he Patravi ScubaTec Maldives dive watch celebrates Carl F. Bucherer’s long-standing partnership with the Manta Trust. The newest member of the Patravi ScubaTec family, the Maldives watch, was created to raise awareness of the Manta Trust and its remarkable commitment to preserving endangered manta rays and the ecosystems and habitat they need to survive.

The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives is the fourth watch Carl F. Bucherer has launched in partnership with the Manta Trust since 2017. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of each model was donated to the foundation, and a contribution from the sale of the Patravi ScubaTec Maldives is specifically dedicated to the Manta Trust’s new floating research station project. The Patravi ScubaTec watches are an essential part of Carl F. Bucherer’s Sport & Adventure brand world and reflect an important part of its DNA.

The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives proclaims its dive watch credentials at first glance. It has a striking 44.6 mm stainless-steel case and a unidirectional rotating stainless-steel bezel with blue and white ceramic inlays. A bold 60-minute scale with luminous markings makes it easy to calculate elapsed time underwater – a real benefit for serious divers. The bright blue dial with lacquered wave decoration is as eye-catching on land as it is in the water.

The color of the non-slip bezel perfectly matches the color of the bright blue, finely textured dial, whose indexes and hands are coated with Super-LumiNova, which makes the watch particularly easy to read in all lighting conditions.

This stunning dive watch is presented on a unique blue strap made of natural rubber; its fabric insert is made of 100% recycled bottles recovered from the Mediterranean Sea, underscoring Carl F. Bucherer’s love of the sea and its creatures. The strap is fitted with a finely adjustable diving folding clasp that extends the length of the bracelet so that it will close comfortably around a diving suit. The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives is also available with an optional stainless-steel bracelet, also with a diving folding clasp. Like the strap, the bracelet features a fine adjustment function, which means that it can be extended to precisely the length the wearer desires.

The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives has more than an aesthetic link to the ocean. With its screw-down crown, automatic helium valve, and exceptional water resistance to 500 m (50 bar) it was designed for any underwater adventures that might come its way. Inside the case beats the automatic caliber CFB 1950.1, a COSC-certified chronometer with a power reserve of 38 hours.

A charitable contribution for each Patravi ScubaTec Maldives sold will support a remarkable new Manta Trust initiative: the creation of a floating research station in the Maldives. The Maldivian reef manta population is the largest – and one of the most intensively studied – manta ray populations in the world.

Most existing research bases are centralized, limiting the extent to which members of the Manta Trust’s team can travel and the area they can survey daily. The floating research station, a vessel secured with the help of funding from Carl F. Bucherer, will provide an opportunity for new discoveries in parts of the Maldives that have so far been inaccessible with the existing centralized stations.

A team of trained, knowledgeable manta experts will be able to conduct in-depth research. In this ideal environment, the specialists will be together in one place, and, together, they will be able to conceptualize new strategies, devise plans, and brainstorm ideas for further research and conservation efforts, not only in the Maldives, but also on a more global scale.

In short, the floating research station brought to life by the partnership between Carl F. Bucherer and the Manta Trust will allow the world’s leading manta experts to reach far-flung areas within the Maldives and observe and record – in real time – manta behavior and even new manta subpopulations. It elevates the partnership between the watch brand and the NGO to the next level and provides a wonderful opportunity for manta ray research.

Sascha Moeri, Carl F. Bucherer’s CEO, said: “We are proud that, with the new Patravi ScubaTec Maldives, we are able to continue our support of the Manta Trust, which has been close to our hearts since 2013. The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives will help raise awareness of the urgent global need for marine preservation, and it will also support an important initiative: the creation of a game-changing floating research station.”

Dr. Guy Stevens, the founder and CEO of the Manta Trust, added: “Anyone involved in scientific research knows that goals can be achieved more easily if you’re working with partners, which is why I’m grateful that Sascha and his team are so enthusiastic about our projects. Together, we’ve made great progress in recent years, and the floating research station will allow us to enhance every aspect of our work on behalf of mantas and their ecosystems. Carl F. Bucherer has generated an enormous amount of interest in these amazing creatures, and we look forward to continuing the partnership well into the future.”

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Movement: Automatic, CFB 1950.1 caliber, COSC-certified chronometer; diameter 26.20 mm, height 4.6 mm, 25 rubies, power reserve 38 hours

• Functions: Date, hour, minute, seconds

• Case: Stainless steel, stainless-steel/ceramic bezel, automatic helium release valve, screw-down crown, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, water resistant to 500 m (50 bar), diameter 44.6 mm, height 13.45 mm

• Strap: Rubber strap with recycled PET textile layer, finely adjustable diving folding clasp in stainless steel

• Variation: 00.10632.23.53.22 with stainless-steel bracelet and finely adjustable diving folding clasp in stainless steel