Professional Level Swiss Dive Watch
Not long ago, we had the opportunity to review the Davosa Argonautic BG—a big diver with a robust 300m of water resistance. It’s the sort of watch Davosa does best. The brand’s latest release—the Ternos Professional Nebulous—confirms it.
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Key Features of the Ternos Professional Nebulous Swiss Dive Watch
The Ternos is a sprawling collection within the Davosa stable, modelled after the Submariner. It includes iterations in ceramic, a GMT line, a sixties-styled diver, and a mid-size range. It also encompasses the Professional Series. The latter represents Davosa’s top tier divers with monster water resistance ratings of 500m. It’s in this series that we find the new Nebulous dive watch.
“See Through” Dial
The big departure here is the translucent dial, through which we can gaze past into the movement in a sort of reverse display case. It is different from a skeletonized dial, in that the movement has not been altered with specially designed bridges to support the various indices and markers. Instead, the dial itself has been replaced with a smoky coloured glass, allowing the wearer to view the inner workings—date wheel and gear train—from the front. Like this, there is still a colourway present, as we see in the green variant featured here. Davosa also produce the watch in black and white references.
BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova
The dial otherwise resembles that found in previous models—baton indices, Mercedes handset, a lollipop seconds, and a minute track in the outer chapter ring. There is also a familiar application of BGW9 on most elements.
Helium Escape Valve and 500m of Water Resistance
The brushed 316L stainless steel case measures 42mm in diameter with a lug to lug of 50.5mm. The Swiss dive watch is also on the thicker side, at 14.5mm, which aids in the delivery of its 500m of water resistance. The solid case back, like the crown, is screwed down and engraved with the brand logo and name. In addition, there is a helium-escape valve on the far side of the dial in the nine o’clock position.
“On-the-Fly” Micro-adjusting Clasp
While the 3-link bracelet is also familiar, the clasp is new. Davosa are calling it the WaveSlide. And it’s an appreciated improvement offering on-the-fly micro-adjustment at the push of a button (or, in this case, two).
Workhorse Calibre
Davosa have equipped their Swiss dive watch the DAV 3021 to power the watch. The calibre uses either the ETA2824-2 or the SW200-1 as a base, depending upon availability, but adds a branded rotor. It operates at a 4Hz frequency and promises a 38 -hour power reserve.
Specs
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel 42mm Diameter 50.5mm Lug to Lug 14.5mm Thick /w Glass 22mm Lug Width 120-Click Uni-Directional Bezel /w Ceramic Insert Screwed Crow & Case Back 500m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Sapphire Glass /w AR Nebulous Dial Applied Index BGW9 Super-LumiNova |
| Movement | DAV3021 25 Jewels/26 Jewels 28 800bph 38-Hour Power Reserve |
| Strap | TriLink Bracelet /w WaveSlide Clasp |
Davosa Ternos Professional Nebulous Swiss Dive Watch
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Final Thoughts
The first time I saw the “see through” sapphire dial used was in the new Baume & Mercier Riviera, and frankly, I preferred it as an alternative to a fully skeletonized dial. The benefit is, of course, that legibility does not suffer as it sometimes does in a skeleton watch. The smoky translucence provides visual interest but does not get in the way. In creating a dive watch with professional level specs–strong lume, ceramic bezel, a helium escape valve, and 500m of water resistance–it would have been a mistake to scuttle the functionality. As it is, the Davosa Ternos Professional Nebulous remains a strong contender in the field of classically designed professional grade dive watches. If you are looking for a little flair without sacrificing performance, the Nebulous is an attractive option.
Pricing & Availability
The Davosa Ternos Professional Nebulous retails for $1198USD . Please visit the brand website for more information.
About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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