Dive and field watches are two main styles in the sports watch industry. Although designed for entirely different conditions, both dive and field watch designs face the same challenges regarding durability, legibility, functionality, and weather resistance. As a result, crossovers can and do offer the 'best of both worlds' approach, providing the owner with a reliable companion for any task on land or sea. Delma is the latest brand to offer a hybrid of dive and field watches, adding street-smart flair to its Cayman dive watch collection inspired by the 70s. The new Delma Cayman Field combines a beautiful blend of mid-century tool watch styling with impressive capabilities and a wide range of options for a truly versatile design.
The 42mm stainless steel case of the Delma Cayman Field mirrors the standard Cayman design with tapered lugs featuring chamfered edges, a large screw-down crown without guards, and a relatively narrow bezel with a recessed cutout. The black anodized aluminum insert on the bezel offers a full 60-minute scale with an aggressive, purposeful look in the initial images. From here, the quartz and automatic Cayman Field variants noticeably diverge: the automatic model is 13.3mm thick, while the quartz versions are significantly slimmer at 11mm. Interestingly, these two variants also offer entirely different water resistance ratings. The quartz model is rated for a solid 200 meters, but Delma goes far beyond this for the automatic model with an impressive depth of 500 meters, despite a sapphire display caseback.
The dial of the Delma Cayman Field series is the most significant departure from previous Cayman versions, reinventing the traditional dive style with military facets. Gone are the standard applied indices of the Cayman dive watches, replaced by a printed hour scale combining rectangular indices and bold Arabic numerals. The Cayman Field also adds a 24-hour scale in dark orange, giving the entire design a busier and more compact look. Although the pointed baton hands and arrow-tipped seconds hand are carried over from the base Cayman, these elements arguably suit the new field watch personality better than their original dive application. However, in terms of sheer utility, these hands may still potentially suffer compared to wider traditional dive hands, with less available space for lume, possibly leading to reduced legibility in low light.
Delma offers the Cayman Field series with both the automatic Sellita SW200 movement and the quartz ETA F06.111 movement. The SW200 has been a staple in the watch industry for years, and despite its reliability, this power unit is starting to show its age with a 38-hour power reserve and a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Nevertheless, Delma does adorn this particular SW200 with a beautiful gold signature rotor. Like the SW200, the ETA F06.111 is a well-known workhorse in the world of luxury watches, with a simple and sturdy three-jewel construction featuring brass main plates and bridges. Accuracy is also high by quartz standards, with the manufacturer claiming a deviation of +10/-10 seconds per year.
The Delma Cayman Field series is available with three additional strap options. Of the three, the khaki canvas strap is undoubtedly the most field-oriented, giving the Cayman Field a distinctly military flair. For those seeking something more water-resistant, the Cayman Field can also be paired with a signature black rubber strap or a polished Milanese mesh bracelet.
Combining the durability of dive watches with the legibility of field watches, the Delma Cayman Field offers versatile and beautiful tool watches for a wide range of conditions. The Delma Cayman Field series is now available from authorized dealers at a starting recommended price of $650 USD for the quartz models and $1100 USD for the automatic variants. For more detailed information, visit the brand's website.