AV86 1956 Marine — Navy & Off White

The AV86 1956 Marine is a vintage-inspired dive watch honouring the French Navy's Marine Nationale, the first military divers to be issued purpose-built dive watches in 1956. Navy and off-white wave dial, acrylic-filled bezel, individually numbered 41 mm steel case, manufacturer-rated to 200 m. Designed in Copenhagen. One unit in stock.

Why It Stands Out

• The acrylic-filled bezel gives it real vintage warmth instead of the cold shine of ceramic, and it is the detail that separates this from every other 41 mm diver on a shelf.
• The TMI VH31 quartz runs a sweeping seconds hand, so it reads like an automatic on the wrist without the servicing or the daily rate drift.
• Double-domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating: the dome gives you the old distortion at the edge of the dial, the coating means you can still read it in direct sun.
• Every case is individually numbered, which is not something you normally get at this price.
• Navy wave dial with off-white accents, Super-LumiNova, and cut-outs at 12H and 6H so the lume orients you instantly in the dark.
• Cordura canvas strap on quick-release pins, so changing straps takes seconds and no tools.

Watch Details

• Case: 41 mm 316L high-precision stainless steel, individually numbered
• Thickness: 12.5 mm
• Lug-to-lug: 49.2 mm
• Lug width: 20 mm
• Movement: TMI VH31 (Japan) quartz, sweeping seconds
• Caseback: Screw-down
• Crystal: Double-domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating
• Bezel: Acrylic-filled
• Dial: Navy wave dial with off-white accents, Super-LumiNova, cut-outs at 12H and 6H
• Strap: Cordura canvas with pin buckle, 20 mm, quick-release
• Water resistance: 200 m (20 ATM), manufacturer-rated — swimming and snorkelling, not scuba
• Box: Compact PU leather with logo
• Warranty: 2 years

Fit and Wear

41 mm is the headline but 49.2 mm lug-to-lug is the number that decides whether it fits you, and it is short enough to sit inside a smaller wrist without the lugs hanging over the edge. At 12.5 mm thick it is a proper diver rather than a slim one, though the Cordura strap keeps the overall weight down. Navy and off-white is the colourway that works under a white shirt as readily as it does with a jacket, and the 20 mm quick-release means a leather strap turns it into a different watch in under a minute.

Colin's Take

This is the sleeper of the collection. Manufacturer-rated 200 m water resistance, double-domed sapphire, an individually numbered case, and an acrylic bezel with warmth that ceramic never has. The VH31 sweep is the part that catches people out; they pick it up assuming it is an automatic. Buy this if you want a dive watch with a real story behind it and no service bill five years from now. Skip it if quartz in a watch at this price offends you on principle, because nothing I say about the VH31 is going to change that. One available.