Electra Dare-Devil Diver Watch
Starting from 699 €The Electra Dare-Devil Diver marks the return of a French name born in 1966 and gone by 1971. This 38mm neo-retro diver pays tribute to the late-1960s Electra Skin Diver, with a steel case in polished and brushed finishes, a date-free dial and a bidirectional friction-fit rotating bezel. Assembled and regulated in France, in Morteau, it houses a Swiss automatic Soprod P024 calibre and reaches a water resistance of 203 metres, the 666 feet printed on the dial. Offered in five dial executions on FKM rubber or a rice grain steel bracelet, it targets collectors of accessible, well-finished vintage dive watches.
Electra Dare-Devil Diver dive watch
Electra was born in 1966 under the impetus of Fred Lipman, then head of Lip, who brought together French and Swiss watchmakers under a single name. Success was swift: the brand claimed more than 300,000 watches sold in 1969. The crisis that later upended mechanical watchmaking nonetheless got the better of the company, which disappeared in May 1971. In 2024, a group of French enthusiasts revived the name, with the backing of Montrichard Limited, the group already behind the return of Nivada Grenchen and Praesidus. Assembly, regulation and inspection, however, remain entrusted to a French manufacture based in Morteau.
The Dare-Devil Diver is the first watch of this revival, unveiled in January 2025. It draws directly from the late-1960s Electra Skin Diver: a compact case, a friction-fit rotating bezel, a symmetrical dial with no date window and applied triangular hour markers punctuated by numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. The Swiss calibre chosen echoes the ETA 2472 that once powered the period Electra watches, within a more modern architecture.
This diver appeals as much to vintage watch collectors as to fans of tool watches worn day to day. Its ratchetless bidirectional bezel embraces its historical stance and lends itself equally to tracking a second time zone or timing an elapsed duration, while the generous lume applied to the hands, hour markers and graduations guarantees instant legibility in the dark.
Technical specifications Electra Dare-Devil Diver
- Brand: ELECTRA
- Model: Dare-Devil Diver
- Reference: Depending on version
- Indicative price: From 699 €
- Movement: Swiss automatic
- Power reserve: 38 h
- Calibre: Soprod P024
- Diameter: 38 mm
- Thickness: 10.95 mm (excluding sapphire crystal)
- Water resistance: 666 feet / 203 m (20 ATM)
- Materials: Stainless steel
- Crystal: Double-domed sapphire
- Dial: Black, green, yellow, blue, red
- Straps: Rubber, steel, leather
- Box contents: Watch, 2 straps, presentation box
The Electra Dare-Devil Diver dive watch
The Dare-Devil Diver adopts a deliberately measured format, inherited from late-1960s dive watches. Its stainless steel case measures 38mm in diameter and 47mm lug to lug, a geometry that lets it sit comfortably under a shirt cuff or on a slim wrist. The stated thickness of 10.95mm excluding the sapphire crystal confirms this pursuit of compactness, rare on a watch rated beyond two hundred metres. The surfaces alternate between polished and brushed finishes, a classic but well-executed treatment that animates the case without overloading it. The mechanics match this careful positioning. The Soprod P024 calibre, a Swiss automatic movement, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and carries 25 jewels.
It offers 38 hours of power reserve, enough to survive a night off the wrist, and is regulated in France, in the Haut-Doubs region, with a stated accuracy of -2/+2 seconds a day. This point sets the watch apart from most micro-brand proposals in this price bracket, where the movement is usually fitted without further checks. The dial, free of a date window, retains perfect symmetry. The applied triangular hour markers carry numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock, with the remaining hours marked by retro-inspired batons. The three central hands, including a slim so-called syringe seconds hand, are generously filled with luminescent material.
Five dial executions and two straps
The collection was born as a quintet, with the Formal Black featuring a black dial and gilt minute track, the sunburst red Dashing Red, the smoked gradient Deep Blue and Emerald Green, and the yellow-gold Yellow Old Gold. All share the same case, the same movement and the same price. The gilt versions receive a Super-LumiNova Green Lume that appears yellow in daylight, while the silver-toned executions carry blue or green lume. For wearability, each watch ships on FKM rubber, red in the case of the Formal Black, or on a rice grain steel bracelet 20mm wide, tapering toward the clasp.
The latter, also sold separately, revives a very 1960s design and heightens the collection’s vintage lineage. The double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment completes the dressing, while the ratchetless bidirectional bezel turns on friction, faithful to period skin divers. This choice, aesthetically coherent, remains questionable for genuine underwater use, but it does allow for a very practical everyday second time zone tracking.
Electra Dare-Devil Diver dive watch: the French skin diver resurrected
A mechanical dive watch in vintage guise, the Electra Dare-Devil Diver pairs a 38mm steel case, 47mm lug to lug and 10.95mm thickness excluding the crystal. The Swiss automatic Soprod P024 calibre, with 25 jewels and 28,800 vibrations per hour, delivers 38 hours of power reserve and benefits from regulation carried out in France, in Morteau. Water resistance reaches 203 metres, the crown is screw-down and the double-domed sapphire crystal receives an anti-reflective treatment. The ratchetless bidirectional rotating bezel and the date-free dial embrace the heritage of 1960s dive watches, now offered in five dial executions.
Movement
The Dare-Devil Diver is powered by the Soprod P024 calibre, a Swiss automatic movement with 25 jewels whose architecture derives from the ETA 2824. It oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or eight beats per second, and delivers 38 hours of power reserve. Assembly, regulation and inspection are carried out in France, at a manufacture based in Morteau, with a stated accuracy of two seconds a day in either direction. This choice echoes the ETA 2472 that powered the Electra watches of the late 1960s.
Diameter and materials
The stainless steel case measures 38mm in diameter, 47mm lug to lug and 10.95mm thick excluding the sapphire crystal, proportions faithful to period skin divers. The finishes alternate between polishing and brushing. The double-domed sapphire crystal receives an anti-reflective treatment, and the ratchetless bidirectional bezel turns on friction, with fully luminescent markings. The dial comes in black, red, midnight blue, emerald green, gold yellow, glacier blue and ultra-matte black depending on the version, with gilt or silver-toned applied hour markers.
Water resistance
The watch is rated to a water resistance of 200 metres, or 20 ATM, an unusual figure that corresponds to the 666 feet printed on the dial beneath the Automatic marking. The screw-down caseback indeed bears the 203M Water Resistant marking. The screw-down crown remains pleasant to operate despite the case’s compact format. The generously applied Super-LumiNova on the hands, hour markers and bezel graduations ensures legibility underwater as well as at night. The friction bezel, however, calls for caution in genuine underwater use.
Accessories
The Dare-Devil Diver is offered on FKM rubber, red for the Formal Black version, or on a 20mm rice grain steel bracelet tapering toward the clasp, priced fifty euros higher on most executions. The brand also announces an additional vegetable-tanned Italian leather strap, supplied with the watch, along with a smart presentation box. Quick-release lugs and a steel pin buckle complete the package and make swapping between straps easy depending on the occasion.
Warranty
Electra publishes no warranty duration on its official website, neither in its terms and conditions nor in its delivery pages. Only a 30-day return right is mentioned, applicable to orders placed through direct sales. Buyers interested in after-sales support would therefore do well to ask the brand before purchasing, especially since assembly and regulation are carried out in France, in Morteau, which could simplify any future work on the movement.
Electra Dare-Devil Diver The pros
and cons
- Swiss automatic Soprod P024 calibre
- Assembled and regulated in France
- 200 metres water resistance
- Slim 10.95mm case
- Additional leather strap and presentation box
- Ratchetless bidirectional bezel
- No warranty duration stated
- 38-hour power reserve
- Some straps become scarce
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Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
