In Lower Saxony in the Schaumburg region of Germany is Schaumburg Watch, a small workshop that's producing some fantastic watches in very limited numbers. Propelled by a proud team of creative designers and talented watchmakers, Schaumburg Watch has gotten the attention of a small but growing group of watch collectors who appreciate the allure of a watch that's both exceptional and a bit obscure.
The Schaumburg Watch Aquamatic No. 3 is a blue dialed version of Schaumburg's Aquamatic model. Designed to accept the generous dose of banging around that comes with underwater operations, the Aquamatic No. 3 has a robust stainless steel case (42mm in diameter - almost 17mm thick) and a substantial and well protected screw down crown. The unidirectional bezel of the Aquamatic provides a reliable indication of bottom time and is easily manipulated with neoprene gloves. For mixed gas / commercial divers, there's a helium escape valve and a waterproof rating of 3000 ft. Other than the inclusion of a date in the 6 o'clock space - a nice feature since even the watch of the most prolific underwater adventurer will spend much more time topside than below the surface, the Aquamatic is about as no-nonsense a diving watch as can be had.
Inside of the Schaumburg Aquamatic is the Caliber SW 20A - it's based on the ETA 2824 - a solid choice since reliability in adverse conditions is a design requirement and service needs to be simple and easy to find.
Besides the allure of knowing that you're wearing a watch that very few people will recognize but most will wonder about, there's another benefit in acquiring a Schaumburg Watch - the value equation. A small and carefully executed advertising strategy means that you'll be paying for the materials intrinsic to the watch and the time of the skilled master watchmaker who made it and not the Madison Avenue fluff that's built into the price of most big production fine watches. If you can do without a COSC (you can - this is a tool watch remember!), the Schaumburg Watch Aquamatic can be had for $1400 US (COSC'd version is $1940) - a bargain! Buy one now before the world gets wind of what's going on at that small workshop in Schaumburg.
