This Ultra-Slim Dive Watch from a Brand You’ve Never Heard of Sets a New Standard for Automatic Divers

Any time a new dive watch comes along, my ears perk up a bit, and that’s especially true when said dive watch actually does something novel.

The latest such diver to hit the market is the VPC Type 39VM, a watch with an admittedly uninspiring name that nevertheless boasts a pretty inspired design. The Type 39VM is the second model from VPC, the little-known microbrand founded by Fratello editor Thomas van Straaten, and it has thrown down the gauntlet at the big brands by declaring itself the thinnest 200m-rated automatic diver on the market.

But that’s just scratching the surface of what this specs monster offers.

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Thin is in

Considering that van Straaten is a professional watch enthusiast, his brand’s new dive watch was understandably made with enthusiasts in mind. As such, the Type 39VM is packed to the gills with specs.

Those specs include a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the underside, a 120-click fully lumed ceramic bezel, applied indices and hands infilled with Super-LumiNova BGW9, hard coating on the stainless steel case and bracelet to protect against scratches and a COSC-certified Sellita SW300 automatic movement.

The comfy Oyster-style bracelet features a push-button microadjustable clasp along with a best-in-class push-button quick-release system, which is also present on the available black HNBR rubber strap.

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The design is also enthusiast-approved, with a nicely finished case featuring twisted lugs and a custom typeface used for the text and markings on the dial, bezel and closed caseback. The minimalist dial is lacquered with a grain-like texture and comes in black or white.

But the Type 39VM’s main claim to fame is its dimensions. At 39mm across and 47mm lug-to-lug, this is really a “Goldilocks” diver. But it’s the thickness that really impresses, coming in at just 9.34mm including the crystal, which the brand says is the thinnest diver in the world with this much water resistance.

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Pricing and availability

The Type 39VM is an impressive and agreeable dive watch. The spec sheet has everything you could possibly want, and the minimalist, modern-meets-mid-century design is attractive, if a little boring.

Where the watch loses me, though, is its price point. The Type 39VM retails for € 2,998 on the bracelet, which currently converts to a staggering $3,481. That price also doesn’t include President Trump’s 15 percent tariff on Swiss goods, meaning the all-in price to an American buyer will be at least $4,000. That is a crazy amount of money for a microbrand dive watch, especially when you look at divers from more established brands.

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The Type 39VM is impressive, but is it more impressive than a Longines Legend Diver at $3,850? Or Christopher Ward’s Trident Lumiere — an acclaimed, full-titanium, COSC-rated 300m diver with the same movement and Globolight hands and indices — at $2,470?

CW’s standard Trident Pro 300 is honestly a closer match to the Type 39VM, and that retails for just $1,255. Even if you want to stick with another enthusiast-run microbrand, Wren — the brand from Wrist Enthusiast founder Craig Karger — sells its excellent and similarly spec’d Diver 38 for only $1,595.

If you take used prices into consideration, $4,000 puts you well into Tudor and even Omega diver territory. I like what VPC is doing from a design standpoint, but I think it’s going to be very tough for the brand to compete at those prices. Maybe I’m wrong.

If you’re ok with the price and like what you see — and you want bragging rights over your friends’ thick dive watches — the Type 39VM can be ordered now on VPC’s website, with deliveries expected in 7 – 9 months.

VPC

VPC Type 39VM

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	Sellita Cal. SW300 automatic
Water Resistance	200m

• $3,481 at VPC

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