The Delma Blue Shark III Black Edition

Sure enough, you will not survive the pressure build-up of a descend to 4,000 meters without the use of some sort of pressurized vessel. But knowing your watch can withstand such forces is a reassuring thought. And while most dive watches are relegated to the occasional splash in the ocean, pool, lake or river, professional cave diver and explorer Klaus Thymann has put the new Delma Blue Shark III Black Edition to the test.

Swiss watch manufacturer Delma is a family-owned, independent brand that takes the concept of tool watches very seriously. It has a particularly strong history when it comes to watches made for diving, which started with the Delma Periscope in 1969 and continued with the Shell Star in 1975, the brand’s first professional dive watch. Even today dive watches are important to Delma, and the Blue Shark III is a very tough example, today presented in a limited Black Edition.

The general specifications of the Delma Blue Shark III remain unchanged, with the exception of the black DLC coating on the case, bezel and bracelet. It is the brand’s most robust dive watch available and will go as deep as 4,000 meters without any issue. The 47mm wide and 18,5mm thick case has a unidirectional bezel with a brushed finish and an orange 60-minute scale. On the left-hand side is a helium escape valve and on the right-hand side, a screw-down crown protected by crown guards. A solid caseback ensures the impressive 4,000m water-resistance. The dial is covered by a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating.

The dial comes in black, blue or orange and has large, luminous numerals and indices. On the outside edge is a detailed minute track. Each dial comes with large, orange hands for the hours, minutes and seconds. All the markings and hands are filled with Super-LumiNova for better visibility in murky waters. At 3 o’clock there is a framed window for the date, indicated with a black disc and white print or vice versa (depending on the dial colour). No doubt the black dial provides the strongest contrast of the three, but orange disappearing first underwater, it’ll also leave the floor to the indexes underwater.

The Delma Blue Shark III Black Edition is powered by a Sellita SW 200 automatic movement. This alternative to the ETA 2824 keeps the watch relatively affordable and does its job well. It runs at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800vph) and has 38 hours of running time on a fully wound barrel. It’s precise enough, and easily serviced when needed, so a solid choice for such a rugged watch.

The new Delma Blue Shark III Black Edition is worn on a black DLC coated three-link bracelet and comes with an additional black rubber strap. The bracelet is attached with Delma’s security screws, and a tool is provided with the watch to swap it out for the rubber strap (or the other way around for that matter). It is limited to 300 pieces in total (regardless of dial colour) and retails for EUR 2,490.

For more information, please visit Delma.ch.