As much as throwback dive watches have been embraced in recent years, there?s one element that has proven controversial in their execution: pre-aged lume. If you find yourself embracing the designs but recoiling at the sight of yellow hour markers, you?re in luck. Oris has teamed up with watch and jewelry retailer Topper for the second time with the release of a new ?Maxi? Diver 1965 limited edition watch. The aim with this release is twofold: to recreate the Diver as it would have appeared in 1965 as a brand new product; and to raise money for the CuriOdyssey Museum in California. We?re on board with the latter, but we went hands on with the watch to see how successful they were with the former.

The first thing that stands out about this watch is the bright contrast between the dial and lume used upon it. The Arabic numerals around the dial marking the cardinal hours are tropical in design, and are rendered in BG-W9 SuperLuminova, practically jumping off the matte black dial. This effect was created to present the watch as it may have looked brand new in 1965, before the effects of aging have had the chance to take their toll. 
This is a concept we don?t often see applied to designs meant to recall a brand?s releases of a prior generation. It does happen from time to time, and it offers a markedly different perspective on the watch in question. Doing so provides a glimpse at the design as its designer likely intended, and is an option we?d like to see on other...