First Look Scaling New Heights, The Titoni Seascoper 300 Ice Blue DLC

Considered one of the most solid, well-built and finished dive watches for under EUR 2,000, Titoni’s Seascoper 300, the smaller brother of the Seascoper 600, was recently put to a high-altitude test on Swiss speed climber Nicolas Hojac’s wrist. Instead of braving underwater depths, the Seascoper accompanied Hojac as he climbed all three north faces of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in record time. The model Hojac wore during his speed ascents is the attractive Seascoper 300 with an ice blue dial and a matte black DLC case.

Breaking the previous record of 25 hours, Hojac and his partner Phillip Brugger managed to climb the north faces of the three Swiss mountains in just 15 hours and 30 minutes. It makes sense for hard-core adventurers to kit themselves out with rugged, durable companions, and reputable dive watches fit the bill perfectly. Given the robust build, water-resistance and legibility of dive watches, it’s not surprising that they get more use on land as (extreme) sports companions than they do underwater.

Inspired by the archetypal lines of an iconic, you-can-guess-which 1950s dive watch, the new 42mm Seascoper with a thickness of 12.55mm switches its classic steel case for a more contemporary matte black PVD-coated case. Like anything dressed in black, the effect of the matte brushed black case visually reduces the dimensions of the watch. As a bona fide dive watch, the pointy crown guards and screw-down crown with a special gasket system ensure the case remains waterproof to depths of 300 metres.

Resilient to scratches and fading, the bezel insert to keep track of dive times is made of high-tech black ceramic. The coin-edged unidirectional 60-click bezel has engraved silver markings and an inverted triangle and luminescent pip at noon. Endorsed by Hojac, the signature porthole caseback with bolts features the white outline of the north face of the Eiger, the speed climber’s name and its status as a limited edition of 200 pieces.

The attractive ice blue enamelled dial is inspired by Alpine glaciers and contrasts boldly with the matte black case. Legibility is another essential feature of any sports companion, and the black framed indices are big, bold and filled with blue-emission Super-LumiNova; the index at 3 o’clock has been removed to accommodate a date window that is also outlined in black with a white disc and black numerals. The Seascoper’s original, six-sided hour and minute hands are also filled with lume, like the hexagonal tip of the central seconds hand that alights on the black markings of the peripheral minutes/seconds track. The dial is protected by a flat sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating.

Powered by a COSC chronometer-certified automatic Sellita SW200-1, the movement is fitted with an Incabloc shock absorber, beats at 28,800vph and provides a relatively modest power reserve of 38-41 hours.

The one thing fans of the Seascoper will miss on this black PVD model is the much-admired folding clasp with its push-button micro-adjustment found on the steel bracelets. This black Seascoper is fitted with a black rubber strap and a smaller black PVD-coated clasp. Limited to 200 pieces, the Seascoper 300 Ice Blue DLC retails for EUR 1,800 / USD 1,950 and can be ordered at titoni.ch and selected retail partners.

Source: First Look Scaling New Heights, The Titoni Seascoper 300 Ice Blue DLC