With all the challenges that come with owning vintage watches—servicing, wear on components, wildly varying valuation—sometimes it’s easier to look for something that simply looks vintage instead. Thankfully, we’ve seen a wave of intriguing retro-style watches as of late, and the new Dryden Watch Company Chrono Diver Gen 2 collection brings even more 1970s design to the world of modern skin divers.
While the first generation of Chrono Divers from Dryden covered relatively contemporary aesthetic points, like bright colors, high-contrast details with ultra-bright Super-LumiNova, rubber straps, and more, the second generation promises an adherence to more nostalgic design cues. While the new Chrono Divers sport the same modern 42mm case dimensions, the design itself is revised; a layered profile to integrate solid end links for a new tapered five-link bracelet and recessed pushers give the watches a sleeker silhouette that harkens back to simpler skin divers of the 1960s and 1970s, rather than the bulky beasts of today.
On the aesthetic end, three new colorways are available and though they largely mirror the dial designs of the first generation, the combinations themselves are much more muted in adherence to the new vintage look. The Black Vintage and PVD Vintage styles feature light yellow indices and hands over a black dial, with white chrono subdials, whereas the Blue Panda model swaps in a dressier white dial and hands with a blue bezel and subdials. Both color schemes are handsome and subtle, and stand in opposition to the modern convention of bright, showy colors that has saturated the diver market as of late. The PVD Vintage model swaps out the brushed stainless steel case and bracelet finish for a black PVD coating, allowing it a sort of out-of-time look that bridges both contemporary and retro aesthetics.
In terms of functionality, all Gen 2 Chrono Diver models feature a screw-down crown and double-dome sapphire with internal anti-reflective coating, allowing for 100 meters of water resistance and good legibility (furthered by the inclusion of BGW9 and Old Radium Super-LumiNova coating). An 120-click unidirectional bezel with a stainless steel insert will satisfy those looking to use their Chrono Diver for actual diving, and the Seiko VK63 Mecha-Quartz movement at the heart of it all promises a battery life of three years.
The Gen 2 Chrono Diver collection is a good step forward in design, and a smart step backwards in influence, setting itself apart from the crowded diver market by focusing on ‘70s aesthetics. Sure, a vintage chrono diver will always be a cooler conversation piece, but Dryden Watch Company promises a vintage-inspired look with modern reliability, and assembly in Kansas City, which is a neat deal for someone who wants to re-live the old days with significantly fewer headaches.
The Dryden Watch Company Chrono Diver Gen 2 Blue Panda and Black Vintage models retail for $450, and the PVD Vintage edition retails for $475. All three are available now on Dryden’s website.
Elodie Townsend
2026-02-26 18:00:00