Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Introducing the Monta OceanKing – A Retro-Inspired Dive Watch with Eterna Calibre
The Monta OceanKing is a no-nosense dive watch, nicely executed and powered by an Eterna movement. The underlying idea of the OceanKing was to craft a modern interpretation of the traditional tool watches of the mid 1950s and early 1960s with a focus on functionality and quality – Precise execution has resulted in a great diving companion that is a perfect daily wearer too. Check-out the Monta OceanKing Dive Watch.
The Monta OceanKing is a classic dive watch – well thought-out, functional and clearly inspired by the pioneering spirit of the early dive watches of 60 years ago. The brainchild of Mike DiMartini of Everest straps, its creation involved a team of Swiss, French and American designers allowing the OceanKing to stand out amongst countless other dive watch offerings, with several distinct features and a quality conscious approach.
The OceanKing case is crafted in 316L steel. At 40mm, it is (to me at least) perfectly sized and should fit comfortably on most wrists. It is elegant, yet wearable and has great presence on the wrist thanks to the alternate brushed, polished and sand-blasted finishes. The lugs are superbly outlined with a chamfer on the inside and the outside. The notched crown was designed with no crown guard in order to achieve a good balance between size, function, and style.
The cambered glass is made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with seven layers of anti-reflective coating. The unidirectional ratcheted bezel (with a vintage coin-edge style) allows you to keep track of dive times and features a ceramic inlay, with seamlessly integrated track and numerals. Monta developed their own two-patent bezel, a 12-piece construction fitted using just compression and a single pin (very often ceramic inserts are glued). The watch is rated for depths of up to 304m/1000ft.
The bracelet comes with H-shaped links seamlessly extending from the case. The chamfer on the links match the lugs which is a nice touch. It is fully articulated allowing it to mould itself comfortably to any wrist. The clasp has four micro adjustment holes that can be used to precisely adjust the bracelet’s size. A complimentary rubber strap is included with each Monta OceanKing.
The dial combines luminescent painted and applied indices (3, 6 and 12). The light-catching applied markers are finely faceted adding depth and are evident of the attention to details. The date window features a polished steel framing. The dial comes in a semi-matte black finish. Monta went for polished rhodium sword shaped hands with luminescent inlay.
The Monta OceanKing is built around the Eterna 3909A selfwinding movement. This modern caliber runs at a standard 28,800 vibrations per hour for a healthy power reserve of 65 hours and is enhanced with bi-directional winding. The movement is regulated within chronometer tolerances (-4, +6 seconds per day). The choice of Eterna as the “engine manufacturer” is a notable point of differentiation from the ubiquitous ETA or Sellita movements. Interestingly, the respected Grenchen-based Eterna movement SA actually gave rise to the ETA Company but has no connection with either ETA or the Swatch group. Instead, it is related with the eponymous brand, continuing a long tradition of Swiss watchmaking.
Monta is so confident enough in the quality of their watches that they offer an impressive 4-year warranty. This is indeed notable in an industry where the vast majority of brands stick to a standard 2-year warranty.
The Monta OceanKing retails at US$ 3,550. This is pretty steep given that Monta is not yet a well-established brands but it might just be worth every penny given the attention to detail and the quality evident in this skillfully crafted watch. Monta will be exhibiting at Baselworld and launching two new models so stay tuned. For more information: montawatch.com.
4 responses
Eterna themselves just released a bronze diver that runs on a caliber 39 and it’s priced at $2,650. In this day and age, where information is so readily available, new brands should be more sensible with pricing and value offerings. The design and manufacture have many positives but their asking price is simply excessive.
Having seen the new Bremont Supermarines at roughly $1000 more, this looks mighty tempting.
Rather well executed and interesting to see a new brand offering a 4 year waranty.
The review is arguably inconsistent with the watch, given that when one reads things like:
“… is a no-nosense dive watch…”
“…with a focus on functionality…”
“…great diving companion…”
“… it might just be worth every penny given the attention to detail…”
something very basic, such as a pip with any form of luminescent feature is expected (if not for actual diving, for night time use). For the rest, design is OK for vintage Sea-Dweller homage (dimensions suggest the watch is a bit top heavy).
In general terms, I do put “value” in contemporary watch offerings in question. KT’s comment made me look up Bremont’s latest Supermarine, and with offers like that it’s no wonder the watch industry seems to struggle.