One of the great things about microbrands is that they are small. Your average micro consists of no more than a handful of people, often just one or two, with big ideas and a burning passion. As a result, they are willing to undertake projects that committees would crush in a heartbeat. They will eagerly embrace novel design concepts or unconventional engineering to pursue their singular vision of perfection. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, we get a product like the SēL Instrument OmniDiver Xos, the wickedly clever, unapologetically bold, and massively over-built dive watch I have for review today.
SēL is an American brand headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. “SēL” is pronounced “seal,” like the animal. It’s clear once you realize that the line over the “e” is a macron and not merely a decoration to bridge the “S” and “L,” although, I must say, it fulfills that design function admirably as well. Why not spell it the usual way? Because you can’t trademark that.
SēL’s OmniDiver Xos 42 is an evolution of the OmniDiver MK2 46. Like all of the brand’s watches, it is produced in limited allocations, in this case, 225 units. It starts at $4,792 for an ETA E64.111-PD quartz and no options. The review sample has a top-grade Selitta SW200-1 automatic movement and a WavLock bracelet, bringing it to $7,134. What does that eye-watering price get you? Everything. It gets you everything, my friend.
You will find some deeply funky elements on the OmniDiver, and every one exists for a practical reason. SēL calls their ethos “function first,” and I believe it. Every tool watch brand lauds its toughness; truth be told, most dive and field watches can take a pretty good beating. The modern watch enthusiast has come to expect high levels of shock and water resistance as a matter of course, so one can reasonably ask what more SēL brings to the table. Well, how about a 2000m rating? No, not two hundred, two thousand meters. That’s more than halfway to the wreck of the Titanic. The standard automatic case is antimagnetic to 4800A/m, and they are working on an enhanced version with even more shielding. The crystal is sapphire, of course, and we are just getting started.
For shock protection, they cooked up a system called the “Labyrinth Flux” that isolates the movement and dial so that they have no direct contact with the case at rest. I believe it may also dissipate the force of impact with the sheer awesomeness of its name, but I have no data to back that up.
At 44.4mm across the bezel, 47.8mm lug-to-lug, and 13.7mm thick, the OmniDiver X0s is an absolute unit, and yet, it isn’t. You can credit the satin-brushed Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet for part of that. The whole thing weighs just 154g, or less than 5 oz in its heaviest configuration of an automatic on a bracelet. Also, note that the bezel overlaps a 42mm case, so it has a burly presence with a smaller footprint. Finally, although they fitted a monstrously large crown, they tucked it between the bottom lugs so it wouldn’t look like a coffee can hanging off the side.
That beast of a signed crown at 6 o’clock offers loads of grip and easy operation. Imposing as it may be, its low position between the lugs minimizes its presence, prevents it from burrowing into your wrist, and protects it from impact. ZRC figured this out in 1958, and it’s still a good idea. This arrangement requires a unique end link to accommodate, but this is an SēL; everything has been reimagined, so why not?
Yes, it is a big tool watch, but it doesn’t take up any more of my 6.75″ wrist than most of my other 42mm divers. In fact, the outstanding articulation of the 22mm WavLock bracelet gives it a comfortable fit and allows the end links to nearly disappear from view, making the watch appear shorter.
This OmniDiver wears the Legacy dial. It’s a fairly conventional dive watch layout in a sandwich style. You can also opt for the Stealth, which blacks out the logo and text, or the Explorer-esque 3,6,9. SēL machines them in-house from aerospace-spec alloy and hand-finishes them in a matte black molecular compound for crazy durability. Decoration includes an American flag (optional) and a peek at one of the Selitta’s jewels. A field watch style 24-hour index is printed inside the marker cutouts. The dial is set deep in the case, a dimension enhanced by a sunken center and a delightfully chunky rehaut that wraps around the hours, its scallops mimicking those of the bezel.
SēL clearly had fun designing the handset. That stubby circle of an hour hand and thick sword minute hand are unforgettable yet perfectly fit their space and complement the overall hardcore aesthetic. Its slim paddle-tipped and lollipop-tailed second hand seems almost timid in comparison. The dial depth I mentioned above also comes into play, allowing a tall spindle and broad spacing between the hands. The sample’s were brushed, but SēL offers four color options.
Nothing is more disappointing than a nice dive watch with a sloppy bezel (yeah, I’m looking at you, Seiko). You have no such worries with the OmniDiver. It moves through its 120 clicks while floating on ceramic and Teflon ball bearings, with stops controlled by two pistons. The resulting action is not stiff or heavy but precise and secure.
Like the dial, the ceramic bezel insert is matte back with deep markers.
Every marker and all three hands are filled with SēL’s homebrewed lume. It’s grainy and strangely dark at the edges, creating a weathered effect. I have no idea what alchemy they use to whip this stuff up, but it is mighty potent.
I mentioned the bracelet’s comfort and oddball endlinks above, but there is so much more to tell. It is an ingenious system of titanium rods and bars held with Torx head screws and secured with a titanium clasp. Only the screws are steel.
Two rods sandwiched between a pair of bars form a center link that can then be attached to the next center link assembly with a pair of the same bars and so on down the chain. The bars fit securely, but not tightly, between the bars that bracket them. This configuration allows a good deal of play in the bracelet; you can actually roll the rods freely. The end links are held with screws through the lugs.
There are more individual components in SēL’s system than you might find in a typical bracelet, but the result is remarkably flexible and comfortable. Even my favorite jubilee and beads-of-rice bracelets could not compare to the drape and flow of the SēL WavLock. The downsides? Well, you need two Torx tools to adjust it. I hate the two-handed screwdriver maneuver, but Torx heads all but eliminate the possibility of slipping and scratching your bracelet. SēL is also good enough to size the bracelet before shipping it to you, and they provide both tools and plenty of extras.
Just about every bracelet can benefit from some fine tuning. That is where Wavlock clasp comes in. Although it looks like a bear trap, it is perfectly benign.
Notice where the links attach to the clasp on the right-hand side in the photo below. The rod slides freely in the channels flanking that section of the clasp. The bottom of the clasp has all the teeth and valleys into which the rod sits, giving a wide range of adjustments. Position the rod as you like and snap the two sections together to lock. The final section folds over the first two for a smooth finish.
Need a quick 14mm for your wetsuit? No problem. You can open the lid on that clasp and flip out the dive extension without unlocking the rest of it.
It’s a brilliant design. I confess that it took me a couple of tries to master that three-part dance and prevent the rod from slipping out of my chosen position before locking it, but I figured it out soon enough. SēL has a handy instructional video on their YouTube channel.
Large as it is, the clasp is in perfect proportion with the watch head. You can see that in the photograph below; just try not to think about a grinning crab smoking a stubby cigar.
If you don’t want the bracelet or want to change things up, the OmniDiver comes with an Isofrane strap already fitted with 22mm adaptors. The bars inside will allow you to use a pass-through strap if you are inclined, and they can probably be pressed into other straps with wide passages, although you do so at your own risk.
Finally, we come to the caseback. The brand can accommodate special requests, but the standard lid is nicely done, showing deep embossing with crisp detail.
The SēL OmniDiver Xos 42 is an amazing piece. Yes, it is expensive, but it uses top-quality materials, employs innovative engineering, and has been assembled, designed, and, to the greatest practical extent, manufactured right here in the U.S.A. If you are the sort of person who demands the very best, or if you merely appreciate the single-minded determination of those who strive to achieve that aim, you will love what SēL Instrument has done.
For more information or to order your own, see selinstrument.com.
