel and the beautiful colored face of the dial would have more space. Which would not be a bad thing, because with a wide bezel and a chapter ring oppressing the dial, the watch visually looks smaller than it should.

The screw-down crown is protected and I have to say that it was comfortable to handle and there was no wobble or other screw-down crown issues.

Perhaps you would then expect official ISO 6425 diving certification for such a durable watch. However, this is more expensive and we did not receive it from a smaller independent brand. And it could increase the price tag quite a bit.

But these are really small things that express me being slightly spoiled and, as I have said more than once, the watches are really well made and certainly do not detract from their beauty. And if you are looking for a less mainstream brand and a watch with a masculine, classic but interesting design and a Swiss pedigree, this is the right match for you.