How Andre Combines Watches And Diving

On this model of Fratelli Tales, we be taught further about Fratello reader Andre. He combines his passions for diving and underwater footage alongside together with his love of horology. This comprises his fondness for his favorite diving companion, a Rolex Sea-Dweller.

Underwater footage is a passion of mine as successfully. The underwater world is every enchanting and acquainted to me, residing so close to it as I do. For Andre, the connection between his passion for this aquatic world might be tied to his love of watches. Let’s uncover out further.

A passion for traditional watches

Andre, who lives proper right here in Australia, is a collector of all types of traditional watches. Sooner than creating his connection to the underwater realm, Andre had already been fascinated by horology, primarily older watches.

“I’ve always cherished earlier points, and sooner or later as soon as I used to be wanting some classic objects, I received right here all through {a photograph} of a traditional Hermès chronograph made by Widespread Genève. That’s as soon as I fell into the rabbit hole and acquired my first traditional watch, a Widespread Genève Uni-Compax. I’ve merely been fascinated with traditional watches ever since,” he outlined.

“Since then, a wide range of my orbit of existence all through the eagerness stays to be traditional watches from the Forties and Nineteen Sixties. And whereas I like carrying them and try to take motion as rather a lot as doable, I’ve to take a wide range of precautions with them.”

Underwater adventures match for a Rolex Sea-Dweller

It was resulting from his rising passion for pursuing underwater sports activities actions that Andre started to veer into stylish watches too. For many individuals, that’s almost certainly the reverse order of how we purchased into watches (successfully, it is for me anyway). Most of us almost certainly started with a extra moderen watch after which went down traditional rabbit holes. For Andre, it was the alternative strategy spherical. This was when the prospect to purchase a Rolex Sea-Dweller received right here up.

“With my stylish watches, I do know what I would like from them, and I want to have the power to placed on them how they’re meant to be worn. Dive watches are speculated to be worn scuba diving, not desk diving. If I’ve to baby my stylish watches, I would considerably spend the money to get traditional watches in its place,” he talked about.

“My love for the ocean started in 2009, and I started scuba diving in 2019. Underwater footage, notably macro, adopted not prolonged after that,” he instructed me. “And being a watch nerd who takes widespread wrist images, I assumed to myself, ‘Why not do underwater wrist images?’ So as soon as I had the prospect to commerce for a Rolex Sea-Dweller in 2020, I purchased my watchmaker to emphasize verify the watch to guarantee that I’ll take it underwater, and the remaining is historic previous. It’s my strategy of blending my two passions — the ocean and horology.”

A Rolex Sea-Dweller for all occasions

Initially from Indonesia, Andre has been exploring the waters off the Pacific coasts of Australia along with Southeast Asia for better than a decade. He is moreover eager about certain stylish timepieces, collectively together with his Sea-Dweller, which is the watch he most incessantly wears diving.

Andre’s assortment is large and contains a Vacheron Constantin Overseas that he moreover takes diving. Nevertheless the Rolex is his specific stylish watch. It’s the one he requires in all probability probably the most from, rummaging spherical coral reefs and photographing marine life.

“Certain, the Rolex Sea-Dweller is actually my favorite stylish watch. I don’t have a really thick wrist, and traditional watches with a diameter between 33mm and 36mm swimsuit my wrist further comfortably, nonetheless there’s one thing regarding the Sea-Dweller that feels good in a recent watch. Whatever the 40mm measurement, the watch is great wearable attributable to its thickness. I like the best way it doesn’t have a Cyclops like the alternative stylish Sea-Dweller or Submariner Date do,” he talked about.

Nearly 160 dives with the Rolex Sea-Dweller

Andre’s Rolex is not any safe queen, and he’s proud to degree out quite a lot of the scratches and marks it has earned in his underwater travels.

“I purchased the Sea-Dweller from a partial commerce once more in 2020 and the ‘Starbucks’ Rolex Submariner in 2023. They’re specific on account of I like diving with them, and I don’t have to worry about taking them anyplace. I can set up the origin of every scratch on them, and I can placed on them anytime I’m in a state of affairs that gained’t enable me to placed on my traditional watches, similar to in moist local weather, when occurring a diving journey, or when performing some outdoor actions.

The dive extension and micro-adjustable clasp are moreover fantastic, and I don’t should resize the bracelet if I merely must go snorkeling or placed on 3mm and even 8mm wetsuits. I’ve almost certainly clocked spherical 160 dives with the Rolex Sea-Dweller, and it has under no circumstances had a single downside,” he talked about.

Diving with a Vacheron Constantin in a storm

When the prospect received right here to go underwater with Andre to take images for this textual content, I was anticipating to see the Rolex Sea-Dweller on his wrist. A storm was passing by way of Sydney on the day of our aquatic outing, and the swell was up. Nevertheless Andre arrived with a Vacheron Constantin Overseas on a white rubber strap.

I assumed this was very like Andre, approaching an underwater journey with a Vacheron…within the midst of a storm!

“I don’t take the Vacheron diving as often, nonetheless I merely love how the blue dial pops when the flash from my strobe hits it underwater. Ever since I modified the bracelet to the white rubber strap, I merely actually really feel want it’s the correct summer season season watch, so it deserves some underwater time too! It’s a Vacheron Constantin Overseas 4500V,” he clarified.

It is refreshing to see anyone who loves watches, along with pricey and high-end timepieces, nonetheless is happy to placed on them and create reminiscences with them. I applaud Andre for that! And the Vacheron held up merely advantageous inside the robust ocean.

A love for the hunt

Actually certainly one of Andre’s favorite points about traditional watches is the chase, the sense of discovering a misplaced treasure. “I just like the historic previous, and I merely adore the complete aesthetic and patina on traditional watches. But it surely certainly’s the hunt that retains me going. I like discovering ‘barn finds,’ watches that received right here straight from the distinctive householders, and even random finds in classic markets. You don’t get this rush from stylish watches; you will merely merely seek for the perfect deal from a trusted retailer or vendor,” Andre instructed me.

“With the overwhelming majority of my assortment being traditional watches, I purchased them when one factor I favored received right here up and I was within the correct place to build up one different watch. You might’t truly plan points with traditional watches as you under no circumstances know when the correct one will come up, and I suppose the equivalent mentality follows with my stylish watches.”

I requested him if there was one grail watch he was trying to find. The reply was a bit of bit surprising and is a testament to how sentimental this ardour will probably be: “Certain, my very first traditional watch, that Widespread Genève I mentioned sooner than. I regrettably provided it years prior to now, and I’m always trying to find it as soon as extra,” Andre talked about.

Remaining concepts

As part of this assortment, I ask our readers what sorts of tales they like to see on Fratello. This was Andre’s response: “I just like the #TBT tales from Fratello and your articles about watches with historic previous or fascinating provenance. Principally, I take pleasure in one thing related to traditional watches and based mostly totally on regularly people,” he talked about.

I could not agree further alongside together with his curiosity inside the watch tales on regularly people. And the best way Andre treats his stylish watches speaks volumes, I imagine, to the philosophy of constructing reminiscences by partaking in adventures. Which may be a philosophy, I’m constructive, that loads of you share.

So, how about you, Fratelli? What’s your one “specific” watch and why? Please let me know inside the suggestions or ship me a message on Instagram.