At 45mm wide and water resistant to 200m, the Gucci Dive is very wearable thanks to its short lugs. I was afraid that it was going to wear too large, especially on the NATO-style strap, but it really doesn’t. Speaking of the strap, Gucci did it right not only offering their signature green and red color motif, but a NATO-style strap that isn’t too long. That means you don’t need to tuck in excess strap – which makes the watch look too large. Thus, you get the benefit of the comfort in a NATO-style nylon strap, without having to deal with what I sometimes feel is an ungainly appearance on the wrist. The strap hardware is of a nice quality, and I think the thickness of the strap is ideal. On the strap is written “L’aveugle Par Amour” which is on a series of Gucci items in their catalog. It roughly means “blinded by love,” and is perhaps what people who don’t like this watch will claim is happening to me in my appreciation of it.
The black PVD-coated case is relatively simple, but has some nice details to it. The lugs are a separate structure and are held in place with torx-style screws, which are uncommon on timepieces. As a dive-style watch, it has a unidirectional rotating bezel, and gold-colored dive-style hands. There is a lume pip on the bezel, and the hands are lume-filled as well. I would have preferred for the hands to be a bit longer, but given the absence of markers on the dial it isn’t that big of deal. You can still read the time easily enough given that the markers on the rotating bezel can serve as hour markers.
Over the bezel is a piece of mineral glass I believe, which offers a nice aesthetic touch. For the most part the dive-style case is utilitarian and attractive, while offering an interesting contrast to the fabric dial. The red stripe on the strap continues into the dial, which makes for a pleasant cohesive look to the design. I prefer the bee motif not because I have a thing for winged insects, but rather, when compared to the snake or tiger, it is the most easily recognizable and more importantly, symmetrical. Again, it totally doesn’t bother me a lick that this timepiece isn’t a crowd-pleaser for timepiece traditionalists. I wouldn’t wear it to a gathering of timepiece-lovers, but around town in Los Angeles, it is a fun item to put on your wrist which communicates that you like wearing interesting things and that you aren’t afraid to be a bit playful.
Inside this Gucci Dive 45mm is a Swiss Ronda quartz movement. I appreciate that Gucci decided against including a seconds hand. Just an hour and minute hand is enough for a watch like this, and it also prevents you from seeing a ticking seconds hand which isn’t the most elegant design contribution most of the time. Over the watch dial is a flat AR-coated sapphire crystal. I would have preferred a top coat of AR-coating as well, but overall, the view into the dial is fine.
My review of the Gucci Dive 45mm YA136216 allowed me to appreciate its comfort as well as style. I would not have enjoyed this watch so much if Gucci didn’t get so many of the small details right. More so, they made it “fashionable enough” without going over the top (as could have easily been the case). There is a degree of design restraint here that I appreciate, especially when compared to some other Gucci timepieces that would not appeal nearly as much to a “watch guy” such as myself. The novelty of the look and sincere fun appeal of this Gucci Dive 45mm with the bee embroidery dial is what I like the most, and that has persisted for at least a few weeks of wearing it. It is hard to anticipate how a look like this will age, but I give immense kudos to Gucci for being creative.
Price for the watch is of course in the domain of “high-end fashion items.” For the money you can get a pretty nice mechanical watch. With that said if you can get past the “luxury brand” pricing, this is a decently made watch with a good level of sex appeal that should make it very valued by the right buyers. Retail price for the Gucci Dive 45mm YA136216 is $1,350. gucci.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Gucci
>Model: Gucci Dive 45mm reference YA136216
>Price: $1,350 USD
>Size: 45mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Fashion-brand lover wanting an interesting aesthetic which is 100% Gucci in a masculine dive watch package.
>Best characteristic of watch: For those who appreciate the aesthetic, this makes a good supplement to an otherwise traditional or more conservative wrist watch collection. Good detail choices in a comfortable and visually interesting package.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Purists will likely dislike or dis-prefer that this is a fashion watch in a functional watch skin. No getting around that. Pricey for many people who would otherwise like this watch but aren’t able to stomach the four figure price.
