Who was Carl Brashear?

Carl Brashear was a U.S. Navy Sailor.  He was the first African American Dive Master.   He was the first African American to attend the U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage School.  Being the first he had to endure constant racism.  Never one to stand down, he continued his career despite having an amputated left leg.  He became the Navy's go to guy when they had problems that needed a salvage diver.  One of his most well known recoveries was the Palomares Incident.  The Palomares Incident is when the U.S. Air Force lost an Atomic Bomb and Carl Brashear was sent to recover it.  His life was so remarkable they made a movie about him starring Cuba Gooding Jr. called Men of Honor.

Bronze Watch to Symbolize a Bronze Diving Hard Hat

The Carl Brashear Dive watch has a bronze case just like an old bronze diving hard hat.  The leather straps of the watches are reminiscent of of the leather straps used to hold down the helmet.  The Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition Chronograph Dive watch was inspired by the great achievements of Carl Brashear.  The watch is limited to only 2,000 watches worldwide.

Can't Keep a Good Watch Down

Oris first came up with the Carl Brashear Limited Edition watch with their vintage re-issue of the diver's sixty-five.  The watch was an instant hit and sold out almost immediately.  Because of the watch's success Oris came out with a new version to honor the U.S. Navy Master Diver, the Carl Brashear Chronograph.

The Carl Brashear Chronograph

The watch being a chronograph sits a little larger than the traditional diver's sixty-five, it is a 43mm head.  The dial is a cool deep almost navy blue.  The crystal is a sapphire crystal.  While the watch is bronze, it will develop a unique patina over time.  The watch will change color depending on how you will use the watch.  The case back is made of stainless steel and has an hard hat diver's helmet on the struck on the case back along with Carl Brashear's name.  The chronograph and the chronograph buttons are designed in the old fashioned chronograph style of two dials on the face and mushroom shaped buttons.  This re-enforces the vintage design of the watch.  The Movement is the Oris Calibre 771, which is based on the Sellita 510.

The Carl Brashear Chronograph Review

I really enjoy this watch.  It is a fantastic watch with an great vintage design.  The design steps up from the original Carl Brashear and takes it a step further.  The size is great at 43mm, you could say another few mm and it would be too large or a few mm smaller and it would be way to small.  The faded navy blue face with the old radium and the bronze markers are just some of the small details that makes this a killer watch.   While the watch band looks great, I feel it could have been a little thicker and a little larger.  The other thing that I'm not crazy about is the watch's price.  At $4,950 retail it is twice the price of the original Carl Brashear watch.  Yes, it is an upgrade with the chronograph and the movement so that is where the difference in price comes in.  Overall it is a fantastic watch and is a unique conversation starter.