VPC is showing off their sophomore release this week in the form of a dive watch dubbed the Type 39VM, and it’s an exercise in restraint. If you’re familiar with the brand, that will come as no surprise. VPC made a big impression with their initial release of the Type 37HW, with a clean yet bold design language that largely nailed the small details right out of the gate. With this diver, a new vision is shared, and it’s one that takes on a very well understood and beloved (not to mention saturated) genre. So how do these brilliant small details translate in diver guise? Well, the answer to that will depend on what you look for in a diver.
At a glance, there’s a lot of the Type 37HW that’s been carried over here. We find a similar twisted lug case design with a beveled edge highlighting the area between the lugs, long applied hour markers stretching into the dial, and a set of dauphine hands making their presence known at the center of the dial. One of the defining features of the Type 37HW, the contrasting subsidiary seconds at the bottom of the dial, has been removed in favor of a centrally mounted seconds hand. A closer look reveals more contrast in the details between the two watches, but there is a clear familiarity to what’s going on here.
That case has grown to 39mm in diameter, and now stretches 47mm from lug to lug. All in all, pretty standard numbers for a diver these days. One part of the measurement that breaks from that is the overall thickness, which is 9.34mm, making it the thinnest automatic 200 meter diver currently on the market according to the brand. A flat crystal and tucked in caseback do wonders here, and the watch should wear flat against the wrist as a result. It’s a nice profile visually, and it still has a substantive design overall.
The dial is a rather stark landscape without that sub-dial at six o’clock, and this pushes the focal point to the broad bezel surrounding it. The assembly hosts a matte black ceramic insert that shows off the brand’s tailor-made typography by Samuel Baker. It’s only indexed every five minutes, which allows each of the numerals plenty of space to be appreciated. It’s a lovely san-serif typeface that gets more interesting up close and personal. It’s the same typeface that adorns the dial, and underscores the attention to detail being applied here.
As compelling as these details are on their own, taking a step back to consider the watch as a whole leaves a slightly different impression. There’s nothing to complain about, really, but there’s also not enough character to celebrate. It’s almost too refined and well thought out that it ends up leaning toward the generic at a glance, which is not a great place to be for a dive watch in the category. This is a watch that would benefit greatly from an unexpected detail or two.
Inside, VPC is using an automatic top-grade Sellita SW300-1b movement that’s been COSC certified. It’s a great movement and one that feels like a fitting choice given the goals with the case and achieving a sub 10mm thickness. The watch can be fit to a steel bracelet, and the price is set at € 3,267 (~$3,795 at the moment). This comes dangerously close to other premium divers from the likes of Tudor, and could represent a tough pill for some enthusiasts. That said, if the same attention to detail seen in the design is also present in the overall fit and finish, I don’t think it’s too out of line. The only thing I’d really like to see is a bit more personality. VPC