Delma tests the blue shark III in extreme conditions with an ice diving expedition to Lake Baikal, the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake.....
In pursuit of its greatest challenge yet, the Blue Shark III traveled to one of the coldest places on Earth, over 6,000 km from Delma’s headquarters in Lengnau, Switzerland with a team of expert divers, filmmakers and photographers.
Lake Baikal is no place for the faint hearted with air temperatures averaging minus 21°C and ice as thick as 2 meters in the winter. The water temperature is just above freezing at around 3°C underneath the ice, but the lake’s appearance is extraordinary. Ever changing because of geological activity, it is also one of the oldest lakes on earth, existing for over 25 million years.
Delma Expedition to Lake Baikal - Photo DELMA [product ids="6328, 6303, 6336"]
Exploring this remarkable place called upon years of experience and the best equipment available. In the words of a local divemaster: “You dive in the tropics to see what is inside the ocean. You dive in lake Baikal to see what is inside yourself.”
The DELMA Blue Shark collection has been designed for deep sea adventures and is built to perform in the toughest conditions. It is a model of exceptional robustness with water resistance to 4000 meters.
Delma Blue Shark III - Photo DELMA
To achieve such a feat, the specifications are very strict: a clearly legible dial, unidirectional rotating bezel that utilizes key indicators for managing dive times, luminescent numbers and indexes for perfect readability in the dark, an automatic movement with a 38 hour power reserve and a helium valve that gradually releases the trapped gas while preserving the water tightness of the watch as much as the safety of the diver.
Designed to meet the ultimate requirements of professionals, the Blue Shark III is intended primarily for connoisseurs, collectors and experienced divers. However, this state-of-the-art instrument is also a functional timepiece able to face the challenges of everyday life thanks to its very reasonable dimensions and sporty aesthetic.
Several versions of the Delma BlueShark III - Photo DELMA [product ids="6360, 6357, 6298"]
Water resistant to 4000m / 13120 ft. Tested and certified by the Swiss PST Laboratory for Product Safety Testing in Zwillikon, Canton of Zurich. The robust case is 47 mm in diameter and 18.5 mm thick with a helium valve at 9 o’clock. It features bold, luminescent numerals, indexes and hands with the option of a black, blue or orange dial. Outfitted with a solid stainless-steel bracelet and a genuine rubber strap. The new security screws and custom tools enable easy and reliable adjustment of the interchangeable bracelets. An ETA 2824 automatic movement powers the central hour, minute, seconds hands and date at 3 o'clock. Self-winding mechanism with ball bearing, frequency 28'800, 25 jewels, power reserve of 38 hours. Easy to handle unidirectional rotating bezel offers accurate and safe diving and decompression times. Available with a stainless steel or black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) treated bezel. Reshaped crown protection to safeguard the screw down crown for ultimate water tightness. Natural wooden box refined with custom Blue Shark details and compartments for bespoke tools.
To celebrate its 95th year and 50 years of marine watches, DELMA pushes limits to the extreme with the third generation of the Blue Shark, an ultra-resistant divers’ watch which can reach the mystifying depth of 4000 meters. Marking a first in the history of the brand, the Blue Shark III will be released in Basel this Spring.
Special thanks to:
Alfred Minaar – Photographer, Diver
Andrey Dimitrevich, Dive Center Sval – Dive expert
Nico Deutsch – Videographer, Diver
Sasha Davletshina – Diver
