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Clerc Watches

Hydroscaph Close-Up: Exhibition Casebacks

Many watches have see-through case-back viewers. These crystal “windows” let you peek into the heart of the watch: its movement. Hydroscaphs also sport this really cool feature, but – as you’d expect – we did things a little bit different.

Our watches are designed and rated for great pressure at depth, so it wouldn’t have been wise to compromise their toughness with with a standard porthole. And since we don’t craft anything “standard” on the Hydroscaph, we gave it smaller super thick dual porthole viewers.

Deep sea diving machines must resist intense pressures when diving, so  their hull windows tend to be smaller and thicker. The Hydroscaph is no different. Always tough, but always stylish.

What’s your favorite Hydroscaph detail? Show us on Instagram, tell us on Twitter or Facebook, or email it to us at openwater@clercwatches.wpengine.com.

 

Hydroscaph Close-Up: Hands and Dials

Did you know that Hydroscaph hands were (no pun) hand-painted and individually coated with Super-Luminova? Or that the indexes on the dial were also machined individually and hand-finished due to their intricate shape? If you look at a Hydroscaph index up close, you’ll notice the end is not simply cut straight down. Instead, it tapers at an angle towards the center of the dial. Because of this, it is not possible to mass-produce or simply “stamp” them out. And like many other parts and components of the Hydroscaph, it requires manual finishing from a highly-seasoned craftsman (or woman).

The hands are then painstakingly set one by one on top of the dial. Just another reason we like to say “from our hands and hearts to your wrists“.

What’s your favorite Hydroscaph detail? Show us on Instagram, tell us on Twitter of Facebook, or email it to us at openwater@clercwatches.wpengine.com.

 

Hydroscaph Close-Up: the C | CLIP

The C|CLIP is a unique and innovative safety locking mechanism used to secure your Hydroscaph bezels solidly in place once set. As we all know, there is zero room for error or malfunction at 1,650 feet under water. And at those depths, a de-regulated bezel can throw a diver’s timing way off.

This is why CLERC came up with the C|CLIP bezel safety locking mechanism. Easy to use in minimal lighting situations, the C|CLIP – shaped like a CLERC logo – is a small metal tab you flip up to release then set the bezel. Once the bezel is in the desired position, a simple flick of a finger closes the C|CLIP back down safely securing the bezel against any unwarranted rotation.

On the Central Chronograph model, the C|CLIP is located at 10 o’clock. The H1 C|CLIP is positioned at 2 o’clock.

It’s that simple, that failsafe, and that easy to use – as with everything else on the Hydroscaph.

What’s your favorite Hydroscaph detail? Show us on Instagram, tell us on Twitter of Facebook, or email it to us at openwater@clercwatches.wpengine.com.

Hydroscaph Close-Up: Circle in the Square

In this first installment of our Hydroscaph Close-up Series, we take a closer look at the watch’s flagship “circle in the square” case design. It’s a combination of a perfect circle in a perfect square shape.

This is one of the most identifiable – and unique – aspects of the Hydroscaph for both the Central Chrono and the H1 version. Creator Gérald Clerc came up with this idea many years ago and it has become a proprietary CLERC hallmark ever since.

If you stare at the watch directly head-on, you observe what is essentially a circular bezel. However, the bezel is also beveled at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions giving it a square appearance when the light hits just right. These four little details make the case construction quite a bit more complex – not that the 103-piece case isn’t already sophisticated to say the least!

But it’s exactly those kinds of unique details that make the Hydroscaph like no other in the world.

What’s your favorite Hydroscaph detail? Show us on Instagram, tell us on Twitter of Facebook, or email it to us at openwater@clercwatches.wpengine.com.

Meet the CLERC Hydroscaph H140 Carbon L.E.

UPDATE: The H140 is now available in Japan and the USA (Los Angeles, CA • Naples, FL • Scottsdale, AZ • Houston, TX).

140 years of innovation, and still pushing the boundaries of Swiss horology innovation. That’s the message behind CLERC’s latest addition to the Hydroscaph family, the all new Hydroscaph H140 Carbon Limited Edition.

This new anniversary Exploration Machine sports an exclusive CLERC C608 central-display chronograph movement and a high-tech Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC)-coated case with a unique CCFC carbon composite construction. A first in precision horology.

CCFC-like composites have been used in competition sailing, aeronautics, and Formula 1 racing applications. It’s a brand new material developed and produced exclusively for CLERC in Switzerland.

Composed of multiple 30 micron ultra-thin carbon fibre layers, CCFC is injected with resin and deposited in multiple layers, each weave at 45° from one another. After subsequent heating, the material is easier to machine than any other composite, allowing all sorts of creative high-precision manufacturing possibilities

Carbon CCFC is ideally suited for state-of-the-art technologies. Besides its unequalled toughness, CCFC is also aesthetically pleasing because the weaved carbon layers create mottled effects giving each case a unique and distinctive character.

Here’s a quick technical run-down of the H140:

MOVEMENT
•    Exclusive C608 automatic central chronograph movement
•    51 jewels, 28’800 vib/h
•    Hand-finished bridges
•    44-hour power reserve

CASE
•    CCFC carbon and black DLC steel
•    Grey Super-LumiNova
•    103 component construction
•    Dimensions: 44.6 mm/ 49.6 mm including lateral protectors
•    Piano-key pushers for chronograph control
•    Rotating bezel with C|CLIP locking safety
•    Expandable lugs
•    dual pin fastening technology
•    4.0 mm glare-proof sapphire crystal
•    Dual-port exhibition case-back
•    Water resistant to 500 meters

STRAP
•    Vulcanized rubber
•    Louisiana alligator
•    Cordura

DIAL
•    Black with cool grey SuperLuminova applique markers
•    60 second counter at center
•    60 minute counter at center
•    Day and night / 24hours indicator at 9 o’clock
•    Small second counter at 3 o’clock
•    Date window at 6 o’clock

The H140 comes with three strap options including vulcanized rubber, Louisiana alligator, and cordura. Roll out to retail locations worldwide started this week.

Discovering the CLERC Hydroscaph

The CLERC Hydroscaph is a new breed of Swiss luxury watches. How do you craft one?

You take high-tech materials, engineering know-how, and innovation to new levels giving it raw power. You then wrap this power inside the style, comfort, and elegance pure luxury requires. This marriage creates distinctly identifiable timepieces called “exploration machines”. This is the world of Hydroscaph.

Inspired by the deep oceans, these machines are designed to explore the most extreme conditions of life – above or under water – in unequaled safety, comfort and elegance. And there’s nothing else like them in the world.

Yet choosing your CLERC Hydroscaph is very simple. The stopwatch version with a C608 self-winding central chronograph movement, or the COSC-certified C609 self-winding chronometer version. Both movements beat inside the industry’s toughest and most sophisticated hand-finished watch cases with either high-density steel, black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC), or 18K gold/black DLC steel finishes.

All Hydroscaphs are ergonomically designed for maximum performance, reliability, and comfort. Attention to detail is prevalent from the pushers, the lockable rotating bezel, the expandable lugs, the extra-thick sapphire glass, to the exhibition case-backs. And on some models, CLERC watch straps are interchangeable between vulcanized rubber, hornback crocodile, and Louisiana alligator in a vast array of amazing colors.

So no matter what model or reference you end up owning, you’ll always be ready to explore in style with a CLERC Hydroscaph.

From our hearts and hands to your wrist.