In February this year, we first looked at Ligure Watches and hands-on with the Tartaruga Black.
It's almost the end of the year and we are lucky to have not another one, but three, Ligure Divers in our office to pass a critical eye over. We have a Tartaruga Blue, a Nero Di Seppia and a Founders Edition GMT. All sent kindly through by Ligure HQ, these watches were opened with much anticipation.
Nero Di Seppia - Credit WatchGecko
First, who are Ligure?
Born through the collective efforts of three friends who wanted to bring some integrity back to the watch industry, Ligure makes high-quality dive watches which are far removed from the many ubiquitous Submariner clones on the market. Team Ligure are Loek Oprinsen, who has been in the watch industry for 30 years and has spent time with giants such as Cartier, IWC and Vacheron Constantin. Pieter van Geet, who hailed from Bausch & Lomb Ray-Ban, and finally, completing the Ligure management, we find Jannieke van Geet, who brought 30 years of extensive creative design experience.
Together, this creative trio founded Ligure Watches, first and foremost, to design and build beautiful watches and combat the growing trend within many Tier 1 brands to gain more exclusivity but not necessarily match that position with matching build quality or innovative design.
The Tartaruga 200m Watch Range
All Ligure watches are built around a common design designated the Tartaruga, which translates to Turtle in Italian. This is a direct reference to the shape of the case, which is standard on all variants. The case is a good design, as Ligure has set out to eliminate gaps between the lugs and the case. To achieve this, they have recessed the spring bar holes into the underside of the case.
Also common is the general dial design with a date window at 3 o'clock and screw-in crown position at the four marker. Indice design and fonts are also unchanged other than colour tones. Dials have raised and polished indices, and the hands and indices are coated with Swiss Super-LumiNova. Dual colour lume has been utilised, with the dial glowing blue and the bezel green for maximum legibility. This is visible through the domed sapphire crystal with only an anti-reflective coating on the underside.
Flip any of the watches over to appreciate a case back that features an exceptionally well-engraved map of Italy and coordinates to some of the impressive shipwrecks which can be found off the coast close to the spiritual home of the watch brand.
Nero Di Seppia - Credit WatchGecko
Beating inside all non-GMT Ligures is a Selitta SW200, which delivers 38 hours of power reserve. If you choose a GMT variant, the heart of your machine will be an ETA 2893-2. This is a good quality GMT movement, also the base for Breitling's Calibre 32.
Standard dive straps are dual-tone and made from the finest quality hypoallergenic, industrial-strength silicone. To increase user comfort, Ligure has embossed a pattern on the inside inspired by the profile of a Pirelli tyre, allowing water to be quickly dispelled between the wrist and the watch. Alternative steel bracelets are of an Oyster design made from 316L stainless steel with double push button security and a well-designed micro-adjustment system for wetsuits.
Reading this technical summary, you could be forgiven for thinking we have three very similar watches for analysis. In terms of overall design, we do, but that's not immediately apparent when you see them. They vary so much in dial and bezel colour that they appear to be vastly different watches, which will appeal to a wide variety of customers.
Unique Models
As stated earlier, we had three models for a photo session: the Tartaruga Blue, a Nero Di Seppia and a Founders Edition GMT.
The Tartaruga Blue is possibly the trio's most "dive" looking. The colour palate is beautiful, with a depth reminiscent of the deepest and darkest azure you would see on a dive. A sunburst central area catches the light and brings a touch of class to what is ostensibly a tool watch. The watch shares the same red accents as all Ligures with the red and white stripe brand logo under the 12 and a mirror image. i.e. white with a red stripe on every hour marker. On this particular model, the red is carried forward, with the dual-tone silicone strap being blue on the upper and red on the lower sections.
Tartaruga Blue - Credit WatchGecko
The Nero Di Seppia looks so different from the Blue that you could be forgiven for thinking it is an alternate model altogether. In reality, it is the same watch, but the use of colour and different finishes results in a completely different look. Here, we find the stark black dial and instead of white hands and indices we have a beige patina colour, hence the name sepia, with a matching daytime colour on the bezel numerals. True to Ligure, this beige colour is carried through to the underneath of the silicon strap. Equally striking but so very different if you're lucky enough to see these two watches together, you begin to appreciate the brand's design ethos.
Nero Di Seppia - Credit WatchGecko
Our final model is the Tartaruga Founders Edition GMT with a white dial and silver sunburst zone in the centre. Unlike the Blue watch, the indices and hands are outlined in black to make them stand out against the white dial and give maximum legibility. This makes for a very effective and striking finish. In addition to the three hands found on the other models, we now have a fourth GMT hand and on the rehaut the numbers 01 to 24 to allow for alternate time zone capability. This model came upon the Oyster-style bracelet, which benefited from a similar high-quality clasp well-engineered links which are screwed together. It is one of the best GMT/Dive combinations we have seen in a long time.
Founders Edition GMT - Credit WatchGecko
Also common to all watches is the packaging and included accessories. Our Ligures came in a cardboard box which opens to reveal the rugged Italian coastline and ocean. Within each box was a catalogue of all the Tartaruga models, a spare very high-quality fabric Sailcloth style strap with steel buckle, a felt credit card holder (which contains your warranty card), a Ligure keyring, cleaning cloth and brand logo stickers. It's a pretty good package which is well put together with all the lovely accessories.
As part of the review, we were also sent three leather straps, which can be bought additionally, and we made sure to use these in the photo session. As with everything in the package, they appeared to be of superior quality, carrying the colour accents and came in fabulous felt strap pouches, making purchasing these straps worthwhile.
Conclusions
My colleague Don Russell completed the first review of the Ligure Tartaruga. As you will know, he is a professional diver, so it was fascinating for me, as a non-diver, at best, casual snorkeler, to have a detailed hands-on with these three watches. There is no question they are some of the most innovative dive watches I've come across for a while. I see flashes of Doxa and Seiko in some of the designs, not copies, just suggestions. One could argue that the sword's minute hands also hint at the military. The more you handle the LIGURE Tartaruga, the more complete a package is. The incredibly bold designs will not be for everyone, but if you can borrow one and wear one for a while, then there are many elements of the watch that will grow on you, and you could quickly be tempted to purchase. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a dive watch with an authentic Italian flair and design, then we urge you to look away from the Swiss giants and focus on Ligure with their highly competitive prices.
Ligure Tartaruga GMT and Non-GMT Technical Specifications
- Brand: Ligure
- Model: Tartaruga GMT Founders Edition and Non-GMT
- Price: From €795 to €1295 depending on finish, spec and strap choice
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Movement: Sellita SW200 or ETA ETA 2893-2
- Water resistance: 200m
- Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with AR underside only
- Dial: Sunburst on Blue and GMT. Matte black on Nero Di Seppia
- Size: 41mm diameter, 41mm lug-to-lug, 13.5mm thick, 22mm lug
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: Almost anywhere. These are striking and versatile watches which would look equally at home during a professional dive or relaxing in a smart bar close to the ocean.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone who wants a dive watch that’s just a bit different. Someone with the courage to break the mould.
- Best characteristics of the watch: Effortless Italian style with a contemporary feel, matched with superior build quality.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: Bold designs may not be what many people seek in a professional dive watch. We like it, but not everyone will.
