Now there are those who say silicone is empirically better, and that it actually scores better in a number of scientific tests when compared to natural rubber. But if silicone simply does not feel as good on the wrist and is constantly dust covered, do scientific tests based on the performance of the material over the course of forty years of immersion in salt water really matter? I think not. Luckily, the actual design of the rubber strap in terms of the mold from which it was cast is great and compliments the watch well. Being a dress watch brand, the deployant is expectedly excellent, if a little finicky to use given the thickness of the rubber strap, especially when adjusted to my spindly wrist.
Though I wore the stainless steel bracelet less, it is of high quality and feels good on the wrist, but suffers from a higher bling factor than I normally go for given its polished center links. However, this being a true dress diver, the polishing makes a certain amount of sense and does compliment the also highly polished, bling-tastic case. Sadly, the bracelet does not feature an extension of any kind, which might make for an issue were a diver to ever want to take the Challenger Deep diving, which I very much doubt. Also of importance is the fact Emile Chouriet went with a 21mm size for their strap and bracelet. So, if neither of these included options works out well for you, you have preciously few other choices. Besides these little issues with the straps, there is a far larger problem which needs addressing.
Emile Chouriet’s Challenger Deep, despite the dress-diver title I’ve given it, is probably a perfectly capable diving watch and, worn on a NATO strap, would probably make a fairly reasonable alternate bottom timer for the extreme few non-watch nerds who actually take their watches diving. So, diving wise, there’s probably nothing terribly wrong with the watch. However, Emile Chouriet elected to call the watch the Challenger Deep, a title with some emotional resonance among watch enthusiasts, and a title which makes absolutely no sense for this watch.
Challenger Deep, in the Marianas Trench, is the name given to the deepest point is the world’s oceans at over 35,000ft or almost 11,000 meters. Amazingly, several human beings have been there. In 1960, the Swiss-designed bathyscaphe Trieste made the trip, manned by Jacques Piccard (the Trieste designer’s son) and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh. Much later, in 2012, film director James Cameron successfully made the dive aboard his purpose built Deepsea Challenger submersible. If you’re a watch person, you’re likely seeing where this is going. These expeditions heavily featured Rolex, who provided watches to be worn both inside and outside the submersibles.
Without starting a Rolex history lesson, they are, in my opinion, the only brand with the “right” to use any verbiage associated with the ocean’s deepest point, because their watches have literally been there on several occasions and with great success. Emile Chouriet’s decision to call their diver the Challenger Deep is a bit like naming a watch the “Everest” without one of their watches having ever been there or indeed, being capable of going there.
At the same time, I have to try and understand where Emile Chouriet is coming from. The dive watch world of the moment is replete with heritage and history. Consider Doxa and their Cousteau connection or Tudor with their former French Navy link. Heritage clearly counts, and it simply looks like EC understand this and just tried to grab some. So even though the Challenger Deep is a fine watch, their model name is a bit off-putting to a diving history and watch nerd like myself.
Viewed as a whole, Emile Chouriet’s Challenger Deep is a reasonably good first attempt at a diver’s watch, especially for a brand with no experience in the genre. Premium features like a sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel insert, and Swiss automatic movement make the watch a fair value while visual elements like the dial anchor and caseback engraving speak to the brand’s attention to detail and willingness to be a little bit funky to stand out. Some little missteps like silicone for the rubber strap, 21mm lug width, and a bit of an unfortunate name, are probably not deal breakers for most, especially given the aforementioned fairly reasonable price point for a Swiss made diver.
On bias, I enjoyed wearing the Challenger Deep, though it’s a bit outside my normal tool watch comfort zone. Wearing a silicone strap, which as I mentioned isn’t my favorite, fails to completely derail the Challenger Deep, which still represents a diver from a dress watch company with some interesting features. For those interested in the dress diver idea or simply those who want a work appropriate watch which can easily handle some water time, the Emile Chouriet would be a more than adequate choice. While there are some even more inexpensive and similarly featured Swiss divers out there like the Glycine Combat Sub or the Alpina Seastrong series, the Emile Chouriet Challenger Deep provides some refinement and uniqueness in an industry where a lot of people are essentially making and remaking the same thing. The Emile Chouriet Challenger Deep retails for $1,370 on the rubber strap or $1,450 on the stainless steel bracelet. emilechouriet.ch
Necessary Data
>Brand: Emile Chouriet
>Model: Challenger Deep
>Price: $1,370 on rubber strap or $1,450 on bracelet
>Size: 42mm wide at the bezel
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Friend who is mostly interested in luxury or dress watches but wants to add a sportier watch with water resistance to their collection.
>Best characteristic of watch: The dial is different, interesting, and uses some design elements you don’t see over and over.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Strap and bracelet have room for improvement. 21mm is an unnecessary and limiting lug width. Silicone shouldn’t be utilized at this price point and the bracelet should have an extension of some kind if it’s being called a diver’s watch.
