Golden dive watches are always a divisive topic in the watch community. Gold’s soft properties and easily scratched surface make it objectively bad for use in and around water, running completely counter to the stated purpose of a dive watch. On the other hand, in 90% of scenarios ‘dive watch’ is more an aesthetic appellation based on the style of the watch rather than an indication of how the watch will be used in daily life. See. Desk Divers. If you’re not a professional diver, does it matter if your dive watch is gold? The reason I bring up this discussion is the launch of the new Zodiac 18k Gold-Plated Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver Limited Edition.
This is not the first high profile gold dive watch of 2024, as earlier in the year Rolex released the Deepsea in full golden Smurf getup. Which means there has been plenty of time for people to think about the pros and cons of gold dive watches recently. Looking at the new Zodiac with its 40mm brushed, 18k gold-plated case (which does boost its diving credentials as it’s a more solid watch if you don’t mind some obvious scratches), my most heartfelt reaction is that it looks brilliant.
The brushed finishing across the case and straight lugs is flawless. As is the five-link bracelet it’s presented on with its mix of polished and brushed links adding a lovely contrast to the finish. Speaking of contrast, the golden grip around the edge of the unidirectional rotating bezel sits in beautiful opposition to the rich black colour of the bezel itself with stark white dive time scale.
I think the reason I really like the use of gold here is the fact that the context is wrong. I see dozens if not hundreds of gold dress watches every year to the point where you lose sight of how precious the material actually is because it’s the norm. Here though, the fact it’s presented with the bold aesthetic of a dive watch makes you look at and reconsider the metal in a new way and to appreciate it with fresh eyes. The case still has a 200m water resistance rating to boot, but as already noted, I would not recommend making regular use of that fact.
The dial also works really well in my opinion with an inky dark tone that has a blue hint to it as the light strikes it. Again, it contrasts to the gold colour of the blocky, rectangular hour markers and hands. The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compressor has historically been a very colourful collection and the hour markers and dial have always been a big part of that, almost to the extent that it can feel toy-like in its brightness. That couldn’t be further from the case here, as the dial feels sophisticated and mature. The same sort of sophistication that the Titanic is viewed with today, slightly retro in its feel but always laced with a hint of luxury (here’s hoping it doesn’t sink the same way).
Beneath the surface is the STP 1-21 from Swiss Technology Productions, which has a 40-hour power reserve. This was actually reduced from the 44-hour reserve of the original STP 1-11 that this movement was the replacement for. It’s an intentional decision as by reducing the reserve they could boost the actual power output and therefore improve other qualities such as reliability and accuracy.
The Zodiac 18k Gold-Plated Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver is a limited edition of 300 pieces, which comes presented in an exclusive Zodiac watch box. It’s priced at £4,999, which is on the more expensive side for Zodiac but compared with most gold watches that are around the £12k mark lately, it’s not too bad of a price. That’s possible because the Zodiac is gold-plated, meaning there’s less of the material present, bringing the cost down a touch. It’s very clear that this limited edition has put style front and centre, which I know not everyone will like, but at least they’ve executed on the style perfectly.
Price and Specs:
More details at Zodiac.
