The Bausele x Seconde/Seconde is all about Australian Clichés

While now many of our readers must be familiar with Romaric André, founder of seconde/seconde, and the man behind dozens of collaboration watches, Bausele remains a slightly more niche brand in the watchmaking field. Founded in 2011 and first specialized in military-issued watches, the brand is one of the few to be located in Australia… And this specificity has been the starting point of André’s creation process. He has brought all the Australian clichés possible in his brainstorm – surfboard, sharks, kangaroo, the Sydney Opera House, the antipodes of his own world, being a Frenchman. And the result is a watch that changes depending on the perspective. Is it a shark fin or a surfboard fin…? 

What you’re looking at here is a new interpretation of Bausele’s dive watch, the Sydney Diver. So let’s talk about the base watch quickly. It’s a relatively compact dive watch with classic design – late 1960s, with a bit of military inspiration with its asymmetrical shape. The steel case with black IP coating measures 39.5mm in diameter, 9.5mm in thickness (but it’s without the crystal) and a reasonable length of 47.5mm. There’s a double-domed sapphire on top, a screwed back, solid crown guards and a unidirectional bezel with a luminous diving scale. And, one of the brand’s unique features, the crown is filled with sand from Manly, NSW, Australia.

Other specs are also classic, with an automatic Swiss Sellita SW200 inside and a sandwich dial with large recessed hour markers and generous hands. And with a 200m water-resistance, it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone wanting to check on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Nothing truly new and under the bonnet, it’s still identical to what the brand offers normally.

Enters Romaric André. And his idea was all about the fact that he and the team at Bausele are somehow opposite… Not only geographically, but also in terms of personality. Take the Australian “opposite and antipodes” vibes, and bring in a few clichés about the country like, maybe, sharks and surfers. And you end up with an usual seconds hand that, depending on its position on the dial, will bring fear or fun. From 0 to 30, it’ll be a surfboard fin. From 30 to 0, it’ll be a shark fin. It’s all about perspectives. And it’s paired here with multiple sea blue accents on the markers, hands and bezel. And the depth rating is… deep!

Available in 50 pieces per colourway – with a black or a white dial – the Bausele x Seconde/Seconde will be available as of February 1st, 2024 at 8:30PM (Europe time) and priced at USD 1,400. Two straps are included in the presentation box, with quick-release spring bars.

For more details, please visit bausele.com.