The Nº 1973 Black Automatic
£500
The Nº 1973 black automatic diving watch, limited to only 100 serial numbers. Built-to-order by our workshop in Shropshire, UK. Shipping with free worldwide postage.
Description
Diving Watch
The Nº 1973 Collection
We are proud to present our eighth collection – the Nº 1973 diving watch.
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.
Utlising 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.
Diving Watch
The Nº 1973 Black
Featuring a jet black finish applied to a beautiful matt dial, that brings a clean contrast against polished silver-tone indices. The debossed 24 hour subdial contains a pronounced orange and yellow design that is tonal to the gloss painted outer minute track. Custom hour markers are applied accurately to the dial with a functional Super-LumiNova infill to compliment the precisely designed inner minute track, second hand and hour / minute hand inlays.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
The Stainless Steel Head
The Nº 1973 diving watch harks 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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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 diving watch retains its 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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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.
Diving Watch
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.
Additional information
Movement | Miyota caliber Nº 8217 mechanical movement by Citizen Watch Co. Ltd. Automatic and hand wound functionality. 24 hour subdial display. Quick date setting. 21,600 vibration frequency. 40+ hours power reserve. Parashock anti-shock system. |
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Color | Black |
Diameter | 45 mm |
Case Material | Type 316L stainless steel stainless steel |
Depth | 14.45 mm |
Length | 49.5 mm |
Lug Width | 22 mm |
Quantity | Limited to 100 serial numbers only |
Water Resistance | 20 ATM / 200 m |
Bezel | Unidirectional rotating |
Back | Screw down exhibition |
Lens | Solid sapphire crystal front & back |
Crown | Screw down anodised aluminium |
Strap Types | G10 NATO (+ additional jubilee bracelet) |
Strap Colours | Black and orange |
Guarantee | Read our full guarantee at http://wtauthor.com/our-guarantee/ |
Returns | 14 day returns policy for returning non-faulty products. Full details are available at http://wtauthor.com/customer-care/ |
7 reviews for The Nº 1973 Black Automatic
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
christopher bean (verified owner) –
These guys are always friendly and helpful. they also make very original watches at a good price.
robinofbelgium (verified owner) –
These guys are not only talented and know what they are doing, with each piece you buy a unique piece of art. Their concept follows through into the smallest details. A great watch for a small price. 100% trustworthy. Excited to see what they will come up again with their next collection.
Teo Seng Kee (verified owner) –
Received mine in Malaysia, Thanks!
Glynn Duxbury (verified owner) –
Well I am truly happy with my watch,presentation is first class communication couldn’t be faulted,I have never been a fan of nato straps and always intended to change them, purchased a stainless steel strap , and wore it on this , just decided to try a spare rubber one I had and in my opinion makes it really ” pop ” so happy, downsides ? My level of patience needs to improve, thanks everyone, merry Christmas.
Tim Bird (verified owner) –
So got my 1973 last week, and WOW!!! I love it!. At first glance I thought perhaps the colours on the dial were a little muted, but when I realised just how much it glowed after being under the light, it all made sense. It looks fantastic. The size of a watch is always difficult for me as I always seem to compare to my Nixon 51-30, which is like hanging a wall clock on your arm, but the 73’s size is just about perfect. The dial looks great, especially with the 24hr sub-dial in there, the bezel catches the light differently from every angle and the contrast between matt and polished finishes really catches the eye. Thanks for fitting the Jubilee bracelet, that is something that I think really sets it off. I promised myself that my next ‘proper watch’ purchase would be an automatic, and to be able to get one for the price I did from you guys and it be as exclusive and handmade all adds to the experience. I thought that buying a watch blind would fill me with doubt as I really like to get a hands-on feel for them, but the way you guys set up the Kickstarter experience, combined with the regular email updates and the ‘sneak peek’ pictures etc. made the whole experience so much better than expected. Thanks for yet another absolute beaut of a watch; I’m proud to add it to my collection.
Jon Jeff (verified owner) –
Received thank you
Very well built and I am very pleased with the watch.
The miyota is running a little to fast to my taste but still within spec.
I will be posting photos soon.
I will be looking at your new project for sure.
Steven Cox (verified owner) –
Just got my 1973 watch no. 51 of 100. Top notch and well worth every penny. I like the packaging too, and the execution from start to finish was superb.
Thanks to you all. Good to see that pride in effort and attention to detail can still come together to make a quality product.