BENRUS released another great reissue of one of their previous designs, the Ultra-Deep. This supercompressor dive watch brings back one of the most popular watch designs of the 1960s featuring the twin crown case. The watch itself is a beautifully versatile piece, a sports watch with a touch of class: due to the cathedral-style hour and minute hands, and the date window with an internal magnification eye, it can easily be worn in reasonably elegant settings.
Specs:
- Ref # UD-SA-BK-SS
- Movement: Automatic
- Caliber: Soprod P024
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Case Width: 36.5 mm
- Lug-to-Lug Distance: 41.5 mm
- Price: Around $1,100
BENRUS: The Brand
In 1921, Benjamin Lazrus founded Benrus (short for BENjamin LazRUS) in New York. Initially, Benjamin Lazrus and his two siblings pooled $5,000 to import Swiss watch movements and manufacture watch cases within New York City. The company’s headquarters, which are still located there today, were situated in Manhattan’s Hippodrome building, nestled in the renowned jewelry district.
From the late 1920s through the late 1960s, they enjoyed significant success. However, like many other brands, they faced a downturn in the 1970s due to the quartz crisis.
Fortunately, a few years ago, BENRUS reintroduced their popular designs and unveiled some stunning timepieces. While the fundamental design remained largely unaltered, the watches underwent technological upgrades such as incorporating automatic Swiss movements, enabling them to effectively compete in today’s market.
BENRUS Ultra-Deep: Overview
The 1960’s were the golden age of scuba diving, and during this time most watch manufacturers were aiming to create timepieces that can withstand the pressure of the deep. The compressor watches have a specific design, which was based around the case that became more water resistant as you went deeper because the caseback would pressurize further the deeper the diver went. Additionally, a signature design solution for the compressor watches was the twin-crown case, where one crown is used for setting the time and the other crown is used to adjust the inner rotating bezel.
With the compressor, or super-compressor design becoming more popular again thanks to its unassuming simplicity, the BENRUS Ultra-Deep accentuates the timeless qualities of a sturdy dive watch. This watch’s overall aesthetic versatility enables effortless transitioning from formal occasions to casual, athletic activities.
Its 36.5 mm case width ensures comfortable wear for wrists of all sizes. Understated elegance equipped with the Soprod P024 Swiss automatic caliber, the BENRUS Ultra-Deep provides a 38-hour power reserve, ensuring reliable performance.
Specs:
- Ref # UD-SA-BK-SS
- Movement: Automatic
- Caliber: Soprod P024
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Case Width: 36.5 mm
- Lug-to-Lug Distance: 41.5 mm
- Price: Around $1,100
Dial
The dial of the Ultra-Deep is simple and elegant. No large hour markers, just round shapes are used as the hour markers, and rectangular shapes for the 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions. The date window is equipped with an internal magnification eye, and positioned at 3 o’clock, maintaining the balance and symmetry of the dial. The center of the dial doesn’t have any decorative elements, however, it doesn’t feel empty, as the cathedral-style hour and minute hands are the focus of our attention, resulting in a very refined look.
The inner rotating bezel has very tasteful Arabic numerals for the 12, 30, and 45 minutes, and the minute markers – as well as the hands – are coated with C3 Super-LumiNova, providing excellent visibility.
Case
The width of the case is at a very comfortable 36.5 mm, which is the original size of the initial BENRUS compressor watches, therefore its unchanged size is a respectful nod towards the 1960’s.
The lug-to-lug distance is at 41.5 mm, perfect for even smaller wrists as well.
If you have a larger wrist and are concerned that the watch could look too small, don’t worry, the 13.8 mm case height ensures a substantial presence, as a true sports watch should.
The acrylic double domed crystal provides excellent scratch-resistance with an elegant look.
Our favorite part of the watch: the twin crowns. The crown at the 2 o’clock position is used to set the time and date, and the crown at the 4 o’clock position is used to adjust the inner rotating bezel. The waffle patterns on the surface of the crowns ensure good grip, and provide some needed texture for the case.
Movement
With the inclusion of the Soprod P024, an automatic Swiss movement, the BENRUS Sea Lord boasts an impressive 38-hour power reserve. This 25-jewel mechanism draws inspiration from the ETA 2824-2 movement and is well-known for its reliability, positioning itself as a strong competitor to the widely recognized Sellita SW200 movement.
Stainless Steel Bracelet, and NATO Strap
The BENRUS Ultra-Deep comes with a stainless steel jubilee-style bracelet, and a complimentary blue nylon NATO dive strap. Both of these are equipped with quick release technology, so you can change them easily without any tools. Both of these options are a great fit, and they create a different look for the Ultra-Deep; the jubilee-style stainless steel bracelet makes the watch more elegant and evergreen, while the nylon NATO strap creates a real sporty look, and it’s more functional for activities.
Pros and Cons
Let’s take a look at the summary of pros and cons, in our humble opinion:
Pros
- The 36.5 mm case width, and the 41.5 mm lug-to-lug distance dimensions are perfect for all wrist sizes.
- Classic, vintage-inspired design with evergreen elements.
- Can be easily dressed up or down.
Cons:
- The back of the case is relatively underwhelming, especially compared to other BENRUS watches.
- While we love compressor-style dive watches, we hope to see something new from BENRUS in the near future that’s stepping outside of the realm of dive watches.
Summary: Takeaway and Final Thoughts About BENRUS Ultra-Deep
The BENRUS Sea Lord is a beautiful vintage-inspired compressor-style dive watch drawing inspiration from the 1960’s. It’s a perfect timepiece for smaller wrists with the 36.5 mm case width and the 41.5 mm lug-to-lug distance. It seamlessly transitions into a versatile choice, serving as an exceptional everyday timepiece. Equipped with the automatic Soprod P024 Swiss movement, it guarantees a comfortable 38-hour power reserve. This timepiece serves as a remarkable testament to the brand’s enduring influence within the American watch industry—an inspired reissue we absolutely love!
Specs:
- Ref # UD-SA-BK-SS
- Movement: Automatic
- Caliber: Soprod P024
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Case Width: 36.5 mm
- Lug-to-Lug Distance: 41.5 mm
- Price: Around $1,100
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