Introducing The New Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Verde (Live Pics & Price)

Carl F. Bucherer surfs two waves with one board. The latest Patravi ScubaTec Verde, Bucherer’s professional dive watch, is decked out in a vivid emerald green to support the Manta Trust Charity’s pioneering work in Ecuador to protect manta rays. As a supporter of the UK-based Manta Trust Charity for the past ten years, a portion of the sale of each Patravi ScubaTec Verde will be used to fund a research expedition to Ecuador, home to the largest-known population of oceanic manta rays.

Corporate social responsibility is gaining traction among brands, and the protection of endangered species is a hot category. Bucherer jumped on the bandwagon in 2013 by releasing special edition Patravi ScubaTec models to support the Manta Trust, an organisation committed to protecting and ensuring the survival of manta rays in more than 20 countries.

Even though manta rays and devil rays possess the largest brains of all fish species, they cannot evade the threat of overfishing and pollution that destroy their natural habitat. The Manta Trust’s work promotes local conservation efforts to turn the tide on overfishing. Having backed scientific expeditions to the Maldives in 2017 and to the Yucatán Peninsula of México in 2019, Bucherer is back with an attractive vibrant green version of the ScubaTec.

The shade of green used on the lacquered dial, bezel and rubber strap is inspired by the bright green Pacific waters around Isla de La Plata, a small island off the Ecuadorian coasts that hosts 22,000 oceanic mantra rays that gather there between August and September. Oceanic manta rays are the largest of the species, with wing spans of more than six metres. A team of researchers will spend two weeks on the island studying the group, measuring and photographing the mantas and tagging them to track their movements. The work will monitor the overall health of this population and understand what draws them to this particular site.

Sharing the same specifications as earlier editions of the Patravi ScubaTec, the robust 500m water-resistant case is fitted with gaskets, a screw-down crown with protective crown guards, an automatic helium valve on the case flank at 8 o’clock and a screwed and sealed caseback with manta rays engraved in relief. Crafted in stainless steel, the case has a diameter of 44.6mm and a thickness of 13.45mm and is finished with a predominance of brushed surfaces; the short chunky lugs angle down for a better fit on the wrist. The unidirectional rotating dive bezel with easy-to-grip knurling has a vivid green ceramic inlay with the inverted triangle and luminous orientation pip at noon.

Unlike the titanium edition with a black dial and the silhouette of two manta rays in a contrasting colour, the Patravi ScubaTec does not depict the mantas on the dial and sticks to a uniform green colour. Relying on a series of wavy horizontal grooves, the lacquered green dial has depth, and its engraved grooves emulate the motion of the waves. Large applied rhodium-plated indices and the hour, minute and central seconds hands are filled with Super-LumiNova to ensure visibility in low-light conditions. There is also a simple date aperture at 3 o’clock with a white background and black numerals. A 4mm-thick sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides protects the dial.

Matching the bright green tone used on the dial and bezel, the green rubber strap has a textile inlay made from recycled PET, a folding clasp with fine adjustment, and an all-important diving extension to fit it over a wetsuit.

The watch is powered by calibre CHB 1950.1, a straightforward automatic based on the simple but reliable ETA 2824-2 with COSC chronometer certification. Beating at a 4Hz frequency, the movement has hacking seconds for precision time setting and delivers a limited 38h power reserve.

The Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Verde retails for EUR 6,250 and will be available in August 2023. For more information, please consult carl-f-bucherer.com.