I first came across this watch when watching one of my favourite watch youtubers Just One More Watch and became intrigued with the idea of a watch brand based in my hometown of Edinburgh, and really liked the look of the blue dialed diver that Jody was reviewing. I was going to Edinburgh to visit friends and family and got in touch with the founder of Clemence Watches and was able to have a sit down with Tom and get hands on with the watch (something I’d recommend if at all possible) and made the decision to buy one of the blue gilt watches. That watch is still in my collection and I’ll attempt here to explain why I like this watch so much.

Specifications

• Diameter 39mm

• Lug to Lug 47mm

• Thickness 12.3mm

• Lug Width 20mm

• Case Material Stainless Steel

• Unidirectional 120 Click Ceramic Bezel

• Water Resistance 200m

• Screw Down Crown

• Sapphire Crystal

Brand

Tom Clemence founded Clemence watches in Edinburgh in 2021 and the Photic diver was their first watch and has been very well received. This year Clemence came out with their second watch line the Munro a nice field watch that takes a few cues from this dive watch.

As I consider Edinburgh my home town I was really interested in this one and was able to meet Tom so I could see the watch before buying it, and Tom and I had a little chat about watches. Tom is a real watch enthusiast and that’s always a good thing with the owner of a watch brand. Tom makes an effort to support the British watchmaking industry, and Clemence Watches are all designed and assembled in the UK and are now a member of the Guild of British Watchmakers.

Tom is also a professional ecologist so the green policies of Clemence Watches (recyclable packaging and planting trees for each sold watch) are not a gimmick but something Tom actually believes in. Tom is also a diver and the Photic line is a reference to the depth at which the water colour in the ocean changes.

Review

There’s no two ways about it this is a truly stunning watch. I have an affinity for dive watches, which is why I currently have 6 in my collection and while my favourite changes often this is undoubtedly my most worn one this year as well as my dressiest one. The beautiful sunburst dial starts with a rich deep blue in the center and fades to black at the outer edge symbolizing the photic line (making this colourway the most appropriate for the name in my opinion). The dial is very clean with the logo and name under the 12 and automatic 200m above the six. Speaking of which, the applied 12 and the 6 are the only visible numerals with the rest being applied baton indices all of which look great. I prefer to have a date complication on my watches, and feel it could probably work in place of the 6, it would have to be colour matched, there is no getting away from the fact that this watch is visually stunning as is.

The case, as well as being a very reasonable size, looks good without going overboard. There’s nothing outstanding about it there’s also nothing you can complain about, especially at its price point (roughly £500 when I purchased it). The bezel has a very satisfying clicking action with very little backplay, though it is worth pointing out that it is a small bezel and not the easiest to grip in gloves, possibly making the watch a little difficult for actual divers, but as most of the people who purchase this will not be using it for this purpose, I don't consider it a big issue. The crown is nicely signed, reasonably sized and grippy enough; and there is a nice display caseback as well.

The bracelet on this is very comfortable with it’s female solid end links and good articulation make this conform well to the wrist. And while Clemence has a number of nice looking straps I have to say that the bracelet is excellent and punches well above it’s weight in this price range, and the clasp is nicely signed, looks great and has in built wetsuit extensions making it easy to adjust.

Movement

The watch comes with a Miyota 9039 high beat movement with a frequency of 28800vph and 42hrs of power reserve. When I met Tom he asked if I thought they should change to a Swiss made movement and I thought at this price point this motor was a good one and when I’ve checked the accuracy I’ve got an average of +4.9s/d, that’s close to COSC levels of accuracy. The movement can be seen through the display caseback and it looks great.

Conclusion

So if anyone reads this it will be easy to see that I am a fan of this watch. From the beautiful dial, well made case and bezel I just love the look of this thing. Yes I’d prefer a date complication and believe it would fit easily at 6, and the bezel is maybe not as grippy as some of it's competitors, the Zelos Swordfish I had, a watch of comparable spec and price, has such a bezel as well as a date complication; but no watch is perfect, and while the Zelos has left my collection the Clemence remains. Clemence are currently sold out, though I believe they will be getting some more in the Spring of 2024. So this watch is definitely a keeper for me, I’d happily recommend it, and think it beats most of it’s competition in it’s price range.