Of course, if you were lucky enough to grab the original Longines version before prices hit the stratosphere, let's see 'em! But very interested in "poor man's" versions, the key elements being the supercompressor case and the rough-toothed bakelite bezel. I've seen a few different versions (Bulova, Richard), and here's mine, a recent acquisition . . .

 

I’ve got a jumbo Lorenz… and a correct nautilus bracelet incoming.

 

I have a couple of the 35mm ones, but only one bezel... The National is overpolished and beat, so the Baylor gets to wear it.

 

Thanks for introducing something that is new to me Doc. I was expecting the Patek watch.

You mention the supercompressor case and the bezel. Is this what sets these apart from “skin divers?”

 

The bracelets are addicting...



I also have a spare full size bezel, just waiting for my Cinderella to slip it onto.

 

Mine has nothing to do with the topic, but it's called Nautilus

 

You’re a brave man switching bezels between watches… and I spy an Onsa bracelet in there which is exactly what I’ve got incoming

And a question @MoclovFlop, the far left bracelets seem to have unsigned clasps. Did they come like this, or have you found a source of unsigned clasps that works well with the bracelet design ? I‘m thinking I might try and remove the Onsa logo from mine but not sure if that’s possible given the clasps probably aren’t very thick.

 

The left ones are standard flip clasps, not the sliding clasps like the others. They came like that, and are still JB Champion, but the true Nautilus bracelet should have the slider.

Swapping the sliding clasps is a hassle, you can't just swap the top like a normal flip one because they are riveted at the hinge. If you find a sterile one, you have to undo the beads from the bar and swap them over.

Finding a sterile one isn't too hard, but finding one that will accept the "Nautilus" style bead layout is tough since the clasp ends are "cut" to the bead pattern. You'll see what I mean when you get yours.

 

Thanks for the thorough explanation. I’d heard that they were difficult to find clasps for but didn’t really understand why.

A few years back I was looking at a sixties Heuer Carrera in a shop and figured it was an aftermarket clasp as it was unsigned, but on closer inspection the Heuer logo stamping was still visible on the backside of the clasp so it had been polished smooth on the frontside. No idea why anyone would think this was a good idea on a double grain GF BOR, but it does suggest that it’s possible to remove a logo. I’ll maybe try as I can’t imagine I’ll ever get an Onsa.

 

Yeah, worth a shot! You know you can sand it down to the lowest point of the embossing at least. So I'm sure you can grind it away.

 

Nice one. I'm not normally a fan of re-lume jobs, but this would be an excellent candidate.

 

Half-life is a complex process, just ask Gordon Freeman Great thread on the variation in patina here, btw: https://omegaforums.net/threads/different-lume-ageing-patina.11085/

 

Happy to return the favor, given how much I've learned from you, good sir! Here's a good piece on the history of skin divers and supercompressors, featuring a childhood hero of mine, Jacques Cousteau. https://calibre321.com/2022/01/11/o...hile there is no official,Rugged, yet stylish.

 

This is a great source on these too.

https://chronographes.net/2017/01/14/richard-compressor/

 

Amazing! And if you scroll down to the "version mid-size" section, you see my piece as one of the references

 

Some additional Friday evening or Saturday morning reading depending on your local.

History on the Longines Nautilus which paved the way for many of the other Nautilus derived skin divers. @MoclovFlop knows more than I about these, but Bulova also used this same design among many others.

https://www.rescapement.com/blog/early-longines-dive-watches-a-brief-history

 

Great examples all! I had this one a while ago, found at a local watch fair. It’s the 40mm one.

 

That’s a great collection of bracelets!!

 

This one is now with a friend collector of mine:

 

Stunning dial! Still very clean