Ollech & Wajs Swiss Automatic C-1000 MKII Watch #OW-C1000-MKII

The OW C-1000 MkII is the modern incarnation of the legendary Ollech & Wajs Precision ‘Caribbean 1000’, worn by record-breaking skin divers, elite deep-water commercial divers and ocean explorers.

With the burgeoning popularity of scuba diving in the 1960s, watchmakers were no longer measured by seconds and minutes alone, but by feet and metres. A dive watch that could safely function at 300 m (984 ft) was an incredible accomplishment that still eluded most major brands. However, testing had begun on a watch capable of going deeper than anybody had ever thought possible. In 1964 the Ollech & Wajs Precision ‘Caribbean 1000’ achieved a certified record-shattering depth rating of 1,000m (3,300 ft), earning it a place in dive-watch folklore. The C-1000 MkII continues the legacy by serving a new generation of elite professionals and sports people.

A product of modern Swiss watchmaking, the OW C-1000 is powered by OW’s bespoke Soprod Newton Precision P092 automatic calibre. The Soprod Newton calibre is independently tested for dependability and durability at the internationally renown Laboratoire Dubois in Chaux-de-Fonds, and praise from OW customers has been emphatic, with many claiming it is simply the most accurate movement they have ever owned. Modified to OW’s own specifications and adjusted in five positions, the movement has been finished in accordance with our rugged aesthetics, and ‘OW Zurich 1956’ is engraved into the nickel-plated base, on which sits a co-designed, custom rotor in the shape of the OW marque. The inimitable new movement carries OW’s own ‘Precision’ rating, reserved for movements of only the highest quality.

The movement is housed in a 39.56 mm, 316L stainless steel, 1,000m water-resistant case, which is stamped, machined and brushed in Jura, Switzerland. The OW C-1000 S is also equipped with a reinforced case back, an extra-strong, domed sapphire crystal and a special quadruple gaskets screw-down crown. The watch has a stainless steel rotating bezel with a mineral insert to measure dive times, and Super-LumiNova®-covered indexes and hands for extra readability when diving to extreme depths.

To mark the introduction of the C-1000 MkII, the watch comes on a 'Freediver' RAF style nylon band. The thin white line woven through the strap symbolises the static line used by free-divers to guide their decent and accent to and from the darkness. The band is finished with an engraved OWZ thorn style buckle and two stainless steel keepers.