Clerc Hydroscaph H1 on alligator strap and on steel bracelet.

Before we would dive into the Hydroscaph H1, let me tell you a bit about Clerc Watches. Founded in 1874 in Geneva, over the years, it was known for its bespoke pieces created for royalties, heads of states and celebrities. These days, for the common mortals, Clerc’s collection includes two models, the Hydroscaph Chronograph and the Hydroscaph H1.

The H1, was introduced in 2013 with wide selection of rubber or leather straps. Since December 2014, Clerc has added a stainless steel option to the H1.

The Hydroscaph H1 is bold diving tool watch that is not afraid to explore new paths when it comes to design. For example the bezel, which has a really unique shape, is rotated with the dedicated crown at 2 o’clock with a really clever feature, they call it the C|CLIP mechanism. Part of the crown can be flipped out when adjusting the bezel. This is a really cool solution that on top of offering a better grip than a regular crown, is also alludes to the shape of the Clerc logo.

The clear, crisp H1 dial is super easy to read in daylight or darkness thanks to the Super-LumiNova coating on the hands and hour-markers. The individually machined 3D numerals and hour markers give the H1 a boldly assertive character. When viewed from the front, they appear slightly trapezoid-shaped, while ensuring maximum readability from all angles. Like them, the hands also display a post-industrial look and are coated with Super-LumiNova for perfect visibility in the dark.

Dials comes in a choice of blue, black or grey, while the seconds hand and the triangular date marker at 3 o’clock spice things up with touches of blue, red khaki or fluorescent yellow.

The 43 mm stainless steel case is water proof to a depth of 500 m, protecting the Clerc C609 automatic movement that has 42 hours of power reserve.

The Hydroscaph H1’s suggested retail price ranges from 5,900 to 7,300 CHF ($5,900 to $7,300).

More about Clerc at www.clercwatches.com.

The C|CLIP system on the Clerc Hydroscaph H1

The back of the Clerc Hydroscaph H1

CLERC Hydroscaph H1 on rubber