Speaking of the dial, the Deep Ocean face and the Oceanmaster II face are cousins in that while they look different, they make use of the same “sandwich” dial technique where the hour markers are cut out to reveal a lower plane under the face which is entirely covered in luminant paint. The dial looks like a slick design study in how to do a generic albeit effective diver face. If anything, my biggest complaint about the Andersmann will likely be other people’s biggest compliment – that it too readily wants to fit in with other looks as opposed to being distinctive. Yes, it is true that in my opinion the Deep Ocean doesn’t look specifically like other watches on the market that I am familiar with, but I don’t think anyone can claim Andersmann is pushing forward when it comes to design innovation.
I’m okay with that because Andersmann gets it right where it counts, and that is making the watch pretty, durable, and comfortable. As a dive watch, I’ve also had the opportunity to both take it swimming as well as diving. The watch offered as no-nonsense an experience as could be hoped for, being secure on my wrist thanks to the strap, clearly surviving the depths (it is extremely water resistant), and offering legibility when I needed it both in and out of the water.
Cleverly using just the seconds hand to add a dash of color (blue), the Deep Ocean is otherwise a very industrial looking design – albeit one put together by someone who clearly has a selection of colors, textures, and materials. It is in these areas of refinement that the Deep Ocean earns its ability to cost over $2,000. This includes the matte black DLC-coated case, cream-colored beige hour markers, and the overall detailing throughout the watch.
While the Oceanmaster II was a 1000m water resistant watch in a 47mm wide steel case, the Deep Ocean ups the ante by offering 3000m of water resistance in a 47mm wide titanium case (there is a non-fully black-coated Deep Ocean model as well, the ANN0913) with a slightly different hour marker design. Once again, the rotating diver’s-style bezel insert (the rest of the bezel is titanium) is in matte black ceramic – being cut and shaped very precisely and offering the scratch-resistant properties of ceramic.
At 47mm wide (with a 56mm length), the Deep Ocean is also 20mm thick thanks to the dramatically curved “bubble-style” AR-coated sapphire crystal over the dial (which apparently is 4.5mm thick). I love dive watches with clean, domed crystals like this – and here the effect is so neat looking it appears like a bubble is trying to escape from the case. Some glare is an unavoidable issue with a crystal that has this shape, but it isn’t too bad and the overall ability to read the time on the dial of the Deep Ocean at a range of angles and in many lighting situations is very good.
In order to protect your wrist from a large crown jabbing into it, the case design places the crown (with guards) at 4 o’clock. I rather like the design of the screw-down crown, and its wide yet proportionally narrow dimensions make it easy to grip and operate. On the other side of the case is an automatic helium release valve – for some commercial divers if they ever happen to actually get their hands on one of these.
The best way I can sum up the Andersmann Deep Ocean is a serious tool-style dive watch meant for snobby design lovers who seek out “cool shit” from “hidden brands,” and I mean all that with love. I am probably exactly the type of person who would be an ideal buyer given my tastes and affinity for newer independent watch brands. The watch does everything well, which further reinforces that it is conceived by people who like watches, in order to satisfy the tastes and expectations of other watch lovers. Consider that a design like the Deep Ocean could have gone in one of two directions. Either someone like a fashion house brand puts their name on it and makes it a fashion dive watch with more style than substance, or a smaller operation like Andersmann makes it more exclusive and underground, but while putting in as much attention to detail as they can for the price. I am sure most people reading this review prefer the latter.
Given that I get genuinely enthusiastic about products such as this, and find myself grabbing for a timepiece like the Andersmann Deep Ocean often, I’m pretty sure that means I like it. The watch design clearly isn’t the most ambitious look in the world, but it is effective and in a sort of familiar way checks off a lot of the right boxes for people like me. The Andersmann Deep Ocean is a limited edition of 100 pieces per version. These once again include the Andersmann Deep Ocean ANN0913 with a price of 2,380 CHF, or the as-reviewed Deep Ocean ANN0982, which is a bit more expensive due to the black DLC coating with a retail price of 2,480 CHF. andersmann.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Andersmann
>Model: Deep Ocean 3000M ANN0982 (as tested)
>Price: 2,480 Swiss Francs
>Size: 47mm wide X 56mm tall/long x 20mm thick.
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Dive watch design fetishist who values exclusivity value over mainstream brands. They should also be sympathetic to products from smaller brands which seek in their own way to play in the same sandbox as the big boys.
>Best characteristic of watch: Focus on design restraint as well as a serious attention to detail in the materials and colors that makes you feel that this is a watch made by people who really care about watches. Has a welcoming and familiar personality that makes it neat looking and suitable for regular wear with a variety of clothing styles.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Price – despite likely being rather fair for the value – will make even very interested consumers think long and hard about a purchase. Design arguably lacks enough distinctive elements. Andersmann brand might be wise to pay a bit more homage to its home city of Hong Kong.
