For the man who likes to pretend he dives, or the diver who wants to maintain appearances on dry land, Gucci humbly submits the YA126229 from the Timeless collection. This watch has all the appearance of a basic dive watch, including a rotating bezel to allow you to keep track of when 20 minutes ago was, while still having all the trappings and hallmarks of Gucci that can be spotted by searchers from across the bar.

Note the hidden G.

This model comes with a web strap in the Green-Red-Green colours of the House of Gucci. These colours are repeated in motif at the three o’clock position on the dial face. Which causes the date display to be pushed to the four o’ clock position in ironically hip fashion. A feature that is easily overlooked, is that the diamond pattern on the face is also in the shape of a G, in part due to the aforementioned motif at three.

The housing is a sturdy stainless steel, coated to a stylish black, but unfortunately, this doesn’t provide contrast for anything but the minute markings as the numbers and hands are in a dark green. Instead reliance is on the luminescence of the markings making this a watch that is easiest to read in the dark.

The web strap is nice for those of us who dislike metal bands, and appreciate the breathable nature of the fabric, but it is hard to swallow when you consider the price tag is just over 1000 dollars. This would be more palatable if it were a functioning dive watch of course–a good dive watch is going to be pricey, and web strapping makes a lot of sense if you are going to go into the water on a regular basis. Unfortunately, in spite of the functional rotating bezel, the watch is not waterproof, merely water resistant to 100 meters.

However, this doesn’t mean it isn’t a suitable watch for other watersports. This watch has adequate water resistance for swimming, surfing, or snorkeling, and other surface level water activities. That web strap will outlast leather or metal bands on the beach, and will be easier to get sand out of. It will also be easier to keep clean of the crud that develops from sweating while wearing metal, leather or (gasp) plastic bands during moderate to heavy activity. As long as your purpose is to keep track of when the jet-ski is due back at the rental place, the bezel is functional for nautical fun. But, this watch is not suitable for diving.

Specs:

• Model YA126229
• Swiss Quartz Movement
• Anti-Reflective Scratch Resistant Saphire Crystal face
• Movable bezel
• 44mm diameter
• Web strap
• Stainless Steel housing
• Water Resistant to 100m