Albany Watches is a new brand that has just introduced their first watch, the Ama Diver. Now, it will be no surprise to regular readers that here at Worn & Wound we get information on a lot of new watches and sometimes find ourselves asking ?Why do you exist"? After all, it?s easy enough in late 2019 to decide you want to be a watchmaker, throw a Kickstarter campaign together, and try your hand with something completely generic. But in a crowded market, in addition to having a good product, you need a story to tell. It remains to be seen if Albany Watches will be a success, and if the Ama will resonate, but the brand sure does tell a story.

Albany Watches Ama Diver

Case Material: Stainless steel 
Dial: Abyss Black, Black Pearl, Navy Fume 
Dimensions: 41.5 x 48 x 12.8,,  Crystal: Sapphire   
Water Resistance: 300 meters    
Crown: Screw down     
Movement: Miyota 9039
Strap/bracelet: Leather, stainless steel  
Price: $515-$590
Reference Number: n/a
Expected Release: Available for pre-order

The Ama Diver is inspired by the historic Japanese ama divers. Japan, being a seafaring island nation, has a long history of diving and underwater exploration, and the ama tradition is said to go back as far as 2,000 years. These female divers descended down to 30 meters deep to retrieve food and pearls, often in icy cold water, wearing nothing but a loin cloth.

Women were trained as ama from pre-adolescence and worked in their trade until old age ...