If you watched the two part video we shot with Roger Green from Nite Watches you may have picked up on the passing reference made to a new collaboration. Truth be told the partnership was very embryonic at the time of filming, but all that has changed now.
Nite Alpha on a test ZULUDIVER Military Nylon - Credit WatchGecko
We are delighted to announce that we have successfully completed a cobranded design project between ZULUDIVER and Nite Watches. Following the filming day the ZULUDIVER team were left two Nite watches, the Hawk and Alpha Series, as we all judged these were the most appropriate for possible collaboration.
Although the two watches were fundamentally different designs we felt they both lent themselves well to being worn on high end military nylon straps. The Alpha, for example, is a stainless steel 300M professional diver worn typically on a steel bracelet or rubber band. The Hawk is a polymer case tactical watch which is sold with a rubber strap. As a group we experimented with numerous strap and watch combinations until we came up with a shortlist which was thoroughly tested and further trimmed to perfection by the management at Nite Watches.
Nite Alpha T-100 Tritium - Credit WatchGecko
Let’s have a quick recap of the chosen watches:
When you print 300m water resistance on a dial it should mean that the watch will take what you throw at it, whether it has been purchased as a decent Field / Outdoor watch or a professional underwater tool. The Nite Alpha is eminently suited to either of these functions and, as discussed in the afore mentioned video, it is refreshing to see a watch from this genre which works hard to move away from the obligatory Rolex Submariner or Omega Seamaster look. With prices starting at just £450 the Alpha is relatively inexpensive given the originality of the design, high quality of the materials and technical capability.
Nite Alpha on new collaborative NITE/ZULUDIVER Military Nylon - Credit Nite Watches
Alphas have colour co-ordinated ceramic bezels which give a premium feel and a robust scratch resistant surface. Nite dials are always worthy of note and the Alpha utilises tritium, not standard lume. This superior method of illuminating watches is available in blue, orange, and green all of which are the more powerful T100 strength rating. Sapphire crystal seals the dial away. The Alpha is powered by a Ronda 715Li quartz movement which delivers a 10 year battery life.
We found the Alpha to be a highly capable tool watch which will serve you well and delivers a level of design which one would expect to pay at least another £500 for.
The Hawk pure Special Operations inspired tactical watch which represents everything you would expect from this genre. It faces an even tougher challenge to stand out as it must battle head to head with big hitters such as Luminox.
The Hawk has a 51mm polycarbonate case and rotating bezel; both being tough and functional. The entire case complete weighs just 70g. The contours of the bezel are well thought out and it can be used easily with thick tactical or outdoor gloves. The Hawk is supplied on a silicon strap to keep weight down but during our tests I swapped it for a ZULUDIVER Military Nylon strap which was a factor in starting the collaboration rolling.
Nite Hawk on new collaborative NITE/ZULUDIVER Military Nylon - Credit Nite Watches
As with the Alpha a critical part of Nite’s USP on the Hawk is tritium lume which offer exceptional clarity in all lighting conditions. The Hawk is T25 millicurie rated which is lower in luminosity than the T100 Alpha but it is still capable of outshining traditional luminescence come the early hours of the morning. A specialist T100 Hawk is available. A Ronda quartz beats in the Hawk and will meet all your accuracy needs. Despite the lack of a screw down crown the Nite Hawk fights back the elements with a smart gasket system so is water resistant to 200M. Rounding off the package is scratch resistant sapphire crystal with triple anti reflective coating.
ZULUDIVER & NITE – Strap Collaboration
After discussions between Nite and ZD it was clear we were of like minds and agreed both the watches looked best on classic design Military Nylon Straps so the first challenge was to match straps to the bold lume and dials. Or if need be, create bespoke strap pantones and patterns which would be exclusive to Nite.
Nite Hawk on PVD collaborative NITE/ZULUDIVER Military Nylon - Credit Nite Watches
Sara from The Magazine and E-Commerce created a digital mood board where we could manipulate straps and watch heads until we found excellent matches. Once constructed, Nite took these straps way with them and set about testing. The final choices look stunning on the watches and if you pop over to the Nite website you can see all the available NITE/ZULUDIVER military straps. There is a link at the end of the feature.
The straps are all similar construction and based on our classic 141 Military Nylon Band Range. Bulletproof straps of this style have been standard issue to the UK Military since 1973 and ZULUDIVER is widely considered to make one of the best iterations of this strap today. The bands selected and eventually produced for Nite are of a premium and very durable nylon which is 1.2mm thick. That’s 0.2mm thicker than the standard 141. They retain the three classic steel keepers but they are now wider, more robust and have a superior finish and look. ZULUDIVER is engraved onto the third keeper. The collaborative Nite straps also have an upgraded buckle which is co-branded. Straps are available from Nite with either stainless steel metal work or more tactical PVD black.
Co-branded NITE/ZULUDIVER buckle - Credit Nite Watches
Meeting of Minds
This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and remarkably straight forward collaboration. When both parties are of one mind the creativity flows and the end result is new and exciting strap options for Nite watch owners. Click here to see the full range for the Nite Alpha and here for the Hawk. If you want to learn more about Nite watches we have a detailed review on the WatchGecko Magazine.
