Isotope Introduces a New Version of their Hydrium X Diver, the “Blink”

Isotope, over the past few years, has quietly established itself as a premier brand in the design forward sports watch genre. These are sporty watches that are fully functional and have impressive specs, but feature designs meant to evoke something extremely specific, often using less common color combinations that are aesthetically pleasing but well outside the traditional horological color palette. Their recent GMT with a sandy brown and sky blue dial is a great example, and their latest creation fits the same mold and hits similar notes, while of course being completely and utterly different. If you missed out on Isotope’s popular and totally charming “Will Return” watch, this latest Hydrium X diver might be worth taking a look at. 

The new Hydrium X “Blink” takes Isotope’s dive watch platform and layers shades of blue and pink throughout. The loose idea here, according to Isotope, was to combine the two colors that are traditionally associated with the masculine and feminine to create something that suits everyone. While I certainly don’t buy into the idea that a color can be gendered, the result on the Blink is undeniably appealing. The dial is a very light shade of pink, with an inner minute track in dark blue and Arabic numerals along the outside in a deeper pink tone, nearly getting to a full red. A blue bezel, sterile except for a pink indication at 12:00 for timing, sets off the rest of the dial and frames the whole package. 

The 40mm case is made of micro-blasted stainless steel and measures 40mm in diameter and 48mm from lug to lug. As mentioned up top, this is a real sports watch, and comes with a water resistance rating of 300 meters, a screw down crown, and a big domed sapphire crystal. The movement is an automatic caliber made by Landeron with a power reserve of 40 hours and a rotor that’s been customized for Isotope. 

One of the interesting quirks of Isotope watches is their consistent use of the lacrima shape throughout their designs. On the Blink, you’ll find the teardrop shape used in the handset, including the very small running seconds hand, meant more as an accent than to help with timing in a meaningful way. Its primary functionality could be said to serve as a quick indicator to ensure the watch is running (important if it’s being used on a dive) but I think on the Blink the main benefit is to allow for a greeter focus on a (nearly) still dial without the distraction of a great deal of movement. 

The Hydrium X “Blink” is a 100 piece limited edition, and it’s available to order beginning today. The retail price is approximately $740 after currency conversion. Isotope