The Nº 1973 Orange Automatic

Description

Dive Watches

The Nº 1973 Collection

We are proud to present our eighth collection – the Nº 1973 dive watches.

Named after the year the iconic G10 NATO strap was issued by the British Ministry of Defence, it introduces the renowned style into our growing collection of timepieces that includes examples of military, aviation and racing stories to name a few!

The Nº 1973 is an automatic and hand wound mechanical wristwatch with a quick date setting, 24 hour subdial display, unidirectional rotating bezel and exhibition back. Each 316L stainless steel watch head measures 45mm diameter × 49.5mm length (lug-to-lug) × 14.45mm depth (including lugs) and is tested to 20 ATM (200m / 650ft) water resistance.

Utilising a beautiful combination of meticulously polished and carefully brushed surfaces, it has been elevated further with the use of highly polished silver-tone numerals on a matt black, ion plated, unidirectional rotating bezel. The robust screw down crown features a bold, deep red anodised finish, consistent with all of our past collections.

The screw down exhibition back, printed with the WT Author mark and uniquely allocated serial number, gives the wearer uninterrupted access to view the inner workings of the intricate mechanical movement. The bespoke watch head is finished with a duo of heavy-duty interchangeable G10 NATO straps in jet black and blazing orange finishes.

Every watch is built to order with British and imported parts in our UK workshop located in Shropshire. It is guaranteed against any defects in material or workmanship that may occur under normal use for a period of 24 months from the date of purchase. Learn more.

Dive Watches

The Nº 1973 Orange

Featuring a traditional “diving orange” finish applied to a delicate matt dial to bring a discreet contrast against polished silver-tone indices. The debossed 24 hour subdial contains a notable yellow and black design that is tonal to the gloss painted outer minute track. Signature hour markers are applied precisely to the dial with a stunning Super-LumiNova infill to compliment the flawlessly designed inner minute track, second hand and hour / minute hand inlays.

Dive Watches

The Mechanical Movement

In 1959, Citizen Watch established a movement manufacturing factory in the town of Miyota, Japan.

The caliber Nº 8217 is both an automatic and hand wound mechanical movement, assembled using only parts manufactured at Japanese plants. It is produced in-house by high-speed automatic assembly lines and undergoes strict quality checks.

The balance wheel is produced by human hands. Adjusting the eccentricity and horizontality of the balance spring is the most difficult procedure, and cannot be expressed in numerical form by machinery.

The movement is precise and durable with high impact resistance. It is valued for its craftsmanship, artistry and beauty; all major parts are made of metal to enhance colour and texture. We trust Citizen due to the high quality and stable supply that our products require.

Dive Watches

The Stainless Steel Head

The Nº 1973 dive watches hark back to the golden age of diving from the 1970s. We have taken every essential aspect of this legendary style and modernised it from top-to-bottom within our own expertly engineered unique components.

The watch head securely houses the intricacies of the delicately assembled mechanical movement, displaying its complexity through the uninterrupted solid sapphire crystal rear lens. It has been designed to fit perfectly on the wrist within a robust and solid watch head that has been assembled to be put through its paces. The result is a timepiece with a 45mm diameter, a length of 49.5mm (lug-to-lug), all contained within a depth of 14.45mm (including lugs).

We effortlessly combine beautifully brushed and highly polished surfaces that meet to create a clean aesthetic with incredibly strong properties. The knurled watch head wall brings a dynamic style to catch the light at any given opportunity whilst offering a fantastically machined aesthetic.

Dive Watches

The Unidirectional Bezel

The bold unidirectional rotating bezel offers quick functionality through substantial grip areas on the edge of the component. The high contrast aesthetic presented through the black, ion plated surface and silver-tone markers is enhanced further by a strong combination of matt and highly polished finishes.

The bezels original function serves to record the elapsed time for a diver’s descent. The 12 o’clock marker, containing Super-LumiNova, is aligned to the prominent minute hand to record up to 60 minutes of elapsed time. The unidirectional ratcheting mechanism stops any accidental movement to the bezel thus avoiding any chance of less time being recorded on a descent. As standard, the point of a diver’s return is clearly indicated from the 20 minute marker end point on the bezel.

Dive Watches

The Screw Down Case Back

The intricately machined screw down exhibition back includes deep, tooled recesses to reflect our established signature “poker chip” aesthetic influenced from our previous watch collections. The component includes a robust gasket to create a powerful seal that ensures water resistance tested to 200m / 20 ATM.

The exhibition back is fitted with a solid sapphire crystal lens to ensure the dive watches retain their maximum water resistance whilst offering an uninterrupted presentation of the mechanical movement’s inner workings.

The stable construction with precisely defined architecture has been designed and machined to be as beautiful as every other component on the watch. The rear lens is finished with our intricately printed mark and serial code to indicate its allotted number in the limited edition collection.

Dive Watches

The Screw Down Crown

The custom-machined, screw down crown enhances the water resistance. To defend the component from accidental knocks or other interactions, it is housed within a substantial crown guard that flows directly from the lines of the lug straight into the side of the watch head.

The crown is deliberately placed at the 4 o’clock position with lugs that fall tightly to the watch head, avoiding any discomfort to your wrist.

Dive Watches

The Solid Sapphire Crystal Lens

The solid sapphire crystal lens is constructed in extremely high temperatures and made up of crystalline aluminium oxide. Each item is precisely cut with diamond saws that are then ground & polished into shape for the finished product.

It offers significantly more scratch resistance vs. traditional glass, plastic or acrylic crystal as well as being extremely strong and shatter resistant. The solid sapphire crystal lens has an identical hardness to natural sapphire.

Dive Watches

The Signature Dial

The watch dial is where we can be the most expressive. The Nº 1973 watch comes in five different colour options: Blue, Green, Black, Orange and Yellow. Each one carries a specific correlation of meticulously designed hour, minute and second indices. The hour markers utilise a correlation of our signature “tuning fork” indices applied securely to the dial, all with a Super-LumiNova infill to compliment the thick matt painted WT Author mark at the 12 position.

Thick gloss painted inner and outer minute tracks surround the dial, allowing details like the date window and model information at the 6 o’clock position to be picked up through a palette of contrasting colours. The result is a timepiece that’s rugged, reliable and legible.

Dive Watches

The Expressive Hands

The highly distinctive minute, hour and second hands are substantially sized with a combination of brightly coloured gloss paint and Super-LumiNova coatings. The bold forms have been designed to be easily read and visible against a dial if it is in total darkness.

Dive Watches

The Functional Super-Luminova Details

Super-LumiNova is based on a non-toxic formula consisting of strontium aluminate. This is one of several powerful luminous pigments available in the watch industry today. We have opted for a light green lume for the Nº 1973 watch.

Dive Watches

The Robust G10 NATO Straps

In 1973 the British Ministry of Defence issued soldiers with the very first G10 NATO straps. Originally, the design was only available in one colour; we are offering it in two – jet black and blazing orange.

With a 22mm lug width, our premium nylon straps are both highly functional and weatherproof, capable of handling a variety of environments.

2× G10 NATO straps to suit any occasion, smart or casual, serious or fun… And furthermore there are vast opportunities to change the style of the Nº 1973 watch simply by adding a new band.

Dive Watches

The Sustainable Packaging

Our packaging has been engineered to be 100% reusable and recyclable, as well as providing a lightweight solution to reduce wasteful distribution. We endeavour to use recycled stock at every possible opportunity. The inherent beauty of this repurposed material is adorned by our own exclusive artwork.

Every watch comes accompanied by the following items:

• Signed and numbered sketch print (limited edition watch sketch print with signature and corresponding number to match the watch’s serial code).
• Signed and numbered watch blueprints (limited edition technical drafts with signature and corresponding number to match the watch’s serial code).
• Set of watch assembly photographs (capturing the Nº 1973 watch build process).
• Chapter 8 taken from The Book of WT Author (the Nº 1973’s story visualised within a beautifully formatted booklet).

Learn more about our environmental commitments here.