Vintage diver reimagined

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Eska Amphibian 250 Dive Watch

Starting from 1.090 €

The Eska Amphibian 250 is a vintage-inspired dive watch, a contemporary reinterpretation of the Amphibian 600 launched by the Swiss brand in 1959. Relaunched in 2024 by two enthusiasts and assembled in Besançon, it wears an instantly recognisable visual identity: sandwich dial with oversized cardinal markers, a unidirectional bezel with countdown scale, and a lollipop seconds hand. Beneath its 40mm steel case beats a Swiss automatic Sellita SW200 movement, water resistant to 250 metres. Offered in four versions, White Shark, Black Shark, Blue Dolphin and Black Heroes, and available in a destro configuration, it targets fans of historic divers looking for a robust, legible watch produced in small runs at an accessible price.

Eska Amphibian 250 dive watch

Founded in 1918 in Granges, Switzerland, under the name S. Kocher & Co, Eska built a name for itself over nearly seven decades before disappearing in 1987, swept away by the quartz crisis. Based in Grenchen from 1937, the house enjoyed its golden age in the 1940s and 1950s in the North American and Brazilian markets, with more than 250 models in its catalogue, including chronographs, full calendars and moon phases.

In 1959 came the Amphibian 600, a robust diver used by the French navy and often compared to Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms. Only four examples are known to exist today, making it an extremely rare collector's piece. It is this model that served as the template for the Amphibian 250.

In 2024, Christophe Chevreton and Sinicha Knezevic relaunched the brand and financed this reinterpretation through a Kickstarter campaign. Success was immediate: the first limited series, the Red Viper, sold out in a month, before the White Shark brought the model into the permanent collection, followed by the Black Shark. Assembled, regulated and inspected in Besançon, the Amphibian 250 openly claims a French watchmaking heritage. The sandwich dial with oversized cardinal markers, the lollipop seconds hand and the countdown bezel form an instantly identifiable visual signature, taking the wearer back to the golden age of early underwater exploration watches with bezels.

Technical specifications Eska Amphibian 250

Brand: Eska
Model: Amphibian 250
Reference: Depending on version
Indicative price: 1.090 €
Movement: Swiss automatic, stop-seconds
Calibre: Sellita SW200
Power reserve: 38 h
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 13.5 mm
Water resistance: 250 m / 25 ATM
Materials: 316L steel
Crystal: Double-domed sapphire
Dial: Black, blue, white
Strap: NATO, rubber, steel
Warranty: 2 years
Box contents: Travel case, two straps, warranty

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The Eska Amphibian 250 dive watch

Conceived as a genuine tool watch, the Amphibian 250 embraces a silhouette inherited from the earliest divers with rotating bezels. Its 316L steel case measures 40 mm in diameter and 13.5 mm thick, with a 46mm lug-to-lug span, a contained footprint that lets it sit flat on both slim wrists and larger ones. The case profile is one of the model's aesthetic hallmarks, alongside the unidirectional countdown bezel, whose scale counts down remaining time rather than elapsed time. The double-domed sapphire crystal heightens the retro character of the piece, producing the characteristic reflections of late-1950s watches without compromising legibility.

Montre Eska Amphibian 250 8

The sandwich dial, the model's signature feature, plays on two stacked plates: the hour markers are cut out of the top plate, revealing the luminous material of the plate beneath, which creates a depth that is instantly visible on the wrist. The four so-called oversized cardinal markers structure legibility, while the lollipop seconds hand and the colour accents at the tips of the markers add a distinctly sporty touch. With 250m water resistance, the watch comfortably covers the needs of recreational diving. Eska also offers a destro configuration, with the crown at 9 o'clock, selectable directly at order time.

Four versions and a Swiss automatic movement

At the heart of the Amphibian 250, Eska chose the Sellita SW200 calibre, a widely proven Swiss automatic movement whose robustness and ease of servicing need no further demonstration. Fitted with a stop-seconds function, it allows time setting to the exact second, a welcome feature on a dive watch. Its 28,800 vibrations per hour beat rate favours steady timekeeping, and its 38-hour power reserve suits daily wear. The display is limited to hours, minutes and seconds, with no date window, a choice consistent with the spirit of historic divers. The markers and hands are treated with Super-LumiNova® to ensure legibility in the dark.

Montre Eska Amphibian 250 7

The collection now comes in four versions sold at the same price. The White Shark, the founding model of the permanent collection, has a white dial and arrives in a white case. The Black Shark repeats the recipe with a black dial and adds an inner ring that enhances perceived quality. The Blue Dolphin, more summery, adopts a graduated smoked blue dial, white markers and blue luminescence, with an annual production limited to 150 pieces and a choice between white rubber and a navy blue Rub Strap. Finally the Black Heroes, born of a collaboration with Montre Heroes magazine, adopts a ghost approach, partially faded dial signatures, a discreet raven and a cream old radium luminescence.

Eska Amphibian 250 dive watch: reinvented heritage

The Eska Amphibian 250 combines a 40mm 316L steel case, a thickness of 13.5 mm and a 46mm lug-to-lug span, with water resistance of 250 metres. Its sandwich dial with oversized cardinal markers, lollipop seconds hand and unidirectional countdown bezel deliver an aesthetic inherited from late-1950s divers. The Swiss automatic Sellita SW200 calibre, fitted with a stop-seconds function and a 38-hour power reserve, handles the mechanics. Four versions are offered, White Shark, Black Shark, Blue Dolphin and Black Heroes, all assembled in Besançon and priced at 1,090 euros.

Movement

The Amphibian 250 is powered by the Sellita SW200 calibre, a Swiss automatic movement renowned for its reliability and ease of servicing. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz, it features 26 jewels and a stop-seconds mechanism allowing the watch to be synchronised to the exact second. Its 38-hour power reserve requires regular wear or manual winding after a two-day break. The display remains deliberately simple: hours, minutes and central seconds, with no date, in keeping with the spirit of vintage divers.

Diameter and materials

The case is machined from 316L stainless steel and measures 40 mm in diameter and 13.5 mm thick, with a 46mm lug-to-lug span and a 20mm lug width. It is protected by a double-domed sapphire crystal whose curvature underscores the model's vintage aesthetic. The steel bezel, fitted with a sapphire insert, frames a sandwich dial offered in white on the White Shark, black on the Black Shark, graduated smoked blue on the Blue Dolphin and black ghost on the Black Heroes.

Water resistance

With water resistance of 250 m / 25 ATM, the Amphibian 250 far exceeds the requirements of recreational diving and fully lives up to its status as a tool watch. The construction relies on a screw-down crown and screw-down caseback, while the unidirectional countdown bezel with 120 clicks allows immersion time to be tracked without risk of accidental movement. The markers, hands and bezel receive a luminescent treatment ensuring legibility in dark waters, with a blue glow specific to the Blue Dolphin.

Accessories

Each Amphibian 250 is delivered in a watertight travel case inspired by diving crates, black for most versions and white for the White Shark, with a slot provided for an extra strap. The White Shark, Black Shark and Black Heroes come with a sand Tropic strap and a two-piece black NATO, while the Blue Dolphin comes with a choice of white ESKA rubber or a navy blue Rub Strap. A warranty card completes the set, with a steel Ladder band strap still offered as an option.

Warranty

Eska covers the Amphibian 250 with a 2-year warranty covering manufacturing defects, a standard duration for contemporary watchmaking. This warranty applies equally to all four versions of the model, all sold at the same price of 1,090 euros. As the watches are assembled, regulated and inspected in Besançon, after-sales support remains handled in France, an advantage for a house relaunched in 2024 after nearly four decades of inactivity. This recent restart, however, means an after-sales service history that is still limited, lacking the track record of longer-established competitors.