Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec: Lucerne’s Family Firm Takes the Plunge

The Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec is new to the dive watch game. But this new-for-2014 model line brings equally new tricks to the party. With a look that screams “sports watch!” and substance to rival the best from the Swiss Big Three, the Patravi ScubaTec answers the “pressure” of competition with value, quality, and style.

Carl F. Bucherer is best known for its dress watches, but that means the family-owned watchmaker from Lucerne is unbound by the fetters of tradition. Ceramic bezel inserts, a Manta Ray-inspired dial guilloche, and a contemporary 44.6mm case reflect the forward-thinking philosophy that drives the Patravi ScubaTec‘s design.

Consider the case; it’s massive but comfortable. The delicate balance between scale and ergonomics is one that many larger watchmakers have failed to master. Not so Carl F. Bucherer; the Patravi ScubaTec spreads its stainless steel mass evenly and comfortably.

And the five-link bracelet is built with details worthy of a Rolex rival. Each of the links is carefully finished with alternating brushed and polished facets, and the assembled mass never pulls hair or pinches skin. More than a supple companion, the Patravi ScubaTec bracelet features a stellar clasp with the solidity of granite.

And that clasp is a clever piece in its own right; the tool-free push button micro adjustment is a joy to use (+/-10mm), and a folding dive extension adds another 15mm for use over thick coats or dive suites.

Carl F. Bucherer equips the Patravi ScubaTec with a bezel and dial that blend functionality with style. Scratch-resistant blue and black ceramic inserts ensure that the unidirectional dive bezel looks good and boasts the toughness to remain that way.

A dial composed of applied luminescent indices glows like a torch in low or no-light conditions. Matching hands with extremely large lumed segments are exemplars of legibility that the Swiss “big three” would do well to study. Below the sweep of those expressive hands, Carl F. Bucherer crafts a subtle recurring motif that resembles a swimming school of…

… giant Manta Rays. The dial provides a subtle echo of the engraved aquatic fauna on the case back. Each Patravi ScubaTec features two high-polish embossed images of the epic filter-feeders on its screw-down case back.

Beneath that screwed-down hatch, Carl. F. Bucherer‘s caliber CFB 1950 keeps time to COSC Swiss Chronometer tolerances. It features automatic winding, a 42-hour power reserve, and hacking (stop) seconds for synchronization to a known reliable reference time.

See this innovative and imposing Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec in high-resolution images on www.watchuwant.com.

Video and content by Tim Mosso