Our take on the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver in white and orange

Zesty.

We recently wrapped up a series of podcasts sponsored by Zodiac, and they had sent out some watches to check out. Now we talked about them on the pod, and put pics on our socials, but we thought we’d take the opportunity to have a closer look, as they’re genuinely interesting watches we can get behind. One of those watches was the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver on a tropic-style rubber strap. So I (Felix) thought I’d do a quick write-up, and Andy took the excellent shots. Of all the watches in Zodiac’s current lineup, this will be the most familiar, and it’s offered in a broad swathe of styles and colours, including quite a few in unconventional and bold colour palettes, like this guy, in white and orange.

Before diving into the ups and downs of this charmingly contemporary retro diver, let’s race through the specs. The case is 40mm across, around 13mm tall and about 57mm from lug to lug (take these with a grain of salt, as I’m using a ruler and my myopic eyes here, nothing fancy). The lugs are 20mm across, the crystal is sapphire, the bezel insert is mineral, and the movement is the STP1-11, which is an unexciting but reliable take on the mighty ETA 2824. The price is USD 1295, or AUD 2179. Specs and build-wise, it’s very much what you see is what you get. A solid, well-made watch that feels fair for the price and doesn’t offer too much in the way of surprises.

What it does offer, and offer in spades, is on-the-wrist happiness. The clean white dial with crisp black printing is already a welcome reprieve from the typically dour dials of dive watches, but add in those orange highlights, and you’ve got a watch set to put some pep in your step. Of course, bright or unconventional colours are hardly new when it comes to watches, but they’re surprisingly hard to execute well, and chrono24 is littered with watches that didn’t nail the brief. Here, though, Zodiac’s classic, blocky dive style and the simple, untextured treatment of the colour synergises very nicely, and the orange on the bezel and the hands bring it all together. If you buy this watch, you’re 100% buying it for the colour. I like the fact that they went for the rubber strap here — and doing it in safer but complementary neutral blue was smart.

The palette is the champion, but there are some other things to be aware of. The bezel is clickier rather than buttery, and the crown — it must be said — is far from grippy. It is not a bad thing in that it is an unobtrusive part of the design, but it is worth bearing in mind. For me, it feels a little chonk on the wrist, given the height-to-width ratio, but I’m prepared to admit that’s because I’ve been veering towards slimmer profiles recently.

So, who’s it for, and is it worth it? The proverbial 1295 dollar question. I see this watch appealing to two main categories of people. First, people dipping their toes into watches and looking for a solid value proposition who want to flex their on-the-wrist personality.

Secondly, people willing to drop some cash on a watch simply because it’s fun. Both these buyers will feel like they got bang for buck because that’s exactly what the watch offers. It’s a rock-solid little statement that offers a zesty alternative to boring black dials.

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Til next time, Felix (and Andy).