Menu

Clerc Watches

  • Collections
    • H1 Chronometer
    • GMT Power-Reserve Chronometer
    • Central Chronograph
  • Heritage
  • Craftsmanship
  • Contact

CLERC Underwater Flight Discovery Tour 2015

“Another world”, “another dimension”, “surreal”, “once in a lifetime experience”, “unbelievable” are just some of the reactions heard from our flight school guests during last week’s CLERC Underwater Flight Discovery tour in magnificent Vancouver, B.C. At the controls: a lively group of press and media bloggers (and our very own CEO) who jumped at the opportunity to learn how to fly underwater compliments of CLERC Watches and Sub Aviator Systems.

Less than one hundred humans have had an opportunity to experience this in the history of mankind. Judging from the looks on their faces after that first dive, it’s an experience they will not soon forget [VIDEO].

This two-day odyssey started July 16th with a hearty breakfast and a full tour of the Nuytco factory where the submersibles are designed and manufactured. Nuytco founder Phil Nuytten personally led the visit. After a quick lunch, all our student pilots hopped into both cockpit pods of the SuperAviator exploration machines for a complete rundown of all the systems including life support, communication, and navigation.

The next day July 17th started bright and early at dawn as everyone met up for the quick trip down to Sunset Marina. SuperAviator and a full operations crew was there waiting for everyone to take the controls. After a brief pre-flight check, each of our guests got a chance to experience underwater flight sitting right behind Chief Pilot John Jo Lewis.

How long did each dive last? About an hour according to the official Hydroscaph Central Chronograph CHY-585 that was strapped to the outside dashboard to chronograph each dive helping keep everything on time and on record. Thanks to our guest and now certified underwater pilot Justin Mastine-Frost for the amazing Hydroscaph shots during the event! What did it feel like from the pilot’s perspective? Underwater flight student Justin Mastine-Frost filmed it live here! [VIDEO].

 

Two companies – CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems – resulting in one team, one vision, and the never-ending quest for exploration, innovation, and pushing the limits. This is the unique partnership our guests had a chance to experience recently in Vancouver. CLERC is proud to be defining a brand new segment of the luxury market with its own line of personal luxury submersibles. For more information about Orcasub and how you too can discover underwater flight from the comforts of your own personal luxury submersible, click here.

1892_ClercSousMarin4 - LEFT SIDE
The Orcasub personal luxury submersible.

 

Filed Under: CLERC Life, Collection Tagged With: 2015, discovery, flight, gerald clerc, nuytco, phil nuytten, sub aviator systems, submarine, submersible, superaviator, tour, underwater, underwater flight discovery

CLERC at the Singapore Yacht Show

What was Gérald Clerc, a personal submarine, and a collection of Hydroscaph watches doing at the Singapore Yacht Show last month anyway? Besides hosting some VIP guests on Arthur Tay‘s private mega-yacht (who also happens to own the Singapore Marina)?

Setting up an event for CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems (SAS) of course! People walking up to the booth there were able to discover both the Orcasub personal luxury submersible model and CLERC Hydroscaph watches as Gerald, CLERC CEO, and John Jo Lewis, Managing Director of SAS worked the booth together welcoming hundreds of intrigued visitors – it’s not every year you see a personal luxury submersible at the Singapore Yacht Show!

Yet personal luxury submersibles are very desirable to the super-wealthy who frequent the show. Why? Because they love to bring various “toys” on their mega-yachts. And while many of them carry helicopters, speed boats, jet skis, and all sorts of other fancy machines, very few, if any, actually have personal submarines on board.

Orcasub is unique in the way it can easily be transported and launched from aboard a luxury yacht. It’s both easy, quick, and economical to use in several outboard or onboard configurations. With its compact profile and folding wings, Orcasub can fit on almost any sized yacht. And it’s easy to deploy right into the water on a moment’s notice.

Imagine spotting a great whale or a pack of Orcas in the middle of the ocean, stopping your yacht, climbing aboard your personal submarine, and quickly launching to follow them under water? Sub Aviator Systems and CLERC now make this a soon-to-be very popular reality.

Filed Under: CLERC Life Tagged With: 2015, gerald, hydroscaph, marina, orcasub, singapore, sub aviator systems, yacht

CLERC Launches Openwater Heroes Ocean Conservancy Initiative

big_logoOpenwater Heroes is CLERC’s new Ocean Conservancy Program dedicated to generating and expanding awareness of specific ocean conservancy initiatives throughout the world.

Every year, CLERC will promote and raise awareness for specific causes dedicated to preserving the beauty and health of our marine ecosystems.  The individuals spearheading these causes will be selected as CLERC Openwater Heroes then recognized and rewarded for their efforts and leadership.

According to CLERC CEO Gérald Clerc:

“Our Hydroscaph watches were born from the oceans, and extreme underwater conditions at depth drive everything we do on the engineering side. The same can be said for the aesthetic side of our timepieces. So it’s only natural that CLERC should strive to give back to the oceans for inspiring us. We will do this by promoting significant ocean causes and the selfless heroes behind them who too often remain unknown and uncelebrated.”

Gerald, himself a certified scuba diver, believes the oceans are increasingly being threatened by industrialisation, consumption, and energy exploration. Yet the beauty of the wide oceans and the life they contain is a gift to all mankind and deserves protection and preservation.

CLERC’s Openwater Heroes promotional efforts will undoubtedly benefit from the brand’s newly-announced partnership with Sub Aviator Systems – making it the first Swiss luxury dive watch company ever to conceive and test its watches in partnership with a luxury submarine builder at their underwater testing facilities.

Do you want to participate, contribute, or suggest a new Openwater Hero to us? Then email us at openwater@clercwatches.wpengine.com.

Filed Under: CLERC Life, Press Releases Tagged With: conservancy, ecosystem, gerald clerc, heroes, hydroscaph, oceans, openwater, scuba, sub aviator systems

Baselworld 2015: Discover the Orcasub Personal Luxury Submersible

For the latest, up-to-date information on Orcasub visit CLERC Exploration Machines on Facebook.

We’ve always said the Hydroscaph diving watch collection was a “new breed of Swiss luxury watches” but in fact, CLERC is further evolving into a new breed of Swiss luxury watch company and forging a new era in the industry.

This is because we have entered into a long-term, multi-level partnership with Sub Aviator Systems, the producers of Orcasub – a Personal Luxury Submersible.Logo-01

Both CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems make what they call “exploration machines”. While CLERC’s powerful yet stylish machines fit handsomely on the adventurous male wrist, Sub Aviator Systems submersibles fly swiftly at 2,000 feet under water. In both cases, these creations are meant to be used in the most extreme of conditions. But it didn’t take our two companies very long to realize that the fit between us was much more than skin-deep.

In fact, you could say it’s symbiotic, because we both share philosophies, values, personalities, and engineering savvy. With this new partnership, we will also share the sort of technical and R&D resources which until now had never been available to traditional Swiss watch companies. Not to mention a combined 200 year legacy of innovation and technical prowess.

NEWT_logo2That’s because Sub Aviator Systems is actually manufacturing partners with a company called Nuytco. And Nuytco is to underwater exploration what NASA is to the Space Program. In fact, NASA astronauts train at Nuytco’s underwater facilities in Vancouver. Owner Phil Nuytten is a legend in the industry on par with men like Jean-Michel Cousteau, who is a close friend and colleague. (He still maintains ties to the Cousteau family). A commercial diver since the 1960s, Phil spent his life pioneering new underwater technologies and tactics. Few if any people have contributed as much to the world of diving – commercially, militarily, and recreationally – than he has for the past fifty years.

red2
CLERC CEO Gérald sits in the Nuytco Deepworker submersible.

Nuytco has been involved in almost every major underwater operation for science, research, rescue, construction, entertainment, and military application known to man. Phil’s regular clients include the national Navies of virtually every country in the world, the US Navy Seals, NASA, Hollywood moguls (guess how movie classics like Titanic and The Abyss were filmed under water), scientists, researchers, rescuers, and the list goes on. When there’s a problem to solve, a new device or tool to invent, or technical limits to surmount, people call on Nuytco.

For CLERC, the ability to tap into this experience and expertise is an industry game changer. The advantages from a product development, research, manufacturing, and testing perspective are limitless. Improved construction, new materials, greater depths, added safety features, and resilience are some of the key benefits. And no other dive watch companies will be able to test their product for corrosion, legibility, air and water pressure, extreme temperatures, and shock all at the same time and all under real-life extreme depth conditions. Something Nuytco does routinely for all its equipment, and will now do on every new Hydroscaph model starting with the new 2015 GMT model. In many ways, thanks to this partnership, CLERC gets access to the most revered and prestigious “underwater exploration laboratory” in the world.

For Sub Aviator Systems, it’s about accessing 140 years of CLERC experience in the demanding field of luxury, as CLERC will now market and promote the Orcasub personal luxury crafts on a global scale. CLERC will also advise on interior finishing, customization, and comfort features of the cockpit area.

sub-gc
CLERC CEO Gérald tries the heads-up display on board Orcasub precursor Super Aviator.

These super-fast, easy-to-use, and maneuverable submersibles will fly two pilots in atmospheric comfort and safety down to 2,000 feet. In all human history until now, people who have personally witnessed life at such depths can be counted on a single hand. But Orcasub will put underwater flight at anyone’s hands – anyone, that is, who can part with the $2 million it takes to custom-build it. But rest assured, that price includes complete Flight Training certification. A lifetime experience no one ever forgets!

CLERC is forging a new era in the history of human exploration machines. And thanks to Sub Aviator Systems and CLERC, deep-sea exploration will soon become as routine as hopping into your exotic car for a quick trip to the local cigar shop.

For a PDF version of this exciting announcement, please click here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: CLERC Life, Manufacture Tagged With: 2015, announcements, baselworld, nuytco, orcasub, partnership, personal luxury, sub aviator systems, submarine, submersible, testing, underwater

Collections

  • Hydroscaph H1 Chronometer
  • Hydroscaph GMT Power-Reserve Chronometer
  • Hydroscaph Central Chronograph

Collections

  • Hydroscaph H1 Chronometer
  • Hydroscaph GMT Power-Reserve Chronometer
  • Hydroscaph Central Chronograph

The Clerc Way

  • Heritage
  • Testing
  • Components
  • Movements

Find a Retailer

  • Retailers

About

  • Partnership
  • Journal
  • Retailers
  • Press
  • Contact