Dive watches are easily one of the most popular styles of timepieces, although it’s hardly a secret that a mechanical dive watch offers few practical applications in today’s world of high-tech dive computers. For the most part, a traditional dive watch has been relegated to playing the role of a primitive backup timing device; however, Singer has reimagined this fan-favorite genre of underwater timepieces to give it a unique place in the modern digital era. Launched in Geneva during the week of Watches & Wonders 2024, the Singer Divetrack is a chunky purpose-built diver with a fully mechanical central 24-hour chronograph that expands upon the traditional functionality of a dive watch to provide it with relevance for scuba enthusiasts, both above and below water.
Beyond telling the time, the primary functionality of a dive watch lies in its rotating timing bezel, which allows users to track events up to 60 minutes in length. Today’s modern dive computers automatically calculate all crucial metrics such as bottom time and decompression stops, which means that they offer a do-it-all solution for any real-world scuba diving. While a traditional analog dive watch can serve as a viable backup for tracking elapsed time, it is only useful while you are submerged, and once your dive is complete, it ceases to be a diving tool and offers no more functionality than a standard three-handed wristwatch. However, the Singer Divetrack transcends the finite role of underwater timing, and it was designed to be a dive watch that can track your entire diving excursion, including surface intervals between dives, and even the amount of time that your body requires after a dive before you can safely hop on a plane and return home.
Crafted from grade 5 titanium with sandblasted surfaces and high-polished accents, the case of the Singer Reimagined Divetrack ref. SR401 measures 49mm in diameter by a properly chunky 19.67mm thick. However, due to its cushion-shaped profile, titanium construction, and ultra-compact skeletonized lugs, the Singer Divetrack offers a far more manageable wearing experience than its on-paper dimensions might initially suggest. The top of the case is furnished by a flat sapphire crystal surrounded by a unidirectional rotating timing bezel that is constructed from marine-grade 316L stainless steel and fitted with a ceramized black aluminum insert. Despite offering an ample 300 meters of water resistance, the reverse side of the Divetrack receives a screw-down sapphire display caseback to showcase its intricate internal movement, although the single most unique feature of the Divetrack’s case is its sandwich-style construction, which features a sapphire ring built directly into the middle case under the bezel.
Since the Singer Divetrack was created to be a purpose-built diving tool, its front display is entirely dedicated to its central 24-hour chronograph. Consequently, rather than displaying the time of day on its front dial, the Divetrack offers the time on a horizontal rotating ring that shows through the sapphire band on the side case at the 6 o’clock location. A small luminous triangle located on the side of the case points to the current value (demarcated in quarter hours), while the three centrally-mounted hands on the front dial are all devoted to its 24-hour chronograph. Although the time-telling ring is only able to give you an approximation of the time, the benefit of this rather unconventional layout is a truly fool-proof display and a primary dial that is entirely dedicated to diving applications.
Featuring a matte black surface with applied indexes and luminous markings, the front chronograph dial of the Singer Divetrack offers a fairly traditional overall appearance, although the center features a 24-hour ring with an internal section that is divided into three segments labeled Fly, Chill, and Dive. The three centrally-mounted hands are all dedicated to the chronograph, with the small arrow-shaped hand tracking the elapsed hours, the large bright orange hand showing the minutes, and the thin needle-shaped hand displaying the elapsed seconds. Additionally, just as you would expect from a purpose-built diver, all of the hands and markers are finished with Super-LumiNova, and the use of luminous material extends to the bezel insert, peripheral time-telling ring, and central dive chronograph markings for maximum legibility in low-light settings.
The idea behind the Singer Divetrack is that divers would start its chronograph when they first enter the water and leave it running the entire time, while they use the orange-finished minute hand and rotating bezel to track necessary metrics such as decompression stops and bottom time. Rather than stopping the chronograph after the dive, the Divetrack’s central 24-hour chronograph is designed to remain running after the diver surfaces, with the hour hand measuring the amount of time they will need to rest between dives (designated by the transition from “Chill” to “Dive” sections) and the minimum duration that they will need to wait after diving before they can safely ride an airplane (once the hour hand enters the “Fly” section). While a traditional dive watch is only useful while the diver is actively submerged, Singer wanted the Divetrack to be a new kind of dive watch that remains relevant before, during, and after a dive.
Operating the Singer Divetrack is achieved by a signed screw-down crown located at 4 o’clock, along with two double-gasket pushers that reside at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions. The pusher at 2 o’clock starts and stops the 24-hour chronograph, and it features a bright red hinged cover that prevents accidental operation. Meanwhile, the 10 o’clock pusher is the reset for the chronograph, and since it can only be activated when the chronograph is stopped, there is zero risk of inadvertently resetting the chronograph should the pusher accidentally be depressed while diving. While the middle case is crafted from grade 5 titanium, the crown and pushers all appear in marine-grade 316L stainless steel, with the start/stop pusher guard receiving a bright red ceramic coating. Additionally, to make the Divetrack as complete a dive watch as possible, a helium escape valve sits recessed into the side of the case at the 8 o’clock location, and it is constructed from polished marine-grade stainless steel to match the crown and pushers.
Powering the Singer Divetrack is the 56-jewel Caliber AgenGraphe 24-hour automatic chronograph movement, which consists of 479 individual components and runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. Offering a peripheral time display in addition to a central 24-hour chronograph with jumping hours, jumping minutes, and sweeping seconds, the intricately finished Singer Reimagined AgenGraphe movement sits on full display through the model’s sapphire display caseback. Additionally, despite being a self-winding movement, the rotor isn’t visible through the caseback, and just like Singer’s other calibers, the AgenGraphe 24-hour automatic chronograph features its automatic winding assembly on the front side of the movement below the dial.
Since the Singer Divetrack is intended to be a dive-oriented timekeeping companion with a practical role both in and out of the water, two different straps are included with the watch. The first is a heavy-duty ventilated black rubber strap that is completed by a signed stainless steel folding clasp, while the second option is a black textile strap that offers a wrap-around design with a Velcro-style closure. The infinite adjustability of the Velcro strap makes it ideally suited for transitioning from a bare wrist to a wetsuit, although both included straps are quite well-made and either one could easily be used for scuba diving applications. With that in mind, despite the rather unconventional design of the Divetrack’s cushion-shaped case and its unique sandwich-style construction, the compact skeletonized lugs ultimately follow a traditional style, which means that a wide variety of third-party straps will also be compatible should users already have preferences in this category.
Despite its rugged appearance and purpose-built functionality, the complex case architecture of the Singer Reimagined Divetrack ref. SR401 combined with its advanced mechanical chronograph movement makes it a rather premium offering within this space, and it is certainly priced accordingly at 85,000 CHF (or approximately $93,000 USD, at the time of writing). Additionally, while the Divetrack is not a limited edition where production will be capped at a set number of examples, annual output will be fairly limited with Singer producing just 25 examples of the watch in 2024. At nearly six figures, the Singer Divetrack is hardly a viable option for the average scuba diving enthusiast, although it’s undeniable that this innovative purpose-built model pushes the boundaries of the conventional mechanical dive watch, and it offers unique functionality that you won’t get from any other timepiece. For more information on the Singer Dive Track, please visit the brand’s website.
