Circula Gets Serious about Diving with the DiveSport Titanium

Circula has been hard at work to reestablish itself in the watchmaking industry. Originally founded in 1955, the company focused on selling its watches through retailers only. Now, third-generation owner Cornelius Huber is turning things around with the help of the public. Since the start of Cornelius’ ownership, the focus has primarily been on historical Circula designs, resulting in stylish and fun retro-divers, but this time around, things get a little more serious. Designed with the input of more than 1,000 people, the new DiveSport Titanium is a formidable and decidedly more modern diver. Its rugged looks are backed-up by equally robust specs, and in true Circula fashion, it comes at a very decent price, all things considered. Here’s our first look at the DiveSport Titanium. 

Starting with the basics, the DiveSport Titanium comes in, well, titanium. The case measures a reasonable 42mm in diameter and tops out at 13.4mm in height. With a lug-to-lug dimension of 48.5mm, it wears on the larger side but never felt overpowering. On top of the case is a unidirectional rotating bezel, which can be finished with a clear titanium insert, a black DLC-coated titanium insert or a Petrol Blue aluminium insert. The Petrol Blue insert is not available on this yellow dial version, which makes sense, given the colours would clash too much. The sturdy screw-down crown has a set of guards to protect it from jolts and bumps. The water resistance is rated at 500 metres, more than enough for a leisurely splash of water and also suitable for a more serious or even professional dive. The caseback is finished with a stylized image of landmasses and an ocean.

The dial for the DiveSport Titanium is available in four different styles. The first two are finished in black and grey, with a subtle sand-like texture. The more outspoken duo of the set are the Petrol Blue and ‘Madame Jeanette’ yellow dials, both with a scratched pattern on the centre section. All dials have a sloped minute flange either in black, grey or Petrol blue. The indices are hand-applied and have a good dose of Super-LumiNova. The hands, of which the minute hand is oversized to aid legibility, are also finished with ample amounts of Super-LumiNova. The date window at 6′ shows a disc matched to the colour of the dial (we had a prototype on our hands with a yellow date disc that was a touch too dark).

Underneath, the decorated titanium caseback ticks an élaboré-grade Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement. This reliable and easily serviceable mechanical movement runs at a rate of 28,800vph and provides you with the time through hours, minutes and seconds hands, and the date. It has a power reserve of at least 38 hours, although Circula states it typically runs for 41 hours. To be able to set your watch precisely, the seconds hand stops as you pull out the crown. The accuracy is rated to -5 / +7 seconds of deviation per day, which is decent.

The new Circula DiveSport Titanium is available to order now, with the first deliveries scheduled starting around mid-September. The price ranges from EUR 949 on the rubber strap with a titanium pin buckle to EUR 1,129 on the grade 2 titanium bracelet with a folding clasp. Both can be exchanged easily, thanks to the quick-release push pins.

All this makes for a very solid value proposition with an excellent level of finishing and attention to detail. The 500m water resistance is impressive in this price range and will make the DiveSport a perfect outdoor companion. Overall, Circula admirably continues down its path of sensible, fun, community designed timepieces, which is a welcome addition to the industry.

For more information, please visit CirculaWatches.com.