Unlike today, the first diver's watches were very large and provided the diver with no other additional functions except the display of the current time. It wasn't until the early 1950s, when the first diver's watches with a rotating bezel had been developed, that enables the diver to safely and accurately monitor the periods of his dives. To this era, in which a now legendary sports watch design was created, we pay tribute with the STEINHART Ocean 39 Two-tone and bow to the technical developments of yesteryear with a little bit of “golden” flair.
 |
Steinhart Ocean One 39 Two-tone Ceramic
|
First two-tone 39mm diver from the Maison, the Steinhart Ocean 39 Two-Tone is to a very high standard in terms of case execution and finishing. The case of the Steinhart is made from 316L stainless steel. Features a satin brushed finish on the top of the lugs and polished sides of the case.
The unique two-tone design is seen on its steel bezel and screw-down crown, treated in yellow gold accent, only to be completed by its bi-tone bracelet for a mix of elegance. The 39mm case is has a 47mm from lug-to-lug dimensions making this comfortable on most wrist sizes.
Starting from the gold bezel on the Ocean 39 Two-Tone is a classic diver design. Cladding a ceramic bezel insert for added scratch resistance, the knurling on the side of the bezel is deep and clean. This helps in getting a good grip on the bezel for easy bezel operation. The 120 clicks bezel clicks positively into position. The new ceramic bezel has numbers and markers that are all engraved to give it depth. The cavities are then filled in golden paint to match the theme with a luminous triangle at the 12 o'clock position.
 |
Two-tone bezel, case and bracelet
|
But that's not the only highlight of this two-tone retro style dive watch. Design of yesteryear’s charm, combined with technology and materials of today, the golden screw-down crown is located at 3 o’clock protected by two crown guards, and is good for a water resistant rating of 300m. The Ocean 39 comes with a flat sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating on the inside, with an additional magnifier at the date display position to enhance the date reading.
Underneath the crystal lies a matte black dial with applied markers, only this time is gold gilded for both the handset and hour markers. Further, SuperLuminova luminous is applied to the markers, minute, hour and second hands.
The Ocean 39 Two-Tone uses the tried and tested ETA 2824-2/SW 200, élaboré Swiss automatic movement. Listen to the heartbeat of the ocean with the reliable automatic élaboré movement, operating at 28,800 bph (4 Hertz) with hacking and hand winding capabilities, this calibre is built with 25/26 jewels and a power reserve of approximately 40 hours.
 |
| SuperLuminova glows in the dark |
The Steinhart Ocean 39 comes with a satin brushed stainless steel bracelet with screw links and fliplock. The ritzy finishing follows through the two-tone stainless steel bracelet where the middle links are in yellow gold tone, accentuating the luxurious touch of the popular 70s two-tone sports watches.
Overall, the Steinhart Ocean 39 Two-tone exhibits exceptional value with alluring vintage appeal. For the price, you get a Swiss Made watch with a Swiss movement, a unique two-tone 300m diver watch with SEL bracelet and an overall well finished sturdy watch. This was before not achievable until Steinhart arrived and also probably the reason why Steinhart has quite a huge following although only been around for only 15 years.
