Ultradive Tuxedo

The new elegant “tuxedo dial” compressor dive watch

Our new Ultradive Tuxedo model revives the classic look of the “tuxedo dial” configuration in a true compressor dive watch. The silver galvanised dial with sun ray finishing oozes elegance, and in combination with the black inner dive bezel and the dark red date gives that classy tuxedo look which was very popular in the 1940s - 1960s. At the same time, the watch is a fully functional dive watch certified to 200m.

The true and complete COMPRESSOR water resistance technology – for crowns and case back

Speaking of elegance, the Ultradive Tuxedo features a smart technology for water resistance: The COMPRESSOR technology. Like Aikido in martial arts, it uses the force of the opponent to direct it against himself: The rising water pressure outside is used to seal the case back and the crowns better. The Ultradive Tuxedo is a real compressor dive watch featuring a compressor bayonet case-back first pioneered in the 1950s by the ingenious case maker EPSA, Ervin Piquerez SA from Bassecourt. It also revives EPSA's patented, non-screw down crowns, which also use the compressor principle:

The more you dive down, the higher the water pressure. The more water pressure, the more it presses the case back into the case and against the gasket. The same principle applies to the unique gasket within the crown: It is pressed tighter onto the tube the more the water pressure rises and is made of a special polymer usually not used in the watch industry. The crowns do not have to be screwed down, yet are highly water resistant.

Sherpa Watches took up this ingenious Swiss invention from the 1950s and revived it in their Ultradive and OPS models. They are the only complete compressor watches on the market, even featuring in-house MONOFLEX crowns made at Sherpa Watches.

This system works very well and enables the ISO 6425 certification (4.7.4 and 4.7.10) to 200m. Each watch is tested accordingly before it leaves our house.

The only watch with a „spiritual complication“ – good vibes in the Mantramatic movement

Sherpa Watches uses the „Sherpa“ name with pride, which was used for the first time in 1956 for a watch. To give something back to the Sherpa people, we include a feature inside the movement which has a close relation to the Sherpa people of Nepal. The Sherpas are a Tibetan minority in Nepal and adhere to Tibetan Buddhism. Our CEO Martin Klocke shares this with them and developed a special Sherpa feature inside of the movement:

The seconds wheel and the escape wheel are both micro laser engraved with Tibetan mantras, according to the tradition in the Himalayas. The plans were made with the help of the highly renown meditation master Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche to make sure they are 100% correct. It may be the smallest engraved mantra in the world: 1mm long and 0.15mm high, the mantra „OM MANI PADME HUM“ is engraved many times in both wheels. Per rotation it spreads its good vibration into the world, more than 30 Mio times per year, roughly one per second. It is the first time that a watch movement is transcended from a pure machine into a spiritual instrument: The watch sends out good wishes and vibrations into the world constantly, to everyone. In times like these, this is sorely needed.

Silver plating and sun ray finish on the dial

Before galvanically coating the dials with silver, our dial maker Cador in Germany applies a sun-ray finish to the domed dial. Considering the complex shape of the dial, with milled cutouts to house the applied indices, the date window, and also the sloped edges, this is not easy to achieve. Yet, the result speaks for itself, giving different looks that play with light and dark contrast. The inverse black bezel with white print gives that extra “tuxedo” contrast, with the dark red date adding the extra touch like a red breast pocket handkerchief.

The Ultradive series has a unique design

The Sherpa Ultradive features a timeless design with internal dive bezel, a domed dial, applied indices with diamond polished facets. The hands are also facetted with diamond polish. The seconds hand is a „double lollipop“ design which is rarely seen.

The Swiss made domed sapphire box glass adds to the vintage yet timeless look. To counter an often-seen whitish glow around the rim of the sapphire box glass, the Swiss partners Sebal and Econorm create a superbly finished and highly domed box glass with metallisation on the rim bottom to catch unwanted reflexions.

The German made polished stainless steel case features a beautifully finished bayonet case back, which always locks into the same orientation and shows an engraved vintage dive helmet, the symbol of the former EPSA company.

All components are made in Germany and Switzerland, and for transparency, the partners and suppliers are named on our website