Delma Launches New Shell Star Bronze 500 Piece Limited Edition

The new Shell Star Bronze evokes heritage and progress in diving as well as in watchmaking....

The independent Swiss watch brand DELMA has been producing precision timepieces for over 95 years. A focus on divers’ watches was established early in the brand’s history and has remained a core component of their innovation and performance. The new Shell Star Bronze evokes heritage and progress in diving as well as in watchmaking.

Andreas Leibundgut, Delma's Head of Marketing told us that “The Shell Star holds a special place for DELMA as the brand’s first professional divers’ watch. It captured the attention of the world's best divers with its release in 1975 and established DELMA as a reliable source for professional diving timepieces. With our newest addition to the collection, we set out to reinvent the appearance of the Shell Star with inspiration from the original model and period.“

DELMA’s early maritime success was due to the exceptional technical qualities of their timepieces which continuously evolved as diving grew in popularity and extremity. In the late sixties the brand’s first divers’ watch, the Periscope, demonstrated innovation and potential underwater. When the Shell Star was introduced in 1975, it met the needs of professional divers and solidified DELMA’s position as experts in the field. These models paved the way for the resilient Blue Shark collection first launched in 2011 to further amplify the brand’s performance and expertise at greater depths.

Solid bronze was selected for the case of the new Shell Star for its unique propensity to evolve and become more personal with exposure to the elements. It is considered a "living" metal as interaction with water, air, and sun cause it to oxidize and create a natural individual patina. Thanks to this fascinating feature, each Shell Star Bronze matures differently with the life of the wearer.

These special characteristics make the new Shell Star Bronze charismatic on the surface and in deep water. Durability and comfort are also essential for the new edition. Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, is particularly resistant to corrosion. It has long been used in naval and professional diving applications including portholes and deck fittings as well as dive equipment and has therefore proven to be ideal for the new divers’ watch. The stainless-steel case back creates a barrier between the responsive bronze and the wrist while the characteristic concave form of the Shell Star case is utilized to ensure ultimate comfort.

In profile, the Shell Star is unmistakably derived from the seventies. The curvy silhouette is reminiscent of quintessential design elements of the period. The wide toothed bezel is accompanied by integrated horns that blend seamlessly into the curvaceous crown protection emanating stylish robustness.

In keeping with the established high standards, DELMA’s new Shell Star Bronze possesses precise dive time control with a matching unidirectional rotating bezel appointed with luminous indexes and numerals. A helium escape valve and secure screw-down crown heighten the strength and functionality with water resistance to 500 meters. The three hands and indexes with Super-LumiNova C3 ensure great visibility in total darkness.

Faithful to the spirit of the collection, the Shell Star Bronze possesses the key historical characteristics of its predecessors: a spade central seconds hand, railway track and indexes in orange and white. The sand textured dial in green, blue, and brown are reminiscent of the seabed and the combination of bold and earthy colors are quintessential seventies. The DELMA customized movement with gold rotor is revealed through the stainless-steel case back with central porthole.

The distressed leather bracelet can be paired to match or compliment the dial creating 5 limited edition combinations. Like its predecessors, the Shell Star Bronze outperforms in style and durability.

Shell Star Bronze, Limited edition of 500 pieces, CHF 1490.- / €1490

CUSN6 superior grade bronze case (diameter 44mm, thickness 13.8mm), antimagnetic and corrosion resistant with unidirectional rotating bronze bezel. Luminous markers and numerals in Super-LumiNova C3. Screw-down crown with crown protection. Stainless steel case back with central porthole to showcase the decorated movement with DELMA custom rotor. Water resistant to 500m / 1650 ft. Helium escape valve.

Dial protected by AR-coated sapphire crystal. Sand textured metal dial (blue, green or brown) with railway track, large luminescent indexes and hands in Super-LumiNova C3. ETA 2824 automatic movement powers the central hour, minute, seconds hand and date at 3 o'clock. Self-winding mechanism with ball bearing, frequency 28'800, 25 jewels, power reserve of 38 hours. Distressed genuine leather strap with stitched accents and bronze buckle.