A charming and very unusual vintage French diver from the delightfully obscure MANET brand. What won us over immediately was the dial: a rich, deep velvet-red tone that gives the watch far more personality than its straightforward technical construction might suggest. Add the classic diver format, the wide rotating bezel, and the compact 36 mm case, and the result is a vintage piece with real presence on the wrist.
There is an old joke that Manet painted pictures for ordinary people, but made watches for the real operators. Well, here they are: a proper little MANET diver, full of 1960s character.
Technically, the watch is simple and honest in the best possible way. Inside is a French France Ebauche FE-238G manual-wind movement with 17 jewels and small-seconds architecture. This exactly the kind of practical, serviceable movement you want to find in a period French tool watch.
The watch has a chrome-plated case with a stainless steel frog-diver caseback, a bi-directional rotating metal bezel, and a high-domed acrylic crystal.
Specifications
Brand: Manet
Model: “Velvet Red Diver”
Year: 1960s
Movement: France Ebauche FE-238G, manual winding, 17 jewels
Case: Chrome-plated case
Caseback: Stainless steel “frog-diver” caseback
Bezel: Metal bezel, rotating in both directions
Crystal: Acrylic crystal
Dial: Velvet red tone, Square luminous indexes
Hands: Broad steel hands
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date at 3 o’clock
Strap: High-quality genuine leather strap
Servicing and Warranty
Fully serviced with disassembly in our Bristol shop