British heritage, submerged

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Vertex M60 AquaLion Dive Watch

Starting from 3.396 €

The Vertex M60 AquaLion is the first dive watch from the London house relaunched by Don Cochrane, the only British brand among the Dirty Dozen. Unveiled in December 2021, it carries the military vocabulary that has built Vertex's reputation since 1912 into the underwater world. Built to ISO 6425 and water resistant to 600 metres, it pairs a Swiss COSC-certified chronometer movement, a ceramic bezel with knurling inspired by the Bren light machine gun, and X1-grade Super-LumiNova. Offered in three versions, with or without date, in natural steel or DLC coating, it is aimed at serious divers and collectors drawn to tool watches rooted in British military tradition.

Vertex M60 AquaLion dive watch

Founded in London in 1912 by Claude Lyons, Vertex holds a singular place in the history of military watches. The house supplied the British Army from 1915 and, in 1944, became one of the twelve manufacturers chosen for the W.W.W. navigation watch, since nicknamed the Dirty Dozen. Vertex is the only brand in the group based in the United Kingdom, with 4,652 pieces delivered during the run-up to D-Day. The Hatton Garden factory was destroyed by a bombing raid in 1940, and the company closed its doors in 1972, swept away by the quartz crisis.

In 2015-2016, Don Cochrane, the founder's great-grandson, revived the brand and launched the M100, a direct reinterpretation of the original field watch. The M60 AquaLion, unveiled in December 2021, marked the move from sky and field to sea, following the M100 and the MP45 single-pusher chronographs. Vertex claims a lineage with its own sport and dive watches from the 1950s and 1960s, with the brand's own timeline citing models fitted with luminous inserts as early as 1960.

Now classed within the Field & Dive category, the collection is described as inspired by British special forces. Its screw-down caseback bears the engraving of the AquaLion, a half-lion, half-fish creature that has become the series' emblem, while the bezel pays tribute to the Bren light machine gun carried alongside Vertex watches during the Second World War. The brand has a boutique in London, in the Mayfair district.

Technical specifications Vertex M60 AquaLion

Brand: Vertex
Model: M60 AquaLion
Reference: Depends on version
Indicative price: From €3,396
Movement: Swiss automatic
Calibre: Sellita SW300-1 “Top Execution”
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Water resistance: 600 m / 60 bar
Materials: 316L stainless steel
Crystal: Double-domed box sapphire
Dial: Black
Strap: Steel, Zulu/ZA, rubber
Warranty: 5 years
Box contents: Watch, three straps, case

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The Vertex M60 AquaLion dive watch

The London brand's first diver since its rebirth, the M60 AquaLion applies the grammar of Vertex military watches to the underwater world. The case in marine-grade 316L stainless steel measures 40 mm in diameter for 14 mm of thickness, with a lug-to-lug of 48.9 to 49 mm that keeps the wrist footprint in check despite a construction designed for pressure. The unidirectional matte ceramic bezel with 60 clicks carries an engraved, lume-filled dive scale; its knurling echoes the elevation-adjustment mechanism of the Bren light machine gun, a direct nod to the house's military history.

Montre Vertex M60 Aqualion 8

The matte black dial plays on absolute legibility, with moulded hour markers and hands coated in X1-grade Super-LumiNova, protected by a double-domed box sapphire crystal fitted with AR08 + AR06 anti-reflective treatment. Underwater as in full darkness, the information reads at a glance, which remains the first criterion of a professional dive watch. The whole meets the ISO 6425 standard, the international benchmark that requires testing for legibility, shock resistance, resistance to magnetism and to overpressure. The M60 AquaLion is therefore not content with a merely military look: it takes on the validation constraints that go with it, with the temperament of an instrument rather than a style accessory, and a sober silhouette that remains wearable day to day.

Three versions, from natural steel to stealth DLC

The series is now offered in three executions sharing the same architecture. The M60 AquaLion ND forgoes a date window: its fully symmetrical matte black dial makes it, in the brand's words, the original military dive piece. The M60 AquaLion D adds a date at 3 o'clock, the 3 numeral giving way to the window. The M60C AquaLion DC pushes the tool watch logic further with a case, caseback and bracelet in DLC-coated steel, a treatment that increases surface hardness and gives the watch a stealthy look.

Montre Vertex M60 Aqualion 9

The first two are priced at €3,395.94, the DLC version at €3,502.74. The heart remains identical across every reference: the Sellita SW300-1 calibre, a Swiss automatic certified as a COSC chronometer, fitted with 25 jewels, beating at 4 Hz and offering a 42-hour power reserve, with hacking seconds for precise synchronisation. The 600 m / 60 bar water resistance is secured by a screw-down crown and caseback, the latter engraved with the AquaLion, the half-lion, half-fish creature that is the collection's emblem. Every watch leaves the workshop with three straps, steel, single-pass and dive rubber, packed in a waterproof, floating multi-purpose Peli case that extends the series' military equipment spirit.

Vertex M60 AquaLion dive watch: 600 metres to ISO 6425 standard

The Vertex M60 AquaLion brings together the attributes of a genuine underwater tool watch: a 316L steel case measuring 40 mm across and 14 mm thick, 600 metres of water resistance, construction compliant with the ISO 6425 standard, and a unidirectional matte ceramic bezel with 60 clicks. The COSC-certified chronometer Sellita SW300-1 calibre delivers controlled accuracy with a 42-hour power reserve. The matte black dial and bezel are treated with X1-grade Super-LumiNova for maximum legibility at depth. Three versions coexist, with or without date, in natural steel or DLC coating, each delivered with three straps in a waterproof, floating Peli case.

Movement

The M60 AquaLion is powered by the Sellita SW300-1 “Top Execution” calibre, a Swiss automatic with 25 jewels beating at 4 Hz and offering a 42-hour power reserve. Every example carries COSC chronometer certification, a guarantee of controlled accuracy across multiple positions and temperatures. The display is limited to hours, minutes and a centre seconds hand with hacking seconds, allowing precise time-setting. The D and DC versions add a date window at 3 o'clock, absent from the ND.

Diameter and materials

The case measures 40 mm in diameter for 14 mm of thickness, with a lug-to-lug of 48.9 to 49 mm and a 20 mm lug width. It is machined from marine-grade 316L stainless steel, available in natural finish or DLC-coated steel on the M60C. The matte ceramic bezel resists scratches and carries an engraved dive scale, its knurling inspired by the Bren light machine gun. The matte black dial, protected by a double-domed box sapphire crystal, remains identical across all three versions.

Water resistance

With 600 m / 60 bar of water resistance, the M60 AquaLion goes well beyond the needs of recreational diving and clearly targets professional use. The construction meets the ISO 6425 standard, which governs legibility, shock resistance, and resistance to magnetism and overpressure in dive watches. A screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback engraved with the AquaLion lock the case, while the unidirectional 60-click bezel allows dive time to be tracked without risk of accidental drift.

Accessories

Every watch comes with three straps: a steel bracelet, in DLC finish on the M60C, a single-pass Zulu strap and a dive rubber strap suited to immersion. The metal bracelet features a deployant clasp and the mounting benefits from a quick-release system, allowing straps to be swapped without tools. Everything is housed in a multi-purpose, waterproof and floating Peli “Ruck” case, which doubles as both presentation box and field container.

Warranty

Vertex backs the M60 AquaLion with a five-year warranty, longer than standard industry practice. It covers manufacturing defects and includes servicing throughout the period, a welcome point on a dive watch meant to see real use. This warranty is, however, non-transferable: it remains tied to the first owner and does not follow the watch upon resale, worth keeping in mind on the secondhand market.