The Nezumi Baleine Dive Watch is made by Swedish company Nezumi Studios – they specialize in developing classically styled watches with surprisingly affordable price tags. The name “Nezumi” comes from a Japanese folk hero from the Edo period nicknamed “Nezumi Kozō”, his real name was Nakamura Jirokichi, and he became famous for stealing from 100+ samurai estates over his career and giving much of his loot to the poor.
As a dive watch, the Nezumi Baleine has the expected 200 meters (660 feet) of water resistance, with a generously lumed dial for low light and underwater visibility. The watch is topped with a scratch-resistant sapphire glass crystal, double-domed with anti-reflective coating, and it has a 316L stainless steel case with contrast brushed and polished finishes.
The strap is a comfortable vegetable-tanned leather with a stainless steel buckle, and there the stainless steel case back is screw-down, as is the crown. There’s a discrete date window between the 4 and 5 o’clock markers and a unidirectional 60-click dive timer bezel with black bezel insert.
Nezumi Studios use a tried and tested Seiko automatic movement in the Nezumi Baleine Dive Watch, with 24 jewels, and 21,600 vibrations per hour (3Hz). This is a lot of watch for the $500 USD price point and Nezumi have been making a name for themselves for high build quality and timeless design.
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