WATCH TO WATCH

Saving Endangered Rays: Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust


Carl F. Bucherer has launched a new, limited-edition model of its Patravi ScubaTec divers’ watch in support of the UK-based Manta Trust, a charity committed to protecting and ensuring the survival of endangered manta rays. The Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust is not only limited to just 188 pieces: each watch in the run is unique, with its own individually engraved caseback.

Carl F Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust - front
Carl F Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust – front

Part of the proceeds from sales of the watch will go to help finance a data-gathering expedition in the waters around the Maldives, conducted by the Manta Trust and its CEO Guy Stevens, which will analyze the habitat use and feeding habits of the manta ray population that is currently being threatened by overfishing. Marking this ScubaTec watch as part of a special edition are the silhouettes of two manta rays, depicted as surfacing from beneath the ocean waves, on the ridged, black dial; and a unique, engraved image on the solid steel caseback of another ray — this one taken from real life and captured on underwater camera, from its underside, by Stevens and his team. Each engraved manta ray on the caseback is different from the rest, with a unique pattern on its stomach, and paired with an engraved, individual identification number. The owner of the watch can then use the ID number as an access code to website where he can officially give “his” manta ray a name.

Carl F Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust - back
The engraved manta ray on the back of each watch (above) is a depiction of one photographed underwater by the Manta Trust (as below).
Manta Ray photo Maldives
Photo: Guy Stevens

Like all watches in Carl F. Bucherer’s Patravi ScubaTec collection, the Manta Trust special edition has a 44.6-mm-diameter case water-resistant to 500 meters. The case, here made of stainless steel, has a notched, unidirectional rotating bezel with a ceramic insert, indicating the first 15 minutes of dive time. The crown, decorated with the brand’s emblem, screws down securely and the extra-thick sapphire crystal has a nonreflective coating on both sides. There is also an automatic helium valve in the side of the case, which protects the watch from damage from pressure changes when it is worn by a diver ascending and descending in a diving bell.

The dial has a ridged motif that replaces the more commonly seen honeycomb-like pattern on other ScubaTec models, and a date window at 3 o’clock. The large hands and prominent hour markers are all coated with Super-LumiNova.The movement is CFB’s automatic Caliber CFB 1950.1, which has been certified by COSC as a chronometer and holds a power reserve of 38 hours. The watch is mounted on a black rubber strap with an adjustable folding diving clasp made of stainless steel.

Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust - angle
Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust – angle

The Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust is priced at $6,400, and aimed right at the wheelhouse of environmentally conscious collectors. As Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer puts it: “By purchasing this model, watch connoisseurs not only become the proud owner of a truly unique timepiece; they also contribute to the conservation of manta rays.”

Click on the video below for a glimpse at how the brand developed the designs for the unique caseback art on the Manta Trust models.

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