Worn & Wound
Alsta Refreshes the Nautoscaph with Three Vintage Inspired Skin Divers
Fans of the skin diver, the easy to wear style of dive watch that has become core to the watch-nerd lifestyle in recent years, will be excited to hear about the new Nautoscaph Skin Divers from Alsta, a watch brand that was truly there at the beginning of the skin diver movement in the heyday of recreational SCUBA diving decades ago. It’s very easy, in my opinion, to see the appeal of the skin diver. They were made to be an approachable alternative to more professional oriented dive watches years ago, and those design characteristics that made them appealing in the 60s and 70s remain alluring today. These watches tend to have smaller case sizes that are thinner and easier to handle than bigger, chunkier divers that are rated to go much deeper. Plus, you still get an ultra practical, highly legible dial. Ditto for the timing bezel. What’s not to like? Alsta is perhaps best known these days for being associated, somewhat loosely, with Jaws, which we covered earlier this year in podcast form. Richard Dreyfuss, as Matt Hooper, wore an Alsta throughout the film, in a way that can only be described as inconspicuous and incredibly casual. It just feels like the right kind of watch for a character who might or might not need to do a little diving, and it looks at home topside in a variety of situations, which is part of the point of a skin diver to begin with. The new Nautoscaphs seen here certainly have a similar vibe, and would make sense on the wrist of Matt Hooper or his ...
