7587 - Vague Watch Co. & Studio D'artisan Collab Watch - Black/Khaki

Military dive watches of the 1970s came back from service looking nothing like they did leaving the factory. Salt, sun, and years of contact with equipment wore the plating thin at the corners and edges, and that uneven, used surface is exactly what this collaboration sets out to build. The case is finished in IP plating, an ion deposition process that bonds the coating at the molecular level and runs considerably harder than conventional plating, and from there each piece goes to a craftsman who roughens the surface by hand. Working one watch at a time means no two leave with the same pattern of wear, which is the point. What arrives already carries the atmosphere of a tool that has been somewhere.

The case measures 36mm across, close to what was actually issued in the period before dive watches grew, and a domed crystal sits over the dial, curving the light the way acrylic did on the originals. The details on that dial are specific to the collaboration: the Studio D'Artisan logo at the 6 o'clock position and a seconds hand in the brand's signature orange, a small flash of color against an otherwise blacked-out face. A Japanese quartz movement keeps it accurate and low maintenance. Two straps come in the box on 18mm lugs, one black and one khaki, so it changes character depending on which one you reach for.

• Japanese quartz movement
• 36mm case diameter
• 18mm lug width
• Domed glass crystal
• IP-plated case, hand-distressed individually
• Studio D'Artisan logo at 6 o'clock
• Orange seconds hand
• Two interchangeable straps, black and khaki