Bausele has teamed up with French artist seconde/seconde to create a limited-edition of the classic Sydney Diver – what do we think? Well, it depends on how you look at it… literally.
Founded in 2011, Bausele is more of a niche microbrand among its many peers. However, I love them for two reasons:
- Their design and technical capabilities are excellent and convey their brand identity well, and
- I love any brand that is homegrown on Australian soil!
While not a born-and-raised Australian himself, Swiss founder Christophe Hoppe has taken to our Great Southern Land with curiosity and enthusiasm, translating well to the timepieces he produces as part of the Bausele lineup. One of the collections is the Sydney Diver, a watch that in my opinion is the most iconic watch of the brand and one that represents the Australian identity in spades.
We’re fairly young in our watch culture. Most people over here just want to wear something that looks nice without consequence, and Bausele recognises that. The Sydney Diver, whilst slightly upmarket, is not overly so, and has been designed to look good and function for the average Australian, going anywhere that they would. And if you know Australia, that means everywhere.
Enter Romaric André, aka. seconde/seconde: French artist and self-proclaimed vandal of other people’s products. He is also a frequent and increasingly popular watch collaborator, having done collaborations with other brands such as Timex’s ‘IYKYK’, Spinnaker’s ‘Fifty Phantoms’, and more recently Squale’s ‘Watch Your Hand’.
This time around, he set his sights on Australia, where he got to meet up with Christophe and the Bausele family to discuss the potential of a collaboration together. Inspired by their meeting of the minds, Australian cliches, and their antipodal personalities, seconde/seconde created a limited edition that represented just that – a watch that changes its perspective in a never-ending debate, fittingly named ‘Perspective.’
Before we get to that, let’s go over the rest of the watch. Inside every Sydney Diver is the No-Date Sellita SW200 automatic movement, which comes with a 38h power reserve and a beat rate of 4Hz, allowing for a smoother ‘sweep’ of the second hand. Combine that with a 39.5mm case, 200m of water resistance (though on this version, the water resistance simply states ‘deep!’), and a sapphire crystal, you’ve got a piece that can take on the world. Yes, Bausele doesn’t have an in-house movement like some of the premium and luxury brands out there, but the SW200 is a reliable workhorse of a movement used by brands everywhere. For a diver-style watch like the Sydney Diver, it makes perfect sense, but as a sucker for accuracy stats I would love to see Bausele using the COSC version at some point – though on this particular timepiece, I don’t think it’ll matter.
This brings us to the defining aspect of the Sydney Diver ‘Perspective,’ the design. For the colourways, seconde/seconde has opted for either a black or white dial, both with bright blue accents and encased inside black PVD-coated stainless steel. The bright blue conveys the Australian identity underlying the watch well, reminiscent of the ocean that surrounds our native continent. For me, it reminds me more of the cartoonish depictions of the ocean I would see on the TV during my sick days from school, like Stoked or Total Drama Island. The whimsical nature is only further exacerbated by the elastic blue NATO/Velcro strap that comes with the watch, alongside its sportier black rubber alternative. The Australian identity is only furthered by the contents of the crown; Normally, Bausele uses sand from Manly Beach, NSW to cap the crown, but in this unique case they have taken red dirt from the Kimberley Region of WA – one of the most isolated places on Earth.
But of course, the star of the show is the second hand, a component that seconde/seconde is always fond of modifying. As opposed to a traditional hand, it has instead been extended into one long, blue stick, capped in the centre by an 8-bit fin. Whilst the 8-bit artistry is enough to evoke nostalgia in most, where the ‘Perspective’ gets its name is purely dependent on when you look at it. The movement of the second hand changes the perspective of the fin to the wearer, transforming it either into a shark’s fin above the water, or a surfboard below it; Every 30 seconds you’re either viewing Jaws or Blue Water High. As previously mentioned, this is an inspired choice by the French artist due to his and Bausele’s antipodal attitudes. They simply cannot seem to agree on anything, so he decided to convey that feeling into the timepiece. Is it a shark fin? Is it a surf fin? That’s up to you – and whoever else is looking at it.
Final Thoughts
It’s always refreshing to see Romaric’s (seconde/seconde’s) visions come to fruition – I have always been a fan of his, both in artistic prowess and punny sense of humour. As a patriotic Aussie, I always root for the home team, so it’s easy for me to appreciate any work that comes out of local brands like Bausele; Nicholas Hacko, Adina, and Melbourne Watch Company are other names that come to mind when it comes to appreciating the hallmarks of Australian watchmaking.
Combined, I believe that the Sydney Diver ‘Perspective’ is a great piece that transcends its original purpose. Transforming a watch that already heavily conveys the Australian identity through aesthetics and practicality into a whimsical work of art is no walk in the park, but Romaric’s striking additions have allowed it to transform into just that.
Produced only 50 times for each dial colour, the Bausele Sydney Diver ‘Perspective’ is built to be divisive – good luck getting your friends to agree on what the fin represents. Disagreements aside, though, there is one irrefutable fact that both parties must agree on: It is an absolute delight.
Reference: Bausele x seconde/seconde Perspective
Specifications:
- Case dimensions: 39mm, 9.5mm Thick (without crustal), 47.5mm lug to lug
- Case Material: Sandblasted 316L surgical grade stainless steel, with black IP coating
- Dial: Choice of white or black
- Crystal: Double domed sapphire crystal with five layers of anti-reflective coating
- Movement: Sellita SW200 Automatic movement, 26 jewels and beating at 28,800VpH / 4Hz
- Water Resistance: 200M / 20ATM
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Strap/Bracelet: 2 straps featuring quick-change system, one blue fabric velcro strap and one black rubber tropical strap.
