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One of the Most Impressive Affordable Dive Watches Just Launched Its Hottest Version Yet

The heat is on.

Close-up of a wren watch face with an orange gradient dial, black bezel, and white markings. The dial shows "AUTOMATIC 660FT / 200M" and "SWISS MADE." The hour and minute hands are white with a bold design, and the second hand is thin and white. The watch crown is visible on the right side. The background is an orange textured surface.Wren

By Johnny Brayson

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A watch brand spun off from a watch blog created a new dive watch in collaboration with a social media watch influencer.

On paper, such a project sounds like little more than an exercise in vanity with a very limited audience. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Wren x Ben Diver One Magma.

Wren, the microbrand arm of watch blog Wrist Enthusiast, has built up a solid reputation with its seriously impressive dive watches. The Diver One, and the smaller, more premium Diver 38, both have attractive designs that are extremely well executed and pack in a laundry list of top-notch specs that place them near the top of their respective price brackets.

Now, Wren has a new take on the Diver One that was co-designed by Ben Cook, the man behind the wildly popular social media brand Ben’s Watches and Wren founder Craig Karger’s co-host on the Wrist Enthusiast Radio podcast.

And it looks fantastic.

Stainless steel wristwatch with a gradient orange to black dial, featuring white hour markers and hands. The watch has a black bezel with white markings and a metal link bracelet. The dial includes the text "WREN," "AUTOMATIC 660FT/200M," and "SWISS MADE." The watch is placed on a brown suede surface.
Wren continues to stake its claim as a maker of some of the most attractive and spec’d-out divers in their price range.
Wren

Liquid hot magma

The new watch takes inspiration from volcanoes, which may be a random source of inspiration for a dive watch, but considering that most volcanoes are actually underwater, I’ll allow it.

The dial of the watch is meant to resemble magma and lava and, like other Wren dials, has a fumé effect that’s lighter in the center and darker on the edges. The effect is especially appropriate here, with the bright red-orange center of the dial resembling molten rock and the black edges signifying the cooling lava.

Close-up of a wristwatch with a gradient orange dial that darkens toward the edges. The watch has white hour and minute hands, a thin white second hand, and circular and triangular hour markers. The bezel is black with white markings at intervals. The dial features the brand name "WREN" with a bird logo above it, and text indicating "AUTOMATIC 660FT / 200M" and "SWISS MADE" at the bottom. The watch case is metallic with a textured crown on the right side.
The Diver One Magma’s gradient dial represents hot lava at the center cooling to volcanic rock at the edges.
Wren

Matched up with the dial’s volcanic rock edge are the Diver One’s signature sandwich indices, which in this case are filled with black lume from Super-LumiNova for a “coal-like glow.”

This marks the first time Wren has used black lume on a watch, and while black lume is disappointingly dim in most executions, the press images here show off some impressive luminescence, probably thanks to the heavy sandwich application. White accents around the hands and indices add lots of contrast, making the watch highly legible.

A wristwatch with a glowing bezel and hour markers. The dial is a gradient red-orange color with the brand name "WREN" and a bird logo near the 12 o'clock position. The watch hands and markers emit a bright turquoise luminescence. The bezel has luminous numerals and markers at 15, 30, and 45 minutes. The watch face also displays "AUTOMATIC 660FT / 200M" and "SWISS MADE" at the bottom. The watch has a black strap.
Despite using black lume, the Diver One Magma looks to have pretty impressive nighttime visibility.
Wren

Another first for Wren is the bezel. While previous iterations of the Diver One had a sapphire bezel insert, the Magma boasts a black ceramic insert, which previously was only found on the pricier Diver 38. The bezel is fully lumed with Super-LumiNova and, at least in the press images, looks well-matched to the dial when it comes to intensity.

Outside of these changes, this is the same Diver One as before, which means it gets a 41mm stainless steel case with a 13.3mm thickness and a 47mm lug-to-lug, a Sellita SW200 automatic movement and a solid caseback with a hydraulic press-stamped Wren logo. The watch also, like all Wren divers, includes both a quick-release flat link bracelet and an integrated black FKM rubber strap.

A wristwatch with a black bezel and a vibrant red dial, featuring white hour markers and hands. The watch has a black rubber strap and a silver crown on the left side. The dial includes the text "WREN," "AUTOMATIC," and "660FT/200M," indicating it is an automatic dive watch. The person wearing the watch has a light skin tone and is dressed in a beige or light-colored long-sleeve shirt with a buttoned cuff.
Like other Wren divers, the Magma includes a fitted FKM rubber strap in addition to the bracelet.
Wren

Pricing and availability

The Wren x Ben Diver One Magma marks the first collaboration for both Wren and Ben’s Watches, but hopefully not the last. The watch looks great, its concept is fun and cohesive, and Karger and Cook — who were already friends and colleagues — are clearly on the same wavelength.

The watch is available on Wren’s website now and is limited to 100 individually numbered pieces, with 50 ready to ship now and another 50 slated for October. It’s priced at $1,075, a highly competitive price for a diver with these specs and looks.

Plus, the watch comes with pieces of volcanic rock — how many $1,000 divers can say that?

Stainless steel wristwatch with a gradient red to black dial, featuring white hour markers and hands. The bezel is black with white markings, and the watch has a metal link bracelet. The dial includes the brand name "WREN," the words "AUTOMATIC 660FT / 200M," and "SWISS MADE" at the bottom.Wren

Wren x Ben Diver One Magma

Specs

Case Size 41mm
Movement Sellita Cal. SW200 automatic
Water Resistance 200m
About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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