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Ocean Crawler Core Diver
The Ocean Crawler Core Diver has been a staple of the OC lineup since its introduction. It has a 44mm case and countless variations from meteorite dials, art dials, full lume dials, carbon, and every color you can think of, to a bronze bezel and crown and even an 18k gold limited edition. I chose one of the more standard ones with this Jawfish LE, a yellow and black combo with a stainless bracelet and a fitted yellow rubber strap. They were out of stock on the bracelet so they sent a leather strap along, but this fitted rubber is the way to go anyway. Other specs included a 4mm sapphire crystal, 600 meters of water resistance, and a Sellita SW200-1 movement and this one is currently priced at $899.
Specifications:
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Case-44mmย
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Case thickness-15.6mm
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Lug to Lug-50mm
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Lug Width-22mm
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Weight-141 Grams on Rubber Strap
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Stainless Steel Case
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600m Water Resistant
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Sapphire Crystal
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Ceramic Bezel Insert
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Sellita SW200-1 Movement
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Link bracelet and fitted rubber strap
Current Price $899 (as reviewed)
https://www.oceancrawler.com/collections/frontpage/products/ocean-crawler-core-diver-jawfish-le
The Ocean Crawler Core Diver comes in a lot of variations, probably more than any other model from OC, but core elements, no pun intended, stay the same. A 44mm stainless steel (or at times DLC) case that is 600 meters water resistant, a 120 click bezel, a helium release valve, and of course a screw-down crown. That 600 meters lends to the case being slightly thicker than a lot of divers on the market these days at almost 16mm thick, but it doesn’t wear as such due the the design of the case and the way it sits on the wrist. A lot of the height comes from that very prominent bezel, and when the case is separated from bezel and case such as this, it gives the impression of a thinner case.
And because of this thick bezel, it allows for a great purchase, much like the crown with no crown guards does. As someone who doesn’t dive, I have always wondered about a deep diver such as this, with a large crown and no protection. Again, I have never been down deep underwater and have never done any dive activities, but I have always been under the impression that while moving around down there you could hit your watch and knock the crown, which could easily put your watch out of commission. But the crown is easy to grip nonetheless and I do like the aesthetic with the cushion case, and both the crown and bezel have a great feel.
The dial of the Ocean Crawler Core Diver is laid out like most three-hand dive watches, nothing revolutionary here but it’s also vibrant, large, and easy to read. The hands are sword style, the yellow minute hand matches the yellow chapter ring and what is unique are the large chrome finished applied markers that lume set into them. Many dive watches either have just large lume plots or small areas of the applied metal, but these are very prominent and add just a touch of bling to an otherwise understated dial. The dial is pretty dark black, but the texture is matte and this creates a greyish look when the light hits it just right, and all of these elements come together for an attractive and easy-to-read dial.
The case back is similar to other models from Ocean Crawler, but I am a sucker for a nice embossed or stamped case back and these are cool looking with Posedion and a giant Octopus, and despite how the raised portions of it, you don’t feel this digging into your wrist at all. My example had the wrong case back on it, it was meant for a bronze crown/bezle version, but the artwork is the same on both versions. Under that cool case back is a regulated SW200-1 and I think that is just fine for a watch at $899. It is a widely used movement at this point, if not overused but we could have said that about the ETA 2824 15 years ago.
On my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist, 44mm is a size I do not wear often these days, but this Ocean Crawler Core Diver doesn’t wear large in my opinion, it feels more like a 42mm. Some may disagree but compared to a traditional round case, I think the cushion case design wears slightly smaller than the listed specs, and because of the case design, the thickness doesn’t bother me like I thought it would.
Coupled with the fitted rubber strap, in this bright yellow, it wraps around the wrist and I have found wearing it very pleasant. This version of the Core Diver comes with a fitted rubber strap and a link bracelet, (OC was out of the link bracelet at the time they sent this example) and of course, if this one is too loud, just ask OC to send you a black strap instead), but I do dig the look and feel of this watch as is.
Lastly, we have the lume and if you have never had an Ocean Crawler, you are missing out when it comes to lume. The Ocean Crawler Core Diver is loaded up with lume, especially on the sapphire bezel with 8 layers of C3 X1 Superluminova. This thing is a lume monster, and if that matters to you, you will not be disappointed.
The Ocean Crawler Core Diver is a great classic-looking diver, built up with modern materials and sizing, ready to take on any underwater exploration or like most of us will use it for, daily wear, desk diving, or just as another fashion accessory. Either way, it’s built and finished solid just as all OC watches I have had in hand over the years, and if you do not like this black and yellow, do not let that discourage you. There are so many variations of this model past and present, if you like this case design but want a different-looking dial, different colors, or different materials such as carbon, meteorite, bronze, or even gold, check out the OC website or their online dealers. You will have an almost endless amount of variations to choose from.
