from Gnomon:
ORIS CARL BRASHEAR BRONZE LIMITED EDITION
Oris introduces its second limited edition bronze watch made to remember the legacy of heroic US Navy Master Diver, Carl Brashear
Like the first watch, a time-only piece, the Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition is based on the Oris Divers Sixty-Five and cast in bronze. Oris has chosen the material again to represent the early diving equipment Brashear used, which was also made of bronze. Like Brashear, bronze has a natural warmth, a quality that makes it an appealing material for use in watches. Bronze also ages over time, developing a natural patina that will make each watch bespoke to its wearer.
Carl Brashear was born in Kentucky, USA in 1931. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1948 as a 17-year-old, shortly after the U.S. Military desegregated, and quickly decided he wanted to become a deep-sea diver. He graduated from the Navy's diving programme in 1954, despite facing discrimination on account of his race.
In 1966, he lost the lower part of his left leg in an accident during a mission to salvage a hydrogen bomb. After an exhausting period of rehabilitation, he became the U.S. Navy's first amputee diver in 1968, and then qualified as a Master Diver in 1970, the first African American to do so. The training for Master Diver certification involved completing a gruelling assessment programme, including dives to depths of 300 metres (1,000 feet) - in Brashear's case, all with a prosthetic limb.
Our Price: USD4690 (Free DHL Express + Free NATO Strap)Local Price: SGD6624 inc. GST
