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DISCOVER THE AMA DIVER FROM ALBANY WATCHES

Written by Menswear Style in New Collections on the 12th October 2020

It’s a story that starts with the ocean. Passing a practice down from generation to generation, theirs is one of the oldest free-diving traditions in the world. The Ama Diver is a 1960s style skin diver inspired by a 2000-year-old tradition and celebrates the spirit of the pearl divers of Japan, the Ama. Albany creates timepieces inspired by lesser-known adventurers celebrating a time when the world was full of wonder and exploration. ALBANY stand by precision and reliability, they oversee their entire manufacturing process from design to craftsmanship. As passionate caretakers of our planet, they advocate for meaningful integration between exceptional quality and sustainability.

CASE AND CROWN

The Ama Diver evokes a time of vintage sea exploration. They wanted a design that was sleek and original, yet familiar. Introducing the 316L brushed stainless 60’s skin diver styled case depth rated to 300m. All Ama divers are depth tested during manufacturing and after assembly. The crown features the ALBANY cormorant, a symbol of nobility and bounty.

- Comfortable 40mm case with drilled lugs for easy strap changes.

- 48mm lug to lug with a 20mm strap size.

- 12.8mm in height (Including the domed sapphire crystal).

- A 7mm fully lumed (Swiss Super-LumiNova BWG9) ergonomic screw-down crown that's easy to grip.

HANDS AND LUME

ALBANY designed the watch hands to represent the Ama's dive tools, from the knife-like hour and spear-shaped minute hands, to the signature harpoon seconds hand. The Ama Divers subdued black hour- hand, teal minute-hand emphasised for enhanced practical use, and harpoon seconds-hand make the Ama Diver easily readable. Swiss Super-LumiNova BWG9 has been applied to all three hands, indices, and crown for legibility in all conditions.

BEZEL AND CRYSTAL

The anti-reflective domed crystal and bezel insert are made from scratch resistant sapphire crystal, second in hardness only to diamonds. At 41.5mm, the 120-click unidirectional bezel is easy to grip and extremely precise with no back play.

MIYOTA CALIBER 9039

A Japanese inspired watch needs a robust Japanese movement. The heart of the Ama Diver is the highly regarded Miyota 9039, the no-date version of the beloved 9015. This automatic movement beating at 28800 bhp is beloved for its smooth second-hand sweep. Its consistent quality and accurate timekeeping make it a workhorse caliber that will serve you efficiently on your own adventures for many years.

CASEBACK

The screw-down caseback features an engraving inspired by Iwase Yoshiyuki’s photography of Ama divers from his village, circa the 1950s. This 2000-year-old freediving tradition is a testament to the Ama’s enduring spirit and close relationship to the sea. ALBANY recogniSes these lesser-known adventurers with this beautiful image of an Ama looking back across the tides of time on an incredible tradition as it fades in the modern world.

THE UNBOXING

In keeping with the Japanese inspiration, they've also designed bamboo boxes embossed with the Albany logo to keep your Ama Diver safe and secure. It offers a premium and sustainable solution to traditional watch boxes. A rugged watch roll is paramount to keeping your watches safe from scratches. Here they use double-waxed canvas with a microsuede lining. Each roll has space enough for those longer journeys with four pouches to carry multiple watches or accessories and includes provision for a watch tool. Fold the flap, roll and wrap the leather strap around to keep everything in place.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability forms the basis of an ALBANY watch, and the brand is committed to setting an ethical example in the watch industry by producing premium yet sustainable items. They strive to infuse each stage of the design and production process with a positive influence. Environmental impact and ethical treatment of humans and animals are an integral part of all design, development, and production processes. Products incorporate regenerated and biodegradable materials designed with an emphasis on durability and an extended lifespan. ALBANDY are also actively working with their manufacturing partners across supply chain to improve consumption while reducing emissions and waste.