Elliot Brown brings summer vibes to its Bloxworth Heritage Diver with the new Chromatic Collection
Tom Austin- British brand Elliot Brown unveils a limited-edition dive watch range for summer in the colourful Bloxworth Heritage Diver Chromatic Collection.
- Comprised of 4 watches that include colourful bezel accents and inner chapter rings, the collection injects a hint of playfulness into what is a serious tool watch.
- Inspired by summer motifs like candy floss, promenade deck chairs, and sandcastles, the Chromatic Collection combines a vintage diver look with some unexpected colourways, which is very on trend right now.
British brand Elliot Brown is currently carving out its own niche in British watchmaking, combining essential features such as real-world robustness, rugged styling and a touch of vintage flair with affordability. They openly describe their use of destructive testing on their watches, far more than most brands, to prove that their watches can withstand the abuse they claim, all at an attractive price level. In tune with recent summer trends, Elliot Brown has launched a colourful new four-piece collection based around the Bloxworth Heritage Diver: the Chromatic collection.
Inspired by the classic dive watches of the 1950s and 1960s, the Bloxworth Heritage Diver takes a vintage approach to its aesthetic and tweaks it with modern touches. At 40mm in diameter, its marine-grade stainless steel case is contemporarily sized, and a triple-sealed screw down crown at 4 o’clock, combined with a domed, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, offers the watch an ocean-ready 200 meters of water resistance. For a supposed dive watch, that may not sound like a record breaker, but bear in mind that it’s 100% tested to this level, and most humans never dive much further than around 40 meters anyway, so it’s more than enough. Another modern detail is the unidirectional timing bezel, featuring a scratch-resistant ceramic insert, which differs on each of the four models, but more on that in a moment.
There are four colourways in the Chromatic Collection, spread across grey, navy blue, bold blue and vivid orange dials. Each dial features a contrasting chapter ring, an extension of the minute track, and comes in pink, pale blue, yellow and grey respectively. The dials all feature a wave motif embossed into the surface, and are accented by applied hour markers, with the classic 12, 3, 6 and 9 in Arabic numerals. The Bloxworth is a time-only piece, so there are no awkward date windows here, and the clean dial is left uncluttered with just a simple minute track, logo at 12 o’clock and water resistance rating displayed below.
The contrasting colours across the chapter rings are extended out into the 120-click black ceramic bezels, with the numerals and markers all matching the fun coloured dial accents. It’s a fun way to bring a splash of colour to a classic look, which is toned down with the neutral Super LumiNova-filled arrow hands, a traditional look for a dive watch.
For a watch like this, you might expect an ETA or Sellita-based automatic movement to sit inside, seeing that it’s something that collectors gravitate towards. However, unusually, Elliot Brown has opted for a quality, Swiss-made Ronda 713 quartz movement for the Bloxworth Diver. And you know what? To me, that’s absolutely fine. It’s a time-only watch, and is touted to be extremely dependable and reliable, so why can’t it be quartz? Quartz offers unmatched accuracy and cost benefits, and paired with EB’s in-case movement shock-protecting system, will be reliable and never need to be set unless changing the battery. There’s clearly room in the market for more quartz watches, and if using arguably lower-level automatic movements is driving prices higher, then why not opt for a quartz to keep things affordable?
Each Bloxworth Heritage Diver in the Chromatic Collection comes with a dial-matched textured rubber strap, finished with a newly-refined, laser-engraved deployant clasp. Apparently, the spring bars are also unbreakable, but I can’t promise they’re unlosable after flying across the room during strap changes. The orange watch will be the most widely available, with 100 pieces available; however, the pink/grey, blue/yellow, and navy/sky blue variants are limited to just 50 pieces each, so if there’s a colour you like, you had better be quick.
Elliot Brown Bloxworth Heritage Diver Chromatic Collection
The Elliot Brown Bloxworth Heritage Diver Chromatic Collection is available now, either directly from Elliot Brown’s online store. The orange model is limited to 100 pieces, while the other variants are limited to 50 pieces each. Price: €485.95
| Brand | Elliot Brown |
| Model | Bloxworth Heritage Diver Chromatic Collection |
| Reference | 929-110 – Orange 929-109 – Navy blue/sky blue 929-108- Blue/yellow 929-107 – Grey/pink |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 12.5mm (T) |
| Case Material | Marine-grade stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 200 meters, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front |
| Dial | Wave motif in orange, navy blue, grey or bright blue with contrasting chapter rings |
| Strap | Colour-matched rubber strap with deployant clasp |
| Movement | Ronda 713, quartz |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, unidirectional diving bezel |
| Availability | Available now, orange limited to 100 pieces, other variants limited to 50 pieces |
| Price | €485.95 |