Carlingue Diver 01 Review: Bronze Value from a Promising New Brand

Article by Marc Levesque; photography by Brent Robillard

Alexandre Voirin

In May of this year, we were fortunate to have Alexandre Voirin as a guest on Episode 18 of the Time 2 Calibrate Podcast. Alexandre has an extensive watch design background and nearly a decade of experience at Longines. He played a key role in developing many of the successful watch lines we see today, including the Spirit collection. His work on the Heritage Big Eye Chronograph also earned him the prestigious GPHG award.

Funny story! While talking to him, he mentioned that he had been working with someone to create a unique line of Longines watches. He described how he was in their archives, and this person was selecting design elements from various old watches and mixing them. Together, they came up with an exquisite and successful watch.

^{Carlingue Diver 01 Édition Spéciale @calibre321}

There are three hosts on our podcast, and none of us heard him correctly, so we moved on to other questions. It turns out that the person he was collaborating with was Kate Winslet! He sounded clear as a bell on the recording; we missed it during our live conversation! Kate “Titanic” Winslet! Alexandre has since moved on from Longines and created his brand, Carlingue.

In English, “carlingue” (French noun) refers to a cabin, specifically the passenger cabin of an aircraft or other enclosed space. As he explains, it is the frame or framework around which everything else is designed, from the inside out. However, this brief explanation doesn’t fully capture its significance; you must listen to Alexandre elaborate on it in Episode 18 of The Time 2 Calibrate Podcast.

Cusn8 Bronze Case and gradient green dial — ^{CuSn8 bronze case @calibre321}

Explore the Hanhart 417 ES Heritage Flyback

Key Features of the Carlingue Diver 01 Édition Spéciale

Dimensions

Their Carlingue Diver 01 Édition Spéciale, model # CT-001-A, is in for review. It is their top-of-the-line dive watch in bronze. This is their premium dive watch made of bronze. If the design seems somewhat familiar, that’s because it is. It draws inspiration from the Longines Heritage Skin Diver, a design the creator had previously worked on. I like to think of this watch as an evolution of that original design, featuring some unique twists that Alexandre has incorporated to make it his own.

The watch has a diameter of 40mm, a thickness of 11.85mm, and measures 50mm from lug tip to lug tip (per my calipers). While the latter measurement might seem long, the watch is designed with a generous curve that allows it to fit comfortably on the wrist, making it more wearable than these numbers suggest. If you exclude the boxed sapphire crystal, the thickness is just under 10mm. That is remarkably slim for a dive watch rated to 200m with an automatic mechanical movement.

Case & Bezel

The case is made of bronze, specifically CuSn8 bronze, a mixture of copper and tin, rather than CuAI, a mix of copper and aluminum. The CuAI bronze has a yellower tone and develops a patina much more slowly. In contrast, CuSn8 bronze offers higher corrosion resistance and has a warmer tone. It also patinas more quickly, and our sample has already begun to show signs of aging, even though it has only been worn a few times.

Its case back is made of stainless steel, which prevents tarnish from transferring to the wrist. Instead of traditional, unsightly case removal teeth openings, it features a more refined, twelve-sided edge for a case clamp to hold on to. This design is a much more elegant solution. The case back also features circular brushing around a media-blasted center and a polished, embossed logo with the company name and model. This design is very tastefully executed and is rarely seen at this price range.

The bronze screw-down crown measures 6mm in diameter and 5mm in length. Personally, I would have preferred it to be slightly shorter and broader, as this would make it easier to manipulate. However, a different shape might have interfered with the slightly overhanging bezel. It’s probably best to leave the design work to a professional designer. The bezel is crafted from stainless steel with a black PVD coating and features an inverted triangle pip made with Swiss SuperLuminova.

Dial

The 32mm dial opening ensures easy readability at a glance, thanks to the bold bronze PVD-coated hands, which are also filled with Swiss Superluminova. The dial features cardinal point numerals and hash marks every hour, all filled with the same luminous material, making it visually striking in the dark. For those who appreciate symmetry, it doesn’t have a date aperture, which is a bonus. The dial color is a stunning gradient green, beautifully contrasted by the warm bronze elements.

Movement

The exceptional Miyota 9039 automatic movement powers the Diver 01. This movement is part of Miyota’s 9-series, which is known for its premium quality and is the no-date variant of the well-regarded 9015. The 9-series movements often compete with the ETA 2824 and Sellita SW200. While they are more affordable than their Swiss counterparts, they are equally robust, visually appealing, and perform exceptionally well. This one operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 42 hours.

According to Alexandre, the Miyota 9039 caliber enabled him to design a slim dive watch, which would not have been feasible with an 8-series movement or any model from Seiko’s NH series, as those would have resulted in a bulkier design. Throughout our testing period, this watch has maintained a consistent accuracy of +6 seconds per day, meeting chronometer standards. Quite impressive, indeed.

Straps

Our watch came on a beautiful, dark brown leather strap with contrasting white stitching near the lugs. It features a stainless steel buckle that is PVD-coated in bronze. Additionally, the strap includes quick-release spring bars, which are convenient. However, I often wonder what happens when they need to be replaced. How do you remove the thumb-studded piece from the strap? For that matter, how do you get them back in? And lastly, when did we all start needing these quick-release strap mechanisms? Did we all forget how to change straps?

It is also available with a tropic-style rubber strap and the same buckle. While I appreciate the look of that strap, it perfectly matches the style. The comfort provided by this supple and baseball-glove-smelling strap is undeniable. It is a perfect match. Mind you, I wouldn’t want to get it wet. Perhaps getting both would be a wise choice, and wouldn’t it be cool if they were easy to swap out? What’s that? They are? Oh… well… there you have it.

Specs

Case	CuSn8 bronze 40mm Diameter 50mm Lug to Lug 20mm Lug width 11.85mm Thick (with Crystal) Screwed Crown & Case Back Unidirectional 316L Steel Bezel /w Black PVD and Swiss Super-LumiNova® 200m Water Resistance
Dial & Crystal	BoxSapphire Crystal Curved Gradient Dial Painted Arabic Numerals Arrow and Sword Hands Swiss Super-LumiNova®
Movement	Miyota 9039 24 Jewels 28 800vph 42-hour Power Reserve
Strap	Leather Strap /w Bronze Hardware

Carlingue Diver 01 Édition Spéciale

Final Thoughts and Pricing

The Carlingue Diver 01 Édition Spéciale feels like a well-developed, fully fleshed-out watch rather than the initial offering from a new brand. It’s evident that this model has been designed by someone with extensive experience in creating watches, reflecting a deep understanding of the craft. I know that the hash marks on the dial may not be to everyone’s liking, but when up, down, left, and right are sometimes indistinguishable underwater, these lines can provide a visual aid.

Here’s the real surprise: I haven’t mentioned it intentionally. The original Longines Heritage Skindiver was priced at 2,460€, and while it featured a slightly more refined movement, this Carlingue, limited to just 100 pieces, is only 820€! And that’s for the special bronze edition. If you want to compare apples with apples, the standard non-limited stainless steel versions are only 660€, and they are available in black, gradient blue, and green.

Over the years, we at The Calibrated Wrist have handled countless watches from small independent brands and established big-name brands. The phrase “value for money,” or any variation of that sentiment, is often thrown around. As Adam Craniotes mentioned in Episode 20 of the Time 2 Calibrate Podcast, we are experiencing a golden age of micro-brands. While some of these brands are better than others, this particular brand truly epitomizes quality, design, and, yes, you guessed it, value.

Don’t snooze on Carlingue, their start is bright, and their future is even brighter, especially with Alexandre Voirin at the helm!

About the author

Based in Montreal, Quebec, Marc has been an enthusiastic watch collector for well over three decades. Having witnessed and participated in the birth of the internet watch community, he has played a role on multiple watch forums and his articles have appeared on-line and in print since the late 1990s. Today his passion for all things horological is as pronounced as it has ever been, while he continues his never-ending search for watch next. You can follow him on Instagram.

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