# Aquadive GMT / orange



## matthew P

Aquadive Bathysphere GMT ......orangeOrdered late 2013, in my hands monday.
Ive been giving it the glass box treatment and not wearing it till I decided if I was going to keep it or not...... Its decided - its staying.








Aquadive Bathyshere 100 GMT orange.... 43mm wide/ 49mm Lug to lug/ 15mm high / ETA 2893-2

This is my first purchase at this price point so I asked a **** ton of questions ( which were answered incredibly quickly.....thx for you patience Ben, ) and I did everything I could to talk my self out of this purchase.... before ordering, and after delivery.
I wasnt that familiar with Aquadive and what I'd seen didn't make me want to buy.... until the GMT model was released. 
I saw the yellow ones and they caught my eye, then I saw the pre order/ computer rendering of the orange and I was intrigued.

The specs seemed perfect for me for a watch that will get 80% of my wear time. I have a 7 inch flat wrist and 50mm is about as big as I think I can go wearing a diver. 
I did a bunch of reading (everthing, all the old threads) and decided to order and eat the restock fee if I wasn't completely sold - hence the glass box treatment.

I am completely sold - I love the way the watch looks and feels on my wrist. Its easily the most impressive/ well executed watch Ive ever owned.
The finishing is fantastic, the size is perfect as an everyday wearer, the hands, dial, and bezel all look a lot better in person than they photograph with just enough orange to change it up. 
The C3 lume pops, the bezel action is super smooth, precise and aligned. 
The GMT function works well and is definately orange/ not red ( good thing to me). 
Love the hands and dial matte finish.The handwinding and the crown engagement is smooth - noticeably buttery smooth and the auto winding is also a lot quieter than Im used to.
Setting the GMT is a breeze and the instant date change is a plus. 
I also realy like the black date back/ window.

At 49mm it wears a little smaller and a lot lower than I expected. 
Ive got used to the Armida A1 and SAS air, so the GMT seemed small when I first put it on. 
Its pretty much the same weight as the A1 but the weight sits lower and the watch has less presence/ less top heavy. 
It dosnt look curved but it is and it sits very flat and secure.
While these may not be great things to everyone, its a pleasant development Im happy with. 
The GMT wears less noticeably and as a habitual "wrist spinner", Im less aware of it.

The black RS Aquadive Isofrane is perfect and exactly how I will wear it. 
Out of the box comfort and the buckle is so well designed. 
I also requested the Green Isofrane instead of the orange and that arrived with a conventional RS/Isofrane branded buckle.
I dont know if I will use it but its a good deep green. ( I may keep it pristine and wait for the rumored Grey Isofrane which I think would look fantastic)

I cant report on accuracy but the timing regulation sheet is a nice touch. ( Edit - after 5 days on wrist 24/7... its lost less than one second per day )
Packaging was all perfect as well, as was Aquadives communication thru my drawn out decision/ purchase process.

thanks to Aquadive for delivering a watch that lived up to my heightened expectations, and thanks to the other AD owners that answered my PM's. 
You were all correct, once I held it, I knew it was right.


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## marlowe55

You made the absolutely right decision. 
It's a stunner of a watch, great lines, solid and iconic. I'm undecided between the 100 or the 300 but one of those two will eventually be on my wrist as well.
Congratulations!!


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## Johnnymossville

Wow!!! Yours is the first Orange one I've seen and it's a stunner! 

I recently got a gmt myself and it's the most comfortable dive watch I've ever worn. It's the perfect size watch for me. I don't think it'll ever come off my wrist. The isofrane straps are great aren't they? That said, I'm looking forward to making/purchasing a leather strap and a couple zulu/nato straps to change things up once in awhile.

Enjoy your new Watch!! 

John


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## kerosene

Sharp!


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## Spring-Diver

Congrats!!! As usual Aquadive hits another Grand Slam. I really like the new style bezel insert:-!

Cheers
Shannon


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## jeff wilson

Very nice.


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## Newton

WOW !! That's all I can come up with...........WOW !!


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## matthew P

New leather strap


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## Mulder

Looking good.
Congrats.


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## matthew P

One more shot








I love the ISO but until I get back into the water I think this will get a lot of wear. Dresses it up just the right amount I think


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## nervexpro55

Really love the GMT on leather. What strap is it?


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## matthew P

nervexpro55 said:


> Really love the GMT on leather. What strap is it?


Its a custom variation of a SteveOstraps "classic" G-strap.
I dont like horizontal (along the lug) stitching so I asked steveo to make up this mod for me.
He was a pleasure to deal with. and very patient with my constant rework sketches.
This is his website
Classic | Steveo Straps

this is what i sent him


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## matthew P

On green factory supplied Isofrane








Currently running 2 1/2 seconds/ day slow..... not too shabby


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## matthew P

I was feeling the need for a SS bracelet - decided to try the Super Engineer II. 
While Im happy with the way it looks getting it to fit properly required some major filing and sanding to the strap lug holding piece to remove the 90 degree corner on the bottom.
Im guessing the AD BOR bracelet has a custom end piece..... probably well worth it.


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## Mulder

Looks good.
Now which do you prefer?
Bracelet, ISO, or leather?

I'm thinking canvas, Kevlar, or sailcloth for my bronze.


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## subkrawler

matthew P said:


> View attachment 1388193


That looks great! For me, there's nothing like a good bracelet.:-!


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## matthew P

Mulder said:


> Looks good.
> Now which do you prefer?
> Bracelet, ISO, or leather?
> 
> I'm thinking canvas, Kevlar, or sailcloth for my bronze.


For comfort Id have to give the ISO the nod - on the green it looks positively dressed down/ casual. On black it looks like a work watch..... the black is slightly softer.
The leather is extremely comfortable but I wouldnt want to get it wet. 
The bracelet has good heft and if I can get two micro adjustments drilled in it will be great..... slightly loose right now but very versatile. 
The SE II has more angles and I think it complements the bezel nicely

Seeing as how im down to two watches I feel like these are all very different options that all do what they do well.

I had a 22mm yobokies anvil on my skx diver that I loved the look of in photo's but not on my wrist. it was 22mm but looked too small.
On this watch the SE II makes the watch look bigger but its not as massive as my A1 on bracelet was.
If I had to pick one I would pick the bracelet for all around versaltility Black ISOFRANE for comfort - but luckily I dont.
zim surprised by my attachment to the green Iso. I originally thought I may flip that but now that Ive worn it its staying.

I dont own a canvas yet but another GMT owner had this one made up








I tweaked the colors to get a better idea of the green color but the orange stitching is sublime.
(not my watch or photo - this one is owned by Mellon..... i just played with the colors to get a less yellow colored image )


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## matthew P

Two month ownership update-
No surprise here, the love fest continues.

Two months of pretty continuous wear ( I sleep with a watch on and take it of occasionally to wear my SAS Air) and it has slowed down/bedded in a little.... lost about 2 seconds a day and was running a little over -3/day.
I was in at my watch guy getting the bracelet micro adjust added and he put it on his electronic time to check its bezel up reading, then he opened it up and added three seconds in the bezel down position (seemed like there was a lot more variation in that position/ it took about 8 micro adjustments). 
So far after 5 days it seems to be running approx +1/4 a second. During the day it gets maybe a second a head, then over night it seems to pull back to zero. Im not sure if the watch will continue to slow down as it beds in more but I prefer my watches to run fast rather than slow so Im stoked either way. 

Im surprised by how well the watch is holding up to the occasional door frame clip or inadvertent bump. The SS brushed finish and bezel are still unmarked though I did inflict some small underside marks during strap changes.... oh well, dosn't sting as much when you know your not flipping a piece.
This size seems to be prefect for my wrist and the black Isofrane may look a little dull but its easily the most comfortable strap Ive ever worn.
A used DLC BS100 is starting to look real good about now.


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## myke

wow that is a real quality piece very well designed. Your a lucky man. Love the white gmt ring


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## Comsubin999

wow, congratulations. 
sooner or later I have to buy it


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## arutlosjr11

matthew P said:


> Two month ownership update-
> No surprise here, the love fest continues.
> 
> Two months of pretty continuous wear ( I sleep with a watch on and take it of occasionally to wear my SAS Air) and it has slowed down/bedded in a little.... lost about 2 seconds a day and was running a little over -3/day.
> I was in at my watch guy getting the bracelet micro adjust added and he put it on his electronic time to check its bezel up reading, then he opened it up and added three seconds in the bezel down position (seemed like there was a lot more variation in that position/ it took about 8 micro adjustments).
> So far after 5 days it seems to be running approx +1/4 a second. During the day it gets maybe a second a head, then over night it seems to pull back to zero. Im not sure if the watch will continue to slow down as it beds in more but I prefer my watches to run fast rather than slow so Im stoked either way.
> 
> Im surprised by how well the watch is holding up to the occasional door frame clip or inadvertent bump. The SS brushed finish and bezel are still unmarked though I did inflict some small underside marks during strap changes.... oh well, dosn't sting as much when you know your not flipping a piece.
> This size seems to be prefect for my wrist and the black Isofrane may look a little dull but its easily the most comfortable strap Ive ever worn.
> A used DLC BS100 is starting to look real good about now.


Check your PMs


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## matthew P

C3 kicking in the shade


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## nervexpro55

matthew P said:


> C3 kicking in the shade
> View attachment 1425732
> [/QU
> OTE]
> Great picture. I have seen other versions of the gmt, how many different colors are floating around? I might have to sell a few watches and get one.


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## matthew P

[/QUOTE]
Great picture. I have seen other versions of the gmt, how many different colors are floating around? I might have to sell a few watches and get one.[/QUOTE]

Two versions currently for sale..... mine is the orange(white ring) and the yellow.
Teal version has CAD drawings online but I dont know where they are at with that one. 
Yellow currently lists for a lot more than the orange. I dont know if the price of the yellow will go down or the orange up.....its been released for a while now but still at pre-order pricing on web site FWIW.


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## matthew P

I ended up buying the strap I lusted after above..... thx Mellon
love it when a plan comes together.

GMT is running flawlessly, holding up extremely well to everyday wear. Occasional hits/ bumps have failed to mark the sapphire or bezel.
Ive taken to resetting the time at the start of every month.... 17 days into this month is running -11, close to -1/2 second per day - no complaints.


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## jiminpotomac

Absolutely stunning watch. ^^ I love the strap too.

Love it. I think I'll need to pick one up, as well.


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## DocRandy




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## Spring-Diver

Killer shot / strap combo Matthew:-!

Cheers
Shannon


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## Kermit e Froggy

Spring-Diver said:


> Killer shot / strap combo Matthew:-!
> 
> Cheers
> Shannon


+1 with envy !

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## matthew P

Bezel and crystal are still flawless, case is starting to pick up some hairline marks. 
Accuracy holding at less than -1 per day.
Black ISO and green canvas are proving to be most comfortable straps.


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## chasecj7

Still love that canvas.

Have you found the crystal more difficult to keep smudges off and clean it than others?
been noticing that on both of mine.


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## matthew P

better shot.... as per smudges, I cant tell you the number of times Ive looked at it and thought I'd chipped it or scratched it, only to have it wipe off.
Dont think the Crystal is any different to any others. 
My son is always playing with mine so it gets smudged a lot - I also feel when in the honeymoon period with a favorite new watch I look at it more and notice little smudges.


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## chasecj7

I was thinking of the crystal the other day and was wondering if it had exterior AR coating as well. Would explain the slightly hard to wipe smears and smudges I've noticed. 

Couple weeks in and still loving the GMT. Dial a bit small but only compared to others I've grown used to. Still getting lots of wrist time. Put it on an H2O Cordura strap the other day and quite happy with that. I'm not a fan of ISO for daily wear, unless it's daily at the beach anyways!


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## enraged4

Congrats, that watch is a killer!


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## matthew P

My understanding is no external AR coating.
I agree the dial wears smaller than specs, I attribute this the the White GMT ring. When I look at the dial size, I "see" the black dial and dont include the white ring, if it was a standard black minutes ring Or black ring/white text) I thing it would look bigger. The GMT rings on the teal and yellow tend to jump out visually but to me the white disappears.
As far as the smudges I think the show up due to the deep black color of the bezel and face. Any smudges tend to stand out when they catch the light due to the deep black backing - which I will live with because i do prefer the solid dark black dial.


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## manofrolex

chasecj7 said:


> Still love that canvas.
> 
> Have you found the crystal more difficult to keep smudges off and clean it than others?
> been noticing that on both of mine.


yes I noticed that as well. sure does keep smudges around on mine for sure.


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## matthew P

I'm thinking this watch would look great on a GRAY isofrane, or Light Gray?????
Hint, hint .


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## chasecj7

If you send me the Mellon strap your chances of getting a grey Isofrane will be greatly improved.

Put mine on the orange ISO the other day. Liked it a lot more than I expected to.


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## matthew P

This thread has almost every combination of strap choices possible..... so hre's another option

Miltat Velcro


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## chasecj7

Interesting. That looks pretty good. I actually bought one of those a few weeks back to try out and it's still sitting on my desk. Crossed my mind to try it on the new DLC, seems like I should give it a go.

Here's another different strap I'm not sure I've posted, but this seems the right thread now.

GMT on elephant


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## chasecj7

Gunny canvas


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## chasecj7

H2O Cordura that's seen better days


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## matthew P

Nice straps chase...... guessing that gunny strap will also look awesome on the DLC.

I bought the strapcode Miltat for the Darth but prefer it on the AD. I have a 24mm ISO for the darth so I feel like I want to vary the strap on those two watches because they see the most wear.
The velcro would look super stealthy on the DLC Bs100.... I almost dot want to see how good it will look - super cool that the guys at AD are working with buyers to customize a little. You've covered all the bases nicely with your collection.


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## chasecj7

Thanks. I think I'll give that milt at a try on the DLC and see what it looks like. I do have a very cool leather strap Pav made me for it that's on its wYt from the UK. Be nice to mix it up in the meantime.

agreed. That is fantastic they are doing that. I wish I'd have known about it, my DLC would have been ordered differently. Oh well, there's always next time. And given I already have three it seems pretty safe there will be a next one. Have to do some poking around and find out just what options are possible. A 50 type dial on a BS100 would blow me away. Hint hint!


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## nervexpro55

matthew P said:


> This thread has almost every combination of strap choices possible..... so hre's another option
> 
> Miltat Velcro
> View attachment 1600207
> View attachment 1600208
> View attachment 1600209


MP i like this combo, where do i get one for my BS 100 DLC?


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## jswede

Hello. I found this site thru a google search bc I'm looking to purchase an AD GMT - thinking orange. I love the enthusiasm and pictures - thanks all for posting.

After I saw the Green Canvas strap with Orange stitching I was quite intrigued -- I notice others saying the same, so I hope this question is not too naive: is that specific one possible to buy on a website? thanks in advance.


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## matthew P

jswede said:


> Hello. I found this site thru a google search bc I'm looking to purchase an AD GMT - thinking orange. I love the enthusiasm and pictures - thanks all for posting.
> 
> After I saw the Green Canvas strap with Orange stitching I was quite intrigued -- I notice others saying the same, so I hope this question is not too naive: is that specific one possible to buy on a website? thanks in advance.


I thought I had mentioned that but its a "Jabba Straps" custom build.
I bought it used from member "mellon" - hence the Mellon strap moniker.


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## chasecj7

matthew P said:


> I bought it used from member "mellon" - hence the Mellon strap moniker.


Not to be confused with this Mellon


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## matthew P

nervexpro55 said:


> MP i like this combo, where do i get one for my BS 100 DLC?


Strapcode.... Miltat Velcro.
On the AD i would only recommend the XL if your wrist is larger than 7 inch.


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## W. C. Bartlett

Everything about this watch pops, the dial jt grabs you, definitively a keeper.


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## Tagdevil

Wow. Just came upon this thread and really find this watch attractive. For those here who may also have a Doxa and it seems to be a very similar style, does it wear similar to a 1200T? That would be a problem for me since that wore a little small for me. Any size comparison info or pics along these lines would be greatly appreciated.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## matthew P

Never tried a Doxa, but the AD GMT wears flatter and lower than your MM300- less top heavy and more stable.
No where near as shiny/ dressy.... definately more toolish , especially on stock ISO.
Its slightly shorter L2L than the MM300 but it looks slightly larger due to the cushion case/ lack of case beveling.

See this thread for photo comparisons.

https://www.watchuseek.com/f74/aqua...-size-comparison-plus-darth-tuna-1072738.html


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## Tagdevil

matthew P said:


> Never tried a Doxa but it wears flatter and lower than your MM300- less top heavy and more stable.
> No where near as shiny/ dressy.... definately more toolish , especially on stock ISO.
> Its slightly shorter L2L than the MM300 but it looks slightly larger due to the cushion case/ lack of case beveling.
> 
> See this thread for photo comparisons.
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f74/aqua...-size-comparison-plus-darth-tuna-1072738.html


Thanks. This is perfect and exactly what I was looking for. I like that BS 100 GMT a lot.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## matthew P

size comparison pics for easy reference


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## Brian883

I have both the Doxa 1200T and the BS 100 GMT and love them both. On my 6.75" wrist, the Aquadive definitely wears a bit bigger... it's longer (49mm Vs. 45mm for the 1200T0 and seems bigger because the sides of the case on the Aquadive are much thicker. BTW, the German-made case is a work of art... the fit and finish are absolutely fantastic. Unless the 1200T is way too small for you, I don't think you'll be disappointed in the Aquadive. Here's a wrist shot of my GMT:


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## Brian883

Sorry meant to re-size the picture... this may give you a better perspective:


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## W. C. Bartlett

Great looking watch, congrats.


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## matthew P

Still going strong.


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## glchoi1

My GMT says hi








Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk


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## scubasommer

Just came across this post.
Fantastic CLEAN Aquadive...just the right mix!
looks fantastic


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## W. C. Bartlett

Good decision.


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