I’m going to brag a little bit here and say that I thought I had seen it all in terms of dive watches as someone who has had the privilege of getting hands-on with many of them in the past few years. I’ve made a similar comment a few reviews back regarding field watches and probably divers as well because, what? Since the 1950s and the creation of the first rotating bezel-equipped tool watches (by Rolex or Blancpain or neither of them or both at the same time,) and the technical and visual codifications of what dive watches are—luminous and legible markers, a count-up scale printed on a unidirectional bezel, large handset, high water resistance, and contrasting dials—tens of thousands of underwater exploration timekeeping devices have been designed, manufactured, sold, lost, damaged, and passed on. We love dive watches, we can’t get enough of them, and so brands keep on popping them out on the market. 

Another thing I’ve said many times before is that I’m glad not to be a watch designer because I would come up with the blendest of concepts for divers. I know what I like, and I’ve been able to find what I’ve been looking for on account of the aforementioned massive quantities of dive watches which have existed and exist today on the market. But if you’d ask me to design one well, shoot, I don’t know what I would do. So our niche world of horology is better off leaving the design and engineering to the pros, and to my fellow countrymen and women from France and Akrone—a brand we are taking a first look at today through their C-02 Nérée Antarctique. “Nérée” or “Nereus” in English was a primitive Greek god of the seas nicknamed “The Old Man of the Sea.” An aptly named dive watch, and one which is visually singular and technically sound and for which you won’t have to break the bank, as we’re about to see.  

Specifications 

Another thing I’ve been heard to say before is that the more time passes the better specs we get for less money. The C-02 Nérée Antarctique retails for 649€/$760 USD (I just killed the suspense) which is today an average price for a good diver. Even though some of us have unrealistic expectations of what X amount of money should give us in terms of specifications—demanding more and better things but paying less and less money for them—I’m sorry not sorry to say that a healthy spec sheet + a singular design = 649€/$760 USD, give or take. What is now expected for a modern diver, and which we find on the Akrone, is the following dimensions: 39mm in diameter, 47mm lug-to-lug, 11.5mm thick, and a 20mm lug width. What some famous YouTubers refer to as being the Goldie Locks measurements for a modern diver, and which I would describe as being good for most wrists. What we also expect is 200 meters of water resistance…

…which you can get if you opt for the solid case-back, or 100 meters for the see-through one the watch is equipped with when shipped. However, Akrone also gives you the solid case-back you can install yourself or ask the brand to do for you. That is neat and something I’ve never heard of before (but I don’t claim to know everything, something else I’ve said already) and which makes you wonder what ticks inside for you want to see it: the now commonplace Sellita SW200-1 caliber (4Hz/38 hours of power reserve) which is however regulated in six positions to run at -4/+6 seconds per day. An SW200 is not the most visually striking caliber to see but it has the benefit of coming with a straightforward utilitarian appearance some of us do appreciate. (The movement does come with a gunmetal rotor which is pretty neat.) Akrone therefore likes customization and also gives you the option to opt for a left-hand drive at no extra cost. 

Do you see where this is going? 

Being a dive watch, the Akrone C-02 Nérée Antarctique must be legible in light-free conditions which is why we find good applications of BGW9 on the hands, applied hour markers, and the inverted triangle on the bezel. On its website, Akrone indicates that the legibility of the SuperLumiunova varies based on the dial color on account of the dégradé effect found on the latter. But they actually refer to how easy it is to see the markers during the day based on where on the dial they are located: it is indeed easier to see them from four to eight o’clock than it is from ten to two, however the entirety of the dial is quite legible, as it should. We also find a deeply knurled screw-down crown and bezel insert which have a very metallic tactile character to them, a screw-down case-back, a 120-click unidirectional bezel with a ceramic insert, and a supple white FKM rubber strap equipped with two large nomadic keepers. 

Design 

As always, we can dissect the aesthetics of a watch by looking at the case and dial separately. The former is designed and manufactured and finished well for this type of watch at this price point and more, featuring a pretty thick mid-case which gently curves down towards the lugs. The mid-case appears tall indeed because its slab-sided profile is made more pronounced by a fine horizontal brushing and thin upper polished chamfers and the absence of them at its bottom. Moreover, the case-back is deep and appears to be sur-elevating the mid-case, which doesn’t impede on the wearing comfort, but which makes the 11.5mm measurement come across as being deceptive. That and the straight cut-outs between the lugs = 1960s/70s skin-diver inspired case which I’m particularly found of. A neat detail however is how, seen from above, the lugs narrow down at their extremity, and seen from the side, they are cut straight at a sharp angle. 

Do you now see where this is going? 

Moving onto the dial we find something, well, quite stunning. Many applied and polished elements, polished to a mirror-effect, joining forces with semi skeletonized, semi broad-arrowed hands, faceted please, with a now sought-after combination of brushed upper sections and polished chamfers, and a vertical dégradé effect adorning the lacquered and textured dial. You read that right: the dial has a sandy texture covered by a translucent compound which makes the surface glow to a pearlescent sheen as well as being endowed with a noticeable depth. (As in the depth of the Antarctic ocean I suppose.) The applied markers are indeed polished, doubled at the twelve, and feature pronounced inner-facing bevels which almost touch the hour hand. All of what I’ve mentioned thus far about the dial, and the addition of a small minute track printed in white, confer to the dial of the C-02 Nérée Antarctique a rather snazzy appearance. 

One which should clash with the skin diver-shaped case—a profile that is more utilitarian than we sometimes want to think—but which doesn’t here thanks to the magic of Akrone’s designers which I cannot fully grasp and therefore explain. But perhaps we can find another clue as to what makes the C-02 so unique by looking at the bezel. The insert is made of gray ceramic on which the markings are incised and perfectly centered within it. (Traditionally divers come with larger bezel markings to make them easier to read under water.) The insert is then sandwiched between the brushed edges of the bezel assembly (which we use to turn the darn thing) and a wide brushed steel insert which sits flush against the sapphire crystal (which I had yet to mention.) So once again we find design elements which should clash with one another but don’t and that is what makes the C-02 Nérée Antarctique so cool. 

The Heart of the Matter

Throughout this review, I dropped a few clues as to what the heart of the matter might be. But before we go there, let’s review what we have learned about the Akrone C-02. First, some of what it is made out of and how it looks indicate that we are looking at a “diver.” Enough water resistance, a sapphire crystal, legible dial, a decent wrist presence, and good nighttime legibility. What indeed many divers are endowed with. Second, we learned that Akrone redesigned some of the traditional elements that make up a diver so that they are a bit different: the bezel insert, the profile of the skin-diver case, and the abundance of polished and classical looking elements on the dial. So where this is all going is as follows: to me the C-02 Nérée Antarctique is an unusual combination of design elements generally found on elegant everyday watches—the applied rectangular markers, the small skeletonized portions of the hands, and the dégradé effect—paired to a proper diver’s case and specifications. 

To me this is a new way to look at what a diver could be in 2025 and that is something we had been waiting for for a long time, even though we didn’t know we did. Which is why I bragged about the number of dive watches I’ve reviewed already and the fact that it is hard to come across something that feels fresh, novel, yet familiar. What further contributes to these impressions is the fact that Akrone offers two types of case-backs, the option for a left-hand or right-hand drive, as well as the possibility to purchase an additional stainless steel bracelet. (Something I haven’t mentioned yet because right now the latter is offered with the purchase.) The bracelet comes with a flat beads-of-rice design, push-pins, quick-release spring-bars, and a ratcheting diver’s extension. So indeed, Akrone has infused fresh blood into the classical genre of dive watches and that is a welcomed gift to us hardcore enthusiasts of underwater timekeeping devices. 

Conclusion 

Given what it is made out of, how it looks, and the options for customization the brand offers, I would argue that 649€/$760 USD is a very good price for what you get. While many would complain that the C-02 Nérée Antarctique retails for three or four times more than the latest AliExpress special, what the latter lacks, which the former is choke-full of, is plain and simple originality and an obsessive attention to details. Visually and mechanically it is interesting and different, and as I’ve also heard saying many times before, it is hard to put a price tag on design. With that said, if an ice-blue/deep-blue dégradé dial is not your thing, then maybe you will find happiness in one of the seven additional versions of the C-02 Nérée. They are all colorful, unique, and as relevant as the Antarctique we looked at today. 

Thanks for reading.