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From the world’s thinnest dive watch to an absolute monster, the NOVE Trident Automatic and Atlantean are dive watches with a difference From the world’s thinnest dive watch to an absolute monster, the NOVE Trident Automatic and Atlantean are dive watches with a difference

From the world’s thinnest dive watch to an absolute monster, the NOVE Trident Automatic and Atlantean are dive watches with a difference

Fergus Nash

There are lots of buzzwords that fly around the realm of microbrands. Innovation, function, craftsmanship — they all serve the purpose of validating a watch brand’s existence beyond the simple fact that they exist to sell watches. Sometimes it’s necessary to use these because watch collectors are biased towards brands that have centuries worth of heritage behind them, and new companies have to compensate for their youth. Sometimes, though, a brand is completely justified in supplying their own hype, and NOVE are one such brand. To prove it we’ll take a close look at two of their most mind-bending models, and then you can wonder why it’s taken so long for you to hear about them.


The first watch to pull out of NOVE’s relatively prolific catalogue, having released nine different watches since launching the company in 2015, is the eccentric yet burly 200m diver — the Trident Automatic. This watch is the sequel to their original Trident, which boasts of being the thinnest 200m dive watch in the world. If you’re like me, you will have just read that sentence and rushed to Google it, thinking that there’d surely be some ultra-bespoke handmade luxury diver that was much thinner, but it’s true. The world’s thinnest 200m dive watch is a NOVE Trident at 6.8mm, and it’s only $330USD. Although the automatic version we’re highlighting now doesn’t have that same claim to fame, the 13mm case including the double-domed sapphire crystal is still a marvellous feat of engineering.

NOVE Trident Automatic and Gemini Limited Edition

Although it may sound like a slightly generic name for a dive watch, there’s nothing generic about its design or construction. Using a high grade of Tahitian mother of pearl, each individual watch carries its own unique blend of swirling purple, green and blue hues that shimmer under dancing light. That mystique is said to embody the depths of the ocean, but whether you see swirling waters or a far-reaching galaxy it is always an intoxicating dial to stare at. The applied hour markers are elegant and the sword hands match the aggression of the case without sacrificing the refinement of the dial, especially alongside the unobtrusive logo and dial text.

The case is where things start getting a little bit wild, with the most immediate point of interest being the bezel. Not only is the bezel loud and proud, with its external gear shape for ease of grip extending the diameter to 46mm, but it’s also got an exposed ratchet system that shows exactly how the Trident prevents any clockwise rotation of the bezel. If you’ve ever watched a Seiko modification video before you may have seen what the Seiko click spring looks like, often allowing  you a slight amount of wriggle room to nudge the bezel clockwise. The Trident’s teeth are sharp and thick, with three prongs of ratchets firmly grabbing their positions with a satisfyingly positive click. Aside from being a fantastic point of visual interest, the skeletonisation of the system also allows it to be thinner, as the ratcheting isn’t hidden between the case and the bezel.

NOVE Trident Automatic and Gemini Limited Edition

The 46mm diameter as mentioned earlier may sound confronting, but the Trident Automatic is actually fairly compact with an integrated bracelet and a lug-to-lug of only 48.8mm. That isn’t to say it appears small on the wrist, with its bulk carried mainly by the litany of bold, blocky edges along the case, bezel, and especially the bracelet. Each link has a rather extreme chamfer on each side, although the edges are slightly softened and each link brushed to keep things relatively under control. It’s a big watch, with the look of a big watch, and the comfort and wearability of an average-sized watch.

The movement, viewable through the slightly domed sapphire caseback, is the Swiss Ronda calibre R150 — an ultra-slim movement at 4.4mm thick with automatic winding, date display, a 28,800vph beat rate and around 40 hours of power reserve. Complete with a two-year warranty, $670USD is certainly not an extortionate price for a watch with such intense character, and an extra $20 can get you one of the PVD-coated versions in gold, black, and a rarely seen blue offering.

NOVE Trident Automatic and Gemini Limited Edition

As much as I can’t call the Trident Automatic a “standard” watch, NOVE are capable of much more eccentricity. From a diver that prides itself on thinness to an absolute behemoth, the NOVE Atlantean refuses to pull any punches in its assault on beefy diver design. Jumping straight into the details, the Atlantean has a whopping diameter of 50.5mm, a thickness of 13.95mm, and a lug-to-lug of 56mm. This is a watch that’s clearly been designed to be worn on the outside of a wetsuit, but you’re more than welcome to rock it bare if you have the wrists to carry it off.

 

In character, the NOVE Atlantean is just as bombastic as its stature on-wrist, with a stunning cut of abalone shell bringing swirling, opalescent hues of green and purple to the dial while the blue anti-reflective coating just adds to the mystical effect. Despite the size of the case, the dial manages to stand out and also uses an interesting trick to keep things legible.

The NOVE Atlantean actually swaps the position of traditional diver bezel markings and hour indices, so that the markers are easy to see on the black bezel and the elapsed time can be more quickly linked to the minute hand. The magic really comes from the way in which you can still rotate the “inner bezel”, by unlocking the fluted edge with the lever on the right hand side of the case. The Arabic numerals are applied with Super-LumiNova on a transparent disk, so that twisting the outer bezel makes the numbers appear as though they’re floating around the dial, all without moving the hour markers.

The steel bracelet continues the industrial look with screwed central segments and an integrated style, with a diver’s extension clasp to ensure a tight fit so that the heft doesn’t swing around too much. Using a Swiss-made Ronda R150 automatic movement, it beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a power reserve of around 40 hours, and it has a stated accuracy of +/- 12 seconds per day. Available in the mixed brushed and polished steel finish or a black-coated stealth option, the NOVE Atlantean begins at $690 USD and comes with a UV torch for charging the impressive lume.

 

If your interest has been piqued, be sure to browse NOVE’s impressive range of watches here on their website.

A 12% discount is available for all Time+Tide readers who purchase a NOVE watch before 30 April, 2022. Use the code Time+Tide12 (not applicable for the Streamliner collection).

Specifications

Trident Automatic

Case Material Stainless Steel
Case Dimensions 46mm  x 48.8mm x 13.05mm
Water-Resistance 200m
Dial Mother of Pearl
Straps Steel Bracelet
Movement Swiss Ronda R150 Automatic
Power Reserve 40 Hours
Complications Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Price $670 USD

Atlantean

Case Material Stainless Steel
Case Dimensions 50.5mm x 56mm x 13.95 mm
Water-Resistance 300m
Dial Abalone
Straps Steel Bracelet
Movement Swiss Ronda R150 Automatic
Power Reserve 40 Hours
Complications Hours, minutes, seconds, date with magnifier
Price $690 USD Steel finish / $710 USD Black finish

Made in partnership with NOVE Watches. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.