Dievas Uhren Technik has produced rugged, top-spec tool watches in Stuttgart, Germany, since 2006, and while I have always been curious, I did not have a chance to get my hands on one until Gnomon Watches gave me this Dievas Maya MK III for review. It was worth the wait.
Released on December 1, 2022, the Mk. III is a logical evolution of the Maya design. The biggest change is in its bigness, or should I say, lack of same. Case sizes are contracting, and Dievas has acted accordingly, reducing the once massive 44mm Maya to a more accessible 41mm wide. Still, the Maya is no dainty dress watch. At 13.8mm thick with flat sides and crisp edges, it cuts a stout figure on your wrist, but an overall length of 49mm and some additional curvature to the lugs allow a manageable fit, even on my 6.75″ wrist. It’s big but in the sense of a fun dive watch, not a Brobdingnagian wrist anchor.
While smaller than its previous incarnations, the Maya MK III is no less capable. It features a thick sapphire crystal. The German-made stainless steel case is bead-blasted for a no-nonsense matte gray finish, then DLC-coated to increase surface hardness by three to four times. Water resistance is a patently insane 1000m. For those who plan to spend an extended time at depth, it has a helium release valve. The 4 o’clock crown is particularly noteworthy. Its deep fluting and embossed logo look fantastic, but more than that, it is a joy to use, offering excellent grip and generous extension. It is protected by a small guard above and an oversized lug below, lending the case a distinctive asymmetry.
The bezel travels smoothly through its 120-click rotation without exhibiting any back play, and the engraved and lumed matte ceramic insert is a treat. My only complaint is that its soft edge gives up some grip, not so much that I slipped, but enough that I worried I might. I think a more aggressive edge texture like that of the crown would have been welcome here.
There are four exposed fasteners on the outside edge of the bezel. Unscrew them, and you can remove the factory-supplied bezel and swap it with another. Dievas offers blue and green/yellow ceramic options in addition to the black one shown here.
For the engine, Dievas chose the Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic, an ETA 2824-2 based design with 26 jewels, a 28.8k hourly beat rate, and 38-hour power reserve. One can expect a long, trouble-free life out of this one. It sits behind a hardened, relatively unadorned caseback. Again, this Dievas is all business.
While we are back here, it’s a good time to explore the bracelet. This H-link is 20mm wide, and secured by a ratcheting dive clasp. I love the rounded links, which are short enough to provide a comfortable flow over year wrist. Sturdy, single-ended screws fasten them, making sizing a breeze.
While regular readers know that boxy expansion clasps are not my favorites, I must say that the Dievas’s is quite good, as it is relatively slim and impeccably finished, with no sharp corners to ruin my preferred diving experience: desk diving. Seriously, I have a nice desk and no interest in scratching it.
Previous Mayas have had high-contrast dials with large elements for easy readability. The MK III continues this tradition with an Explorer-style layout quite similar to that of the MK II, but with more dimension. I enjoy a dial with depth, and the Maya delivers, building up with raised elements at the cardinal points, and diving down with cutaway markers. Curiously, the minute index is printed in gay, not white. This mutes it a tad, allowing the hour markers to catch your eye first and making the dial seem more open.
Sword and paddle hands are a nice throwback to 60s divers, and red-orange accents tie to bezel hash marks of the same color. Pay particular attention to the 4:30 date window. It isn’t merely color-matched, it’s printed for proper orientation. Nicely done.
Of course, like any good dive watch, the Dievas Maya MK III does not skimp on the Superluminova. It delivers a strong blue glow on every hand and marker, and a contrasting orange pop on those first 15 minutes of the bezel.
The watch arrives in a padded display box containing a warranty card, manual, and screwdriver. While I appreciate the tool, I am sure most watch collectors already have a set of screwdrivers. A hex-head to fit the bezel fasteners would have been a bit more useful.
The Dievas Maya MK III is available in blue with vintage lume, and a wild Sealab Green with a green and yellow bezel and a different dial layout. Gnomon Watches sells them for $1,240 or $1,090 if you opt for the black dial with a rubber strap instead of a bracelet. Alternate bezels are $150 each. This may be a bit pricier than the dive watches we usually feature in The Time Bum, but not at all unreasonable when you consider its German manufacture, Swiss movement, high specs, and overall level of quality and finish.
My first Dievas experience has left me duly impressed. If you are looking for a tough yet very wearable tool watch, you would do well to give the Maya a good look.
