Beachmaster deconstructed: features of our no compromise mission timer
"Gather round, you tool nuts!"
"It feels like a long time since a brand came up with a new concept for this genre of timekeeping device, one which can actually fulfil a purpose and do it well." "A sort of Rolex Submariner or Omega Speedmaster or Seiko Alpinist."
Just some of the comments made by Vincent Deschamps at Mainspring when reviewing the Beachmaster NIVO 0H0-623.
A unique watch complication is a rare thing, even more so to design a new one in todays age of watchmaking. Thanks to our commitment to push what's possible and our slightly obsessive mentality, it came to life in the mission timer of the Beachmaster.
A world-first.
No one has ever split the inner bezel into two 12 hour segments, using an extended GMT hand to indicate the time lapsed. It sounds complicated, but operates like a well-oiled machine. Simply rotate the inner timing bezel in reference to the twin arrow GMT hand, instantly setting the countdown time in a heartbeat. It really is that simple.
Beachmaster features
01. Double Arrow Fourth Hand
One hand, two functions. The inner arrow indicates the time in a second time zone using the 24hr inner dial track. The outer arrow references the inner bezel, subtly positioned around the perimeter of the dial and effectively out of the natural line of sight until needed.
02. Click-Lock Inner Bezel
One bezel, split into two halves with a fantastically tactile click mechanism designed to prevent accidental adjustments. One half counts down to event start H hour, the second half tracks event time automatically, with each half capable of timing up to twelve hours.
The click-lock mechanism deserves a special mention. It took two years to perfect, using spring-loaded ceramic ball bearings mounted in chambers inside the watch case. When the bezel is rotated using the upper crown, the ceramic balls smoothly move in and out of precisely machined indents in the outer edge of the bezel, providing the most tactile hand feel, all the while keeping clear of the internal movement shock protection system. It's one of the most challenging yet physically satisfying engineering problems we have ever solved.
03. Subtle Dial Design
Every Beachmaster has its own unique character, thanks to the finest of design considerations. Two of the Automatics use applied or framed indexes with a classy pop of polished metal framing deeply infilled SuperLuminova. The Founders Edition is arguably the functional masterpiece, with larger printed indexes for ultimate legibility, which gives the same credibility as the quartz models.
A closer look reveals wavy lines imprinted tone on tone in the inner dial, or right across the dial, creating a nautical nod. There's also a hidden story, because they're not just any old wavy lines. Have a glance in the NATO Battlespace Iconography Guide (as you do) and there it is: the wavy line, used as the symbol to denote an amphibious assault.
04. Crown Position
It's an Elliot Brown trademark to place crowns out of harm's way at the 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock positions, rather than the typical 3 o'clock position that can dig into the wrist. They're large enough to grip securely, with hobnail knurling and embossed ends: a shield for adjusting normal time, GMT time and winding, and a triangle for mission timing. The time adjust crown has three individual seals that all come into operation when the crown is screwed into the case. The mission timing crown has triple seals that work all the time. Both are rated and tested in water to 300m.
05. Crystal
It's amazing how much character a watch gains or loses because of its crystal, and it's always a detail we obsess over. Ours must be thicker than normal to pass our durability tests, without looking like bottle ends. Beachmaster crystals are subtly boxed and domed. You might never notice until it's pointed out, but this specific profile is the perfect match for what is, in essence, a classic desk diver with GMT and mission timing.
06. Ceramic Bezel Insert
Ceramic offers specific advantages that are perfect for the Beachmaster. Nearly impossible to scratch, with crisp, precise index corners (better than pressed metal and perfect for our obsessive attention to detail), it also opens up more colourful options, although we choose black for the best performance contrast and the most tactile matt finish.
07. Sword Hands
Creating a watch with four hands, one with two arrows, a 24hr sub-dial, hours and minutes indexes, a 24hr timing bezel and an external diver's 60 minute bezel, is a recipe for visual disaster and design confusion. Functional watch design is all about what the eye naturally sees. Everything should be recognisable in an instant, with no effort. Line weights, shapes, sizes, colours and contrasts all play vital roles, and all Beachmaster watches are subtly different. The dial design manages to feel instantly familiar yet remain highly functional across all four primary functions.
08. Movement Shock Protection
Despite the inner workings of the patented mission timing mechanism, all Beachmasters come packed with a highly effective shock protection system. The movement is housed inside a stainless steel disc whose outer edge is recessed, along with the case back, to house silicone dampers. The engineering has to be precise, but its simplicity does a tremendous job of protecting the movement from knocks that would otherwise damage it.
