E.C. Andersson Denise Arctic Sport

Nordic winters are harsh and E.C.Andersson’s Denise line of affordable dive/tool watches is designed for these northern conditions. The “all-season tool watch” has received a winter makeover based on the arctic design concept seen on the previous Calypso Arctic Sport. That piece was a rugged tool watch with a dressier vibe and a light grey/white colour palette, designed for the outdoorsman in the Scandinavian winter. The new Denise Arctic Sport brings dive watch functionality to that snowy winter aesthetic. Let’s take a closer look.

The stainless steel case of the Denise Arctic Sport is bold, square and industrial with a purposeful, masculine design. It’s not exactly a cushion case and stands out without being garish or overdone, and there’s a bit of 1970s influence – and a combination of brushed and polished surfaces. The diameter is surprisingly restrained for such a dive watch at 40mm, but it has some heft with a 14mm height (lug to lug is 46mm).

A well-formed guard protects the crown and the case is water-resistant to 200 metres. The unidirectional bezel is wide and very legible, featuring a white ceramic insert with both dive and compass scales. This replaces the polished black bezel of the original. 

Robust, fairly priced and well constructed… And now with a meaningful “Arctic” look to reflect the brand’s origins.

The dial of this E.C.Andersson Denise Arctic Sport is frosted white with white luminescent indices framed in black. The black “Bohuslän” style hands are filled with white luminescence as well (an arrowhead hour hand and diamond-pointing minute hand). Along with the change from black to white, the dial also features a modified power-reserve indicator above 6 o’clock. It’s a simpler, thinner arch with a lume-filled circle and triangle marking empty and full respectively. A short, matching third hand sweeps across it from the central position. A contrasting orange seconds hand is easily visible on glary, snowy days. 

Powering the watch is the calibre ECANE01, based on Seiko’s NE57 automatic. It’s been modified and calibrated in-house (regulated in five positions) for an accuracy of +/- 4 seconds per day. It has 29 jewels, beats at 21,600vph (3Hz) with a 40+ hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes, hacking seconds and power reserve (and date function not utilized here). 

The 20mm strap is a textured Italian rubber with an extension buckle and an extra-long orange strap is included for use over a heavy jacket or drysuit. A new stainless steel Jubilee bracelet is now offered with sandblasted side-links and polished mid-links, and a micro-adjustable deployment clasp. The bracelets are made largely in-house and by hand, resulting in limited availability (no photo available yet).

The Denise Arctic Sport is limited to 100 pieces with a discounted initial price of EUR 845, which will increase to EUR 1,045 as orders increase with a final price of EUR 1,345. You can preorder now for delivery in December 2019. For more information and to see the steel bracelet, visit ecandersson.com.