The history of dive watches is filled with impressive milestones, from Blancpain’s invention of the modern diver in 1953 to Omega’s Ultra Deep prototype accompanying the DSV Limiting Factor submersible’s record-breaking dive down 10,935m to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench in 2019.
But one record that doesn’t get talked about as much is the one set by the relatively obscure Swiss brand Ollech & Wajs in 1964. That year, the small company beat big brands like Rolex and Omega to the punch by releasing the first-ever dive watch with a certified depth rating of 1,000m.
That watch, produced in partnership with casemaker Jenny Watches, is known as the Caribbean 1000 or, more commonly among vintage collectors, the “Jenny Caribbean.”
The modern incarnation of Ollech & Wajs currently produces a contemporary version of the watch called the OW C-1000 MkII, but now the brand has unveiled a special 60th-anniversary version that’s more faithful to the original 1960s design.
Fang Gang
The distinguishing feature of the original Jenny Caribbean was the steel monobloc case that ensured the then-unheard-of 1,000m depth rating. The new OW C-1000 A does not use a monobloc case, as modern advancements don’t require such a case — one in which the caseback doesn’t open and the movement is loaded from the dial side — to receive four-figure depth ratings.
Otherwise, the watch does a pretty good job of recreating its 60-year-old ancestor’s look.
