1935 Omega Marine (Ref. CK679) "First Commercially Available Dive Watch"

While they're best known for their NASA flight-tested and approved chronograph, the Speedmaster, Omega's innovations in watchmaking span not just the reaches of outer space, but to the depths of the oceans as well, and well before anyone else.

It's well-known that the first commercially available waterproof wristwatch was created by Rolex in 1926, however, the title for the first commercially available dive watch belongs to Omega with the Marine model, first revealed in 1932. The Marine was a revolutionary step forward for sports watches and professional diving as a whole, featuring a rudimentary double-case design sealed with cork to ensure water tightness at depths. The first official test of the Marine was performed in 1936, when it was lowered 73 meters below the surface of Lake Geneva, though this rating was exceeded in 1937, when Omega performed a more controlled test in their own watchmaking laboratory, proving the waterproof capabilities of the Marine to 135 meters, or 443 feet.

Of course, the unique design of the Omega Marine was quickly superseded by more practical and effective waterproofing methods for wristwatches. What this watch offers today is not only a distinctive and whimsical aesthetic, but a window into an era of experimental design, when the big watchmaking brands we discuss every day were pushing the envelope and taking risks to see what worked and what didn't, even if the end result was far different than what is considered standard today.