Introducing the Scuro Dive Watch

Titanium. Dive Watch. Kickstarter. With those three descriptors, it would seem that we have all the makings for one crazy popular watch. And, judging by the results of the funding project (which finished at 115% of their goal), the popularity has been proven out. While we did not have access to fully-functional versions of the watches the brand was flogging, we did have some pre-production samples in. While funding has closed, we’re certain that these will be hitting some form of retail sales, so read on to see if you’ll be wanting to pick up a titanium Scuro dive watch.

If there was going to be one knock against dive watches, in the midst of their popularity, it would have to actually be a two-fer – their size and weight. To hit the robustness and visibility needs, many dive watches tend to be on the larger size, both in terms of diameter and height. Add in the fact that many are made of 316L stainless steel, and that equation ends up equaling heavy. How do you get around that? Well, titanium is a good start, as you get lighter weight and still retain strength. Shrinking the case a bit certainly helps well. As you might guess, the Scuro manages to do both – with a 40mm titanium case (only 11mm thick as well), you get a weight that falls on either side of 60g, depending on the strap used (64g on the nylon, 58g on the leather).

One surprise that came out of the list of the tech specs for the Scuro was the fact that they’ve used titanium for the caseback as well. More often than not, this tends to be steel (as is the crown; here the crown is titanium as well), so consider this a nice upgrade from your run-of-the-mill dive watch. With all the titanium it should not be a surprise that the bezel is made of titanium as well. Fitting with all these upgrades, it should not be a surprise that the crystal is sapphire as well. What is surprising is the pricing for this watch (more on that in a bit).

As I mentioned at the outset, we were sent some pre-production samples of the Scuro. The variants we saw was the grey dial and case (on a grey NATO), a black dial and case (on a black NATO), and then a white dial with a gold-tone case, on a leather strap. All were attractive in their own way, though I did become partial to the grey watch. If you were actually going to try diving with the watch, the black dial would give you the most contrast for legibility, though the handsets are not differentiated with color.

Then again, that’s fine. Dive watches commonly do not get any deeper than the local pool, and with a more compact case that the Scuro has, I’m guessing this is a watch that hits daily wear more for the looks, rather than heading for the ocean. Should you be by a large body of water, though, the watch carries a 200m WR rating. The three variants certainly should cover a variety of tastes, and the straps they’ve selected offering some additional variety. The nylon NATO straps are nothing out of the ordinary. The leather strap, however, that was quite different. It has a sueded touch to it, and is rather thick. Surprisingly, then, the leather strap actually ends up reducing the weight of the watch, which is the reverse of what I expected. So much, though, that I had to double-check that it was not a synthetic of some sort (there was no scent to it, either way, that would clue you in).

Tucked into the case of the Scuro is a Miyota 9015, which should be familiar to most of our readers. This should also tip you off that, for all of the other higher-end materials involved, the movement belies the fact that this is definitely a watch for the affordable end of the spectrum. Earlybird pricing started at around $225 (USD), which was quite a discount off of the planned MSRP of around $455 (again in USD). Even at the full MSRP, the Scuro is offering a good bit of value. Frankly, if you’re a fan of light and compact watches that are still tough, the Scuro is worth your checking out. Production will be starting up in September, with delivery anticipated for around November. If you did not get in on the Kickstarter, set a calendar reminder for November to check the brand’s site, as I imagine they will have some up for regular retail order.

For my part, I know that this is not the only affordable titanium watch out there, as I’ve checked some out before. It’s just that the Scuro is top of mind due to it’s recency. If you have some other favorites that you would bring up, please do let us (and your fellow readers) know in the comments, as not everyone may be looking for a diver (perish the thought!). For those folks, though, I guess I’d still say they could give the Scuro a fair shake, as the design is softened enough from its ISO spec roots. If you’re in that camp, well, be sure to sound off on that as well. scurowatches.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Scuro Model S Titanium Dive Watch

Price: $445 (USD) (anticipated MSRP)
Who’s it for?: You like the durability and style that a dive watch promises – you just wish it was lighter
Would I wear it?: Likely – this would be a solid weekend, warm weather, sort of companion

What I’d change: Let’s see if we can have a titanium bracelet in the mix for version 2
The best thing about it: How light and compact the Scuro is

Tech Specs from Scuro