Impossible n’est pas français. As Napoleon Bonaparte famously said, “impossible” is not a word that exists in the French language. For Bohen watches, the lofty goal was to develop a luxury dive watch in collaboration with professional military and civilian divers that would satisfy their demands yet stay slim and ergonomic on the wrist and showcase the brand’s distinct design language. The watch would need to be produced by some of the top manufacturing partners in Switzerland, and yet, the price point had to remain accessible. Impossible? Never. For its third release, Bohen has introduced the Grande-Marine, a slim 600m dive watch with a miniaturized helium escape valve, luxurious gradient dial, with the option of a right- or left-hand crown, and impeccable finishing throughout.
In the three short years since its inception, Bohen has been creating watches steeped in a distinctly French design language, thanks to the brand’s founder and designer, Blaise-Dominique Giuliani. With decades of experience working in the luxury and watch industry, Blaise-Dominique has extensive experience in high-end design and watch manufacturing. Well aware of the limitations of working with brands focused on the bottom line and mass market appeal, he was keen to bring his personal vision to life. By founding Bohen and partnering with manufacturers across Switzerland with whom he had forged relationships over years working in the industry, Blaise-Dominique was able to create the watches he envisioned, without compromise or constraint. Though its catalog has grown, the brand remains a small family business. Have a question about Bohen watches? Reach out to the brand and you’ll be speaking with the owners directly. In Marseille and want to pick up your watch in person? Blaise-Dominique will be there to greet you and talk watches.
The Grande-Marine is Bohen’s third and most accessible release — both in terms of price and design. It is a watch designed to be timeless and elegant, yet more than capable of performing in professional applications. All the hallmark traits that have come to define Bohen’s professional dive watches are still present: extreme water resistance, helium escape valve, high legibility with class-leading lume, and superb build quality and finishing. Bohen’s first two releases, the Mille-Mer and StarDiver, were developed in collaboration with professional divers such as COMEX legend and Bohen ambassador Patrick Raude to perform flawlessly under demanding conditions.
In creating these watches, Blaise did so with an eye towards building watches that would stand out in a crowded dive watch market with a style all their own. For instance, the 1000m water-resistant Mille Mer features a bullhead crown, an internally bridged date magnifier, and complex stepped dial construction. Meanwhile, the StarDiver is equipped with an ergonomic left-hand crown and helium release valve, a three-date window, and a fully tool-free bracelet with an innovative ratcheting quick-adjust clasp. For the Grande-Marine, Bohen’s goal was to retain the uncompromising ruggedness and professional specifications found in its earlier releases yet do so in a package that is timeless and elegant.
The Bohen Grande-Marine merges the worlds of luxury and professional diving in a watch that’s 41mm in diameter, sports 600m of water resistance and a miniaturized helium escape valve, and yet manages to measure in at a slim 12.8 in thickness (nearly a millimeter thinner than an Omega Seamaster 300, yet with twice the water resistance). The case, with its flared lugs and cutaway mid-case, retains Bohen’s hallmark case design, mixing brushed and polished surfaces, and is completed with a Grade 5 titanium caseback. The unique architecture, materials, and construction allow Bohen to achieve such a high water-resistance rating in a slender case. In addition, every single Bohen watch is individually tested to its stated specifications — something you won’t find elsewhere in the market.
Ergonomics and all-day wearing comfort were high on Bohen’s list of priorities when designing the Grande-Marine. The slim profile and titanium caseback keep the watch wearing light on the wrist, but Bohen also offers the option of a left-hand crown. Whether you wear your watch on your right wrist and prefer the traditional look and feel of an outward-facing crown or simply prefer the comfort of a destro crown that tucks safely out of your way, the option is yours.
For the dial, Bohen has chosen a subtle gradient that fades from grey to black, with colors that shift in the light. The anisotropic effect provides a dynamic viewing experience that gives the dial an unexpected depth and vibrancy. Complemented by numerals at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, the dial has subtle vintage cues that play off the modern case and bracelet profile. Like its progenitors in the lineup, the dial is deep and three-dimensional with a broad, sloping rehaut that does double-duty as a minutes track. Adding more elegance to the dial is the rose gold applied Bohen logo and Grande-Marine text. That touch of rose gold can also be found on the helium escape valve, tying the color theme together.
The hands and applied indices on the Grande-Marine are filled with Bohen’s Hyperlume, a densified version of Swiss Super-LumiNova X1 that is 50% stronger and lasts twice as long as standard X1 lume. Whether you’re wearing the watch in the black depths of the sea or checking the time in a dim theatre, the Grande-Marine glows like nothing else.
With Bohen’s commitment to using Swiss manufacturing partners throughout the watchmaking process, the choice to go with a 100% Swiss movement was an easy one. The Grande-Marine is powered by a Soprod M100 movement, of which 100% of the components are manufactured in Jura, Switzerland. This no-date movement beats at 28.8kbph and features a 42-hour power reserve, 25 jewels, Incabloc shock protection, a Glucydur balance wheel, and antimagnetic Chronofiable A8 qualifiation. Moreover, Bohen regulates each watch in-house to +/- 4 seconds/day in five positions. Despite being hidden behind the titanium caseback, the movement is finished to a high standard with rhodium coating, a rotor in Côtes de Geneve, and pearled bridges.
Like the rest of the watch, Bohen devotes an inordinate amount of time to the development of its bracelets. Tapering from 22mm at the case to 16mm at the buckle, the three-link bracelet features a mix of brushed outer links and polished inner links, playing off the mixed surfaces on the case. The bracelet features quick-release spring bars and a push-button clasp that is adjustable to the nearest millimeter through a tool-free micro-adjustable clasp. The Grande-Marine also features a diving extension link to easily slip over wetsuits. In addition, Bohen includes two silicone straps — black to play up the modern aesthetic, and brown to complement the gradient dial and subtle vintage cues.
While all Bohen watches are designed as professional instruments, the Grande-Marine brings a new level of elegance and sophistication to the brand’s lineup. The Grande-Marine is being offered at a launch price of €2,250 EUR excluding taxes, yet like all the brand’s watches, production is limited, with only 500 pieces available, 380 of which have already been sold. To learn more about Bohen and the Grande-Marine, please visit the brand’s website.
