Earlier this week, the Crafter Blue Hyperion Ocean 600m watch launched on Kickstarter. Within 24 hours, the campaign reached its funding goal. With the offer of a shark mesh bracelet included with every pledge should the campaign exceed 200% of its target, now is the perfect time to check out a brand that has traveled a long road to fruition.

Crafter Blue started producing curved end rubber straps for popular dive watches three years ago. Two years after that foray into the watch industry, the brand began to design its own dive watch — the Mechanic Ocean 300m in 2018 — which was launched in 2018. After serious market testing, the brand’s inaugural timepiece was redesigned with additional Swiss knowhow, leaving the brand ready for a new challenge.

Having previously made straps for the currently inactive brand UNDIVE, Crafter Blue approached their former collaborators with the suggestion that it remake the discontinued UNDIVE Dark Sea 500m under its label and with its new and improved manufacturing techniques. Perhaps unsurprisingly, UNDIVE agreed. Crafter Blue is now pleased to announce the release of the Hyperion Ocean 600m, which becomes the brand’s first Swiss-made timepiece.

The Crafter Blue Hyperion Ocean 600m improves the water resistance from the UNDIVE Dark Sea 500m by 100m, while retaining the same case diameter of 45mm (50mm lug-to-lug length, 16.3mm thick). Additionally, this new model is fitted with a screw-down crown and a helium valve, meaning it is suitable for saturation diving.

The brand’s research into strap technology greatly benefits this new timepiece, as it comes fitted to a high-performance vulcanized rubber strap that is form-fitted to the lugs. To increase comfort, the 22mm S2 rubber strap features 15 holes, which is approximately twice as many as one would normally expect to find.

The Hyperion Ocean 600m aims to combine vintage styling with modern technology. The light blue accents — most notably on the spade-tipped seconds hand — are intended to communicate the sense of freedom instilled by the sea and the sky. There are two options available. While both cases are fashioned from 316L stainless steel, backers can choose between either a brushed stainless steel unidirectional bezel (HOSS001.B.R.) or a black PVD-coated alternative (HOSS001B.B.R.)

Powered by the well-known and reliable Sellita SW200, the watch is ideally suited to the rigors of an active lifestyle. Should the wearer wish to use this watch in its intended underwater environment, they can be reassured that the movement will not suffer from the effects of magnetic fields, thanks to the soft iron Faraday cage that encases the caliber. Through a sapphire crystal fitted to the case back, the logo of the brand can be seen engraved centrally on the outside of the Faraday cage, offering visual interest while not sacrificing functionality.

The dial of the Crafter Blue Hyperion Ocean 600m is matte black and treated with BGW9 luminous compound to facilitate legibility in low-light conditions. All watches carry a 1-year warranty and are available on Kickstarter now (until July 30th, 2019 5:59 PM CEST)  for the special price of $599 (original MSRP $749). Learn more at crafterblue.com.