I love a California watch dial. I recently purchased the Timex Marlin with one of the same, and I’m a little obsessed with its 1960’s vibe. A new release with its own California dial is the Isotope Hydrium California watch and its safe to say it comes in a very different package to the Timex, one built for diving adventures.
Introducing the Isotope Hydrium California
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotype
Just quickly –in case there’s some of you that don’t know – a California dial is a watch face that has both Roman and Arabic numerals around the circumference. You’ll see on the Isotope Hydrium California watch that traditional Roman numerals are used from the 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock markers. Then from 4 o’clock to 8 o’clock, they change to modern numerals.
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
Isotope clearly has a love of dive watches; their Hydrium and HydriumX models are an example of that. However, it seems Jose Miranda, founder of Isotype, has always wanted to recreate one of the original 1960’s diver’s watches with a ‘California’ dial. Thankfully for him, he owns a watchmaking company and was able to do exactly that.
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
The grainy black dial has a lovely matte effect which allows the large Arabic and Roman numerals to stand out in their bronze-coloured finish. In the dark, the numerals and hands glow green thanks to their Super-LumiNova inserts. The hour and minute hands are large and baton-shaped with an unusual, brushed finish. The seconds hand has the same brushed effect and a distinctively bizarre shape. Does it look like a wooden spoon to anyone else? The dial also presents the Isotope logo in white at 12 o’clock and the Hydrium name is presented in red along with the case’s water resistant rating of 1000ft (300 metres).
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
For its exterior, the Isotope Hydrium California watch elects a 40mm wide 316L stainless steel case which has been cleverly bead-blasted to ensure there is no reflection for catching the unwanted attention of predators. The bezel is also purposely engineered for underwater exploration, offering 120-click unidirectional rotating functionality and a beige-coloured, luminous 60-minute scale for measuring elapsed dive time. You may notice the bezel has been redesigned to have a bit more of a vintage vibe. It is now divided into five-minute segments with no indications for a cleaner look.
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
Completing the vintage-inspired aesthetic, the Isotope Hydrium California watch comes with double domed sapphire crystal glass and a large crown with knurled detailing. The crown is screwed down and nestled between two unassuming crown guards for a decent water resistant rating of 300 metres. For the screw down case back, Isotope have added another insert of sapphire crystal glass for a view of the automatic movement inside.
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
The movement housed within the Isotope Hydrium California watch is a Swiss Landeron automatic movement. It has a power reserve of 40 hours, 25 jewels and runs at a frequency of 28,800vph. We’re told it has an accuracy of -12 to +12 seconds a day and has customised finishing including blued screws, perlage and Côtes de Genève.
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
Last but not least, the Isotope Hydrium California watch holds firmly in place on the wrist by a 22mm wide FKM strap. The rubber band has a special texture that pays homage to some of the earliest straps used on dive watches. It also arrives with a bespoke suede strap that pairs nicely with the beige accents on the dial and bezel. Both straps are completed by micro-blasted stainless steel buckles engraved with the Isotope logo.
The Isotope Hydrium California watch is a limited edition of 200 pieces and retails for £1,080.
Isotope Hydrium California Watch - Credit Isotope
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Isotope
- Model: Hydrium California
- Price: £1,080
- Limited: 200 pieces
- Material: 316L stainless steel
- Movement: Swiss Landeron automatic
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds
- Dial: Black “California” with Superluminova hands and numerals
- Size: 40mm wide, 12.9mm tall
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: This is a watch I would wear while travelling. It’d transition nicely from being on, in or around water to the evenings out for dinner.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: A fellow California dial lover
- Best characteristics of the watch: The California dial
- The worst characteristics of the watch: I wish it was a millimetre or two smaller. I’m also not sold on the seconds hand.
