Ollech & Wajs Put a New Spin on their Signature Tool Diver with the Oceangraph

Since Ollech & Wajs regrouped in 2017 under new ownership, the brand has released a series of well liked, vintage inspired tool watches that draw on their rich history of making watches for the military. This often means case shapes and dials that are meant to be function first, and if they’re aesthetically pleasing too, it’s kind of a happy accident. Obviously, there’s a very real appeal and draw to the rudimentary and utilitarian dial designs associated with military watches. They’re clean, timeless, and work in any number of situations across a wide variety of watch genres. But Ollech & Wajs, like everyone, can cut loose, and that’s what their latest release, the Oceangraph, feels like. It contains a blast of color and a more playful sensibility that we haven’t seen from them yet, and the case retains all the qualities of another popular watch in their growing catalog. Let’s take a look.

Ollech & Waj Oceangraph

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Blue
• Dimensions: 39.56 x 49.5 x 15.15 mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire   
• Water Resistance: 1000 meters 
• Crown: Screw down       
• Movement: ETA 2824-2
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet, Perlon nylon strap
• Price: $1,748.75
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available now 

Regular readers will recall Zach W’s recent review of the Ollech & Wajs C-1000. That watch is a 1000 meter diver, and with its proportions and heft give off the impression of a real tool watch in the old-school sense. The new Oceangraph is built on the same platform as the C-1000. It has the same water resistance, same case, and the same movement. But the dial recalls the funky designs of the 70s more than it does military tools. While it’s far from a kaleidoscope of color, it’s enough of a deviation from the norm for Ollech & Wajs that it seems perhaps a bit more wild than it really is. 

This watch in particular is based on a line of watch from the O&W archives that dates to 1968. The “Precision” collection was a series of dive watches decompression bezels rather than traditional dive timing bezels. This scale allows divers to track decompression time during a dive, ensuring they make properly timed stops as they surface to avoid decompression illness. Nowadays, this function is handled largely by dive computers, so there’s a throwback charm to this kind of tool on a new watch. This type of bezel, showing multiple scales, also has a very different look than a straightforward timing bezel, something will either be appealing or a complete turn off for the non-divers among us. 

The Oceangraph is available now on the Ollech & Wajs website, and can be ordered on a beads of rice bracelet or a Perlon strap. While it is not a limited edition, the first 56 sold will be individually numbered on the crown. Ollech & Wajs