EDOX Delfin Fleet 1650 Limited Edition

[Watches]

Many of the world’s historical shipwrecks are in danger of being lost forever due to looting and unlawful fishing practices. Every wreck tells the tale of a seafaring adventure and yet sadly many wrecks around the busy sea-lanes of Indonesia are especially vulnerable to destruction.

In early 2017, EDOX announced it will underwrite a special project, with Arqueonautas (company active in the research of shipwrecks and of archaeological surveys) and Indonesia’s Bureau for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, to research and protect the final resting place of a fleet of five ships that belonged to the famed Dutch East India Company.

The ships sank in March 1650 due to damage suffered attempting to traverse the sea near a rocky island in Indonesia. Despite the circumstances, the crew managed to recover most of the fleet’s cargo and even constructed a new vessel out of the wreckage for survival. This amazing tale might have been lost had it not been the re-discovery of a diary of the ship’s council in the National Archives of the Netherlands.

EDOX is releasing a new timepiece, EDOX Delfin Fleet 1650 Limited Edition (of only 200 pieces worldwide), in celebration of its new collaboration with Arqueonautas.

The new EDOX Delfin Fleet 1650 Limited Edition timepiece was inspired by the story behind the sunken fleet, and is a revival of the vintage Delfin timepiece collection launched in 1961. The 43mm watch, with a water resistance of 200m, features a bronze case that is the same material used on the fittings of the 17th Century Dutch ships. Bronze was also a widely used material for building weapons on board ships in the 17th Century, before cast-iron took its place.

The navy bezel and deep blue dial contrast against the bronze case, giving the watch an illusion of a ship at sea. Over time, the watch will get its own patina as the bronze interacts with water and moisture. Every patina develops differently and this is what add to the charm of a bronze watch. In addition to the vintage design, the watch has a steel case back decorated with a historic wind rose drawing found in the documents that led to the last resting place of the Dutch ships.

Each watch is individually numbered and carries an engraved inscription ‘There is no certainty, there is only adventure’.

Presented in a hand-made leather pouch, the EDOX Delfin Fleet 1650 Limited Edition comes with a vintage leather strap as well as a bi-colour NATO strap.