First Look at the Gavox Avidiver

Advertisement

Last October at Wind-Up: NYC, I got a sneak peek at a prototype watch by Gavox that was very exciting. As you might recall, last time we discussed Gavox, who are a small brand with fairly bold ambitions, they had redefined the quartz pilot with their Aurora watch. One of the first watches to use a Soprod Mecatronic movement, it took an analog aviator design and gave it the functionality of a digital watch with an impressive array of complications. Their newest watch continues their pursuit of original variations on the pilot with a mechanical concept that is meant to excel above and below land; the Avidiver.

GAVOX_AVIDIVER_15

At a glance, the Avidiver appears to be a dual crown aviator watch, presumably with an internal bezel. However, the second crown doesn’t control the bezel, but rather the bright orange triangle seen at 12. By positioning the triangle at various points across the dial, one can set a second time zone (such as with a Zulu bezel), or track their elapsed time (as with a typical dive bezel). Though a simple concept it’s one with a lot of utility, and a novel approach in the current market.

GAVOX_AVIDIVER_19

Continuing the aviation-diver theme, the dial is sandwich-style speaking to dive watches, but with a distinct aviator layout. At 3, 6 and 9 are massive cutout numerals with a retro, open typeface. The other hours are wide tapering rectangles, also cut through, adding to the overall visibility and legibility of the design. At 12 is a v-cutout, which cleverly sits around the floating orange triangle above, creating one bold marker. Between the hour marks are then thin lines for the individual minutes/seconds. The layer below the main surface then features Super Luminova for good nighttime/low light visibility.

GAVOX_AVIDIVER_25

Around the dial is a chapter ring with an index of bold numerals for minutes/seconds. The rotating triangle sits below the ring, in a gap. From an angle, you can actually see that the triangle is part of a ring, all in bright orange, adding a sliver of orange is visible all around. The dials are finished with Roman sword hour and minute hands with lume filling. The seconds hand is a thin stick in black with an orange tip and an interesting winged-V counterweight. The watch is available with white, black or blue dials. The white is surprisingly cool looking, with orange outlined hands instead of white, for a fun twist.

GAVOX_AVIDIVER_1

The case is a beefy 43mm with 22mm lugs and a depth rating of 20 ATM. The design speaks a bit more to pilots than divers, but the addition of dual crowns gives it a touch of that super-compressor feel. Each dial color is available with either brushed steel or PVD cases, for classic or tactical look. The black and white dials are both quite striking with the PVD option, which sets off the subtle orange highlight of the bezel-triangle.

GAVOX_AVIDIVER_20

The last cool detail is the strap. Rather than typical leather, nylon or steel, Gavox went with a custom molded silicon. This allows for the strap to perfectly fit the lugs, for a sleek integrated look. The silicon is also very corrosion resistant, making it a preferred choice for dive straps, allowing the watch to seamlessly transition from air to land to sea. The strap is available in black, blue or orange, to best pair with the dial/case of your choosing. The blue seems to look best on blue with either case, while the black and white dials take to the orange and black straps well. The former providing a very sporty, high visibility aesthetic, and the other a more classic and subdued one.

GAVOX_AVIDIVER_17

All in all, the Gavox Avidiver is a cool new offering from the brand that should have both pilot and dive watch enthusiasts interested. By creating a hybrid of the two, while using a novel bezel design, Gavox has further demonstrated that they aren’t another cookie-cutter brand, but rather one with interesting ideas. What they achieved with the Avidiver is seemingly a very functional sport watch that should be great for a variety of adventures. The Avidiver is currently available for preorder at 20% off of retail, coming in at about $500 in steel at $550 in PVD. Powered by the Miyota 9015, this is a very fair price.

Images from this post:
Related Posts
Zach is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Worn & Wound. Before diving headfirst into the world of watches, he spent his days as a product and graphic designer. Zach views watches as the perfect synergy of 2D and 3D design: the place where form, function, fashion and mechanical wonderment come together.
wornandwound zsw