Basecamp is where you set up supplies and camp before beginning an ascent. It’s also UNDONE’s latest customizable watch. UNDONE has a history of making watches with online customizer websites, so that you can choose how you’d like your watch to look. This time, UNDONE’s back with BASECAMP, a vintage styled dive watch.
BASECAMP is a vintage-inspired dive-lookin’ watch. That means that it’s got lugs that extend from the center of the sides of the case, a big screw-down crown and no crown guards, with a coin edge style bezel that looks like it belongs in the 50s. The tops of the lugs are chamfered, and the crystal is a big dome Lexan polycarbonate.
And that would be pretty cool, although BASECAMP has some of the same traits of the divers it imitates. Using an acrylic crystal leads to lower water resistance depth than the equivalent sapphire. The bezel is a friction-turn bezel instead of one that clicks, and can be turned bi-directionally. If that sounds strange, well, that’s what dive watches did until the late 1980s. BASECAMP is water resistant to 50m, which honestly, is good enough for swimming, hand-washing, and other normal non-dive activities.
The dial is an interesting set of choices: there’s a date window at 4:30, and an aviation-inspired set of 12-3-6-9 numerals, like you might find in a Bell&Ross. The hour hand is a big orange hand that was first used on the Rolex Explorer II 1655, and has found its way into use on the B&R, Steinharts, and other watches. It’s commonly a GMT 24 hour hand, so it’s a little unusual seeing it used as the hour hand here. The bezel insert is a black one with a single white triangle at 12 o’clock.
UNDONE’s history is making customizable watches. How can Basecamp be customized? There are four colors of case available – silver; gold; rose gold; and matte black, with the gold and black options rendered in PVD. The bezel insert can be either the plain black with single triangle, or an insert with 60 minute marks, and numerals at 15, 30 and 45. The date wheel can be white, or matched to the black of the dial. There are also four strap colors to choose from.
BASECAMP is 40mm in diameter, about 15mm thick with the crystal, and is powered by the reliable Seiko NH35a. A BASECAMP costs $295 USD, and is available for ordering now. UNDONE.com
That plain black bezel insert looks great, I think.
just got mine today. probably one of the best vintage pre-diver style sport watches i’ve seen. of course i wish it were more than 50 meters, and i’d love a Swiss movement in it just because i have so many NH35’s, but i can’t think of too many watches that have a better look and sport functionality. per the non-racheting pilot style dual-direction bezel, at first i thought ‘oh, too bad’. i do love racheting bezels. but the pressure on this is xlnt (not kinda wishywashy like too many vostoks). it holds very firmly, but has a nice smooth glide to it.
the bezel is classic and great, and the high impact super dome crystal is like going back to the 50s (i know, i have my Dad’s old 1954 eternamatic).
the only watch i could go more for is the new retro certina ph200, which this very much has a kindred spirit with. some day i’ll get the certina, but until then, this is one of the nicest, fun pieces i have.