Oris' new Aquis Depth Gauge isn't the first watch for divers, but it's got a unique proposition to it. It won't rely on electronics and sensors, instead it will feature a thicker sapphire crystal with an air channel milled into the side that will run almost the same way around the dial.

At twelve o'clock position, there's a small hole letting water in when the diver gets deep enough for the surrounding pressure to compress the air in the channel. The watch will then use the numbers on the dial to read their depth by simply finding the spot where the water meets the air inside. It's brilliant.

This technique is known as capillary depth gauge, and it's supposed to be incredibly accurate. There's no lag when reading it either. The only thing that's lacking with this watch is the ability to tell a diver the safe speed of ascent.

Oris is asking $3,570 for this.


[Oris via Perpetuelle]