It started because I had a watch that wasn?t getting worn. We?ve all been there; a piece comes into your possession, and at first it graces your wrist because it?s new, but then it starts to sit. You feel bad so you swap in a new strap and hope to gain a new appreciation for the thing. But despite your best efforts it?s just not happening, and the time comes to let someone else have a crack at it who’ll give it the wrist time it deserves. I?d posted the watch on the relevant boards for a couple of weeks, yet it had only garnered some half-hearted bezel-kicking and a lowball offer or two. It was clear I had to go on the offensive and seek a trade.
The watch I had wasn?t worth a ton so I went poking around for vintage dive watches from smaller brands in hopes of something of comparable value popping up. I?m a sucker for military watches (who isn?t) so my search started leading me to some of the lesser known brands whose pieces were used by military forces around the world. Through this I stumbled on the Scubapro 500.If you?re not familiar with the brand, Scubapro is one of the biggest names in scuba diving, supplying the world with some of the most innovative underwater equipment since the early 1960s. Suffice to say, if you dive, it?s likely you own something from Scubapro. Save
Save
Save
Save
Save

During the 1970s and early ’80s, Scubapro lent their brand to a number of purpose-built dive watces. While some were collaborations with known brands, such as...