By Brent Robillard
Nostalgia
A good skin diver awakens a sense of nostalgia within me. Not just about the watches themselves, but about the world they came from. The early recreational diving boom of the 1960s carried with it a certain optimism. Sunny coastlines. Wood-panelled station wagons. Surfboards strapped to roofs. Cigarette boats bobbing offshore. Dive watches were still tools then, but they were also companions to a lifestyle that felt adventurous without taking itself too seriously.
Check out the Sheffield Allsport 1A 38mm Pink Steel
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Long before I became interested in watches in any serious way, I was already drawn to that aesthetic. My first “real” dive watch was a Seiko Turtle, but even before that I had accumulated a few vintage skin divers from flea markets, antique stores, and eBay—including a tiny Timex from the 1970s that probably cost me less than lunch. They weren’t particularly valuable watches, but they had personality. Thin bezels, compact cases, simple dials, and proportions that made them feel ready for a day at the beach rather than saturation diving in the North Sea.
The Sheffield Allsport Diver 1A taps directly into that feeling.
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Key Features of the Sheffield Allsport Diver 1A
A case for proportions
At 40mm across with a tidy 48mm lug-to-lug measurement, the Diver 1A avoids the oversized tendencies that have defined many modern dive watches over the last two decades (and it’s also available in 38mm). Jay Turkbas, the man behind the revived Sheffield Allsport brand, speaks openly about wanting to capture the spirit of the original watches that inspired him growing up. “My vision was clear,” he explains. “A watch that would be synonymous with quality, technology, and affordability — all day, every day.”
And honestly, that clarity comes through in the watch almost immediately.
The wrist experience
The proportions feel right. The narrow bezel and acceptably slim 13mm thickness help it sit low on the wrist, while the drilled lugs and simple case brushing reinforce the utilitarian charm. There’s nothing especially flashy here, and that is precisely why it works. The Diver 1A feels approachable in the same way vintage skin divers do. It slips easily under a cuff, but still looks perfectly at home beside a beach towel and a pair of sunglasses..
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Dial
The black dial with mint-toned lume might be my favourite detail. In certain light it almost takes on the faded warmth of old tritium without feeling artificially “fauxtina.” Combined with the glossy black bezel insert and compact handset, the whole thing feels lifted from a carefree afternoon on Hermosa Beach sometime around 1970.
Made for today
Of course, unlike the vintage pieces that inspired it, the Diver 1A arrives with all the conveniences modern collectors actually want. The case is 316L stainless steel, water resistance is rated to 200 metres, the crystal is sapphire with anti-reflective coating, and the crown screws down securely. Inside is the reliable Seiko NH35 automatic movement with hacking and hand-winding capability. Nobody is pretending it’s haute horology, but that’s beside the point. The NH35 has become the small-block Chevy of modern microbrand watchmaking for good reason: it’s durable, easily serviceable, and affordable to maintain.
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Transparency
That practicality seems central to Sheffield’s broader approach. Turkbas is refreshingly candid about the realities of modern manufacturing, openly discussing production in China alongside Japanese movements and third-party testing procedures. “There is no reason to hide,” he says when discussing sourcing and assembly. In an industry where some brands still dance awkwardly around those conversations, the transparency is genuinely refreshing.
It also helps explain why the value proposition here feels so strong.
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Specs
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel 40mm Diameter 48mm Lug to Lug 13mm Thick 20mm Lug Width Screw Down Crown & Caseback 200m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Domed Sapphire Crystal Black Gloss Dial Printed Markers Sword and Arrow Handset C3 Super-LumiNova |
| Movement | NH35 24 Jewels 21 600bph 42-Hour Power Reserve |
| Strap | FKM Tropic-style Strap |
Sheffield Allsport Diver 1A 40mm
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Final Thoughts & Pricing
I usually try not to get too hung up on pricing when reviewing watches because value can be highly subjective. But ignoring it here would miss an important part of the story. The Diver 1A delivers an impressive amount of watch for the money. Sapphire crystal. Solid automatic movement. Proper dive watch specifications. Swiss lume. FKM strap options. Strong proportions. And perhaps most importantly, a coherent aesthetic identity that feels rooted in something authentic rather than assembled from a mood board mishmash of popular vintage references.
A lot of affordable dive watches get the specifications right while missing the emotional side entirely. They feel assembled rather than considered. The Sheffield doesn’t fall into that trap. It understands the appeal of the vintage skin diver beyond just case dimensions and bezel fonts. It understands the atmosphere.
And perhaps that is why I enjoyed wearing it so much.
The Diver 1A doesn’t feel like a watch trying to impress anyone. It feels like a watch inviting you to slow down a little. Put the phone away. Go outside. Find some water. Maybe even waste an afternoon in the process.
Honestly, there are worse ways to spend a summer day.
The Sheffield Allsport Diver 1A retails for $319 CAD and can be purchased directly from the website.
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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.
Off The Cuff articles are full-length, hands-on reviews of the watch in question and represent the opinion of the author only. All photos are original, unless specified otherwise. If you would like to have your watch reviewed on this site, contact us here.
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