Company name: Dievas
Website: http://www.dievaswatches.com
Email: info@dieavaswatches.com
Company History:
Dievas Watch Company (pronounced “D-Ah-Vas”) is an independent horology manufacturer producing high quality timepieces in limited quantities exclusively for watch connoisseurs worldwide. Since the company’s conception in 2006, Dievas Watch Company has forged an astute reputation amongst watch collectors and enthusiasts alike for their spectacular good looks, reliability, innovation and exceptional value. Bringing together a modest group of young, vibrant designers with a few carefully selected, accomplished and experienced watchmakers, the company has succeed in molding a cohesive blueprint that is culpable for current and impending Dievas watch collections that not only illustrate striking originality but also embellishing classic lines, reminiscent of specific historical vintage watches. Complying with stringent code of quality control, all Dievas watches are all hand assembled in clean rooms using the finest materials: blemish-free watchcases, premium sapphire crystals, reputable swiss mechanical and automatic movements, SuperLuminova, high quality watch hands, fully machined steel bracelets among others. Additionally as testament to our on-going commitment to bring fresh, exciting watches to watch collectors, a substantial part of our resources is centralized around research and development, adapting and implementing cutting age manufacturing techniques and materials for watch making purposes. Some of the aforementioned include, scratch resistant ceramics, Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition(PACVD) coatings for improved wear and tear protection, top-of-the-range Swiss GTLS (Gaseous Tritium Light Sources) which tremendously enhance visibility in the dark. Concurrently, there are ongoing evaluations of in-house movement refinishing, case hardening, macro bezel mechanics advancements and radical watchmaking solutions with regards to design and metallurgy. Collaborating directly with military personnel, field operatives as well as watch aficionados, acknowledging their constructive recommendations into our designs, we only produce watches that work in the real world. By keeping production numbers low allow us to actively monitor each part of the production process . We are determined to administer a most rewarding experience for our clientele by paying close attention to the smallest of details. Renowned for our impeccable customer service, our enthusiastic and knowledgeable service staff is on hand to provide prompt technical and sales enquiries regarding current and updates on impending watch projects. Each and every single Dievas watch is built with passion and dedication as customer satisfaction is our core constituent. The company proudly stands behind every watch wearing the DIEVAS mark, if there is a problem rest assured we will make it right.
Watch Model: Maya
Technical Specs:
movement: Swiss made Dievas modified ETA 2824-2 auto
dial: matte black
lume: BGW9 superLuminova
case: micro-blasted Dievas 6steel
crown: 8mm screw down crown
bezel: uni directional Dievas 6steel
crystal: 4.5mm thick scratch resistant sapphire crystal with AR coating
strap: anti static Italian Caoutchouc rubber strap with genuine alligator leather insert. G10 Nato military strap also included.
water resistant: 1888m/6000 ft? (Dial states 1888m but the case back states 1000m?)
dimensions: 45mm, 56mm L2L, 16.5mm thick
power reserve: 42 hours
price: $1990.00
Packaging:
The watch comes in a nice cardboard packaging with an outer box and an inner box that contains the watch, extra Nato strap, strap changing tool. The tray with the strap and strap changing tool, lifts up and underneath is the manual, warranty card. Overall it’s a very nice package. Simple yet very stylish. When I was unpack aging everything, the first thing I noticed about the watch when I lifted it out was how heavy it is. It feels like a tank, but in a good way guys. Reminds me of the new battery commercial with Chuck Liddell, where he is getting attacked from all angles while holding onto the battery. This watch feels like it could handle that sort of attack. And quite frankly, I know the case design can handle it.
The case:
Yes that’s a tank, and yes this case is built like a freakin tank. Everything on the outside of this watch is Dievas 6 steel. Which basically means it’s 6x stronger than stainless steel, boosting the scratch resistance considerably. From the Dievas website ” Dievas together with one of the Europe’s most established materials engineering company, partner to implement 6Steel hardening to watchmaking. For around 20 days, the steel will undergo high tech heating procedures that will amplify the hardness of the watchcase to 1300Hv, approximately 6 times the hardness of stainless steel. This greatly improves scratch and abrasion resistance. This process is executed to every part including the crown and caseback.” The case has that nice bead blasted finish to it, which gives it a more toolish watch finish rather than that bling bling look. I’m partial to tool watches/dive watches as apposed to dress watches. There’s a helium release valve on the side of the case at the 9 o’clock marker. Which releases pressure when diving so that your watch case doesn’t blow apart under the pressure. Enough of me blabbing, here’s some pics.
The Crown:
The 8mm crown is very easy to grip and unscrew. I would have liked to see the crown signed with something, like a “D” for Dievas or “M” for Maya. The crown has a lot of play in it when it’s fully unscrewed, more play than I’m used to from other watches I have experienced in the past. What I really like about the crown is how it resembles a gear/cog, gives it a really cool rugged feel/look.
The Bezel:
The bezel is a 60 click uni-directional ratcheting bezel that features metallic numerals and markers. I would have preferred numbers and markers coated in lume personally, though the metallic looks really nice when it catches the light. There is a faux pearl in the triangle at 12 which always makes me hesitant on a tool watch, because that’s one thing that can take a hit and fall out. The bezel has some play in it which my OCD qualities is very nit-picky about. I prefer a tight bezel that has very little to no play in it. The edges of the bezel make it extremely easy to grip, even with gloves on it is easy to operate just like the crown. If your all thumbs like myself, you still will have no problem gripping this thing. Another thing worth noting is how nice the bezel sits on the case, there are no gaps at all. This is another area I always look at on my watches, and the Maya passes with flying colors. It’s probably the best fitting bezel I have reviewed in terms of no gaps between the bezel and case.
The Strap:
The strap is something I’ve personally have never seen before. It’s a combination of a rubber diver strap and genuine alligator leather. It has that delis ions vanilla scent to it that makes you want to chew on the strap when you are hungry. From Dievas “Strapped onto MAYA is a unique alligator leather and rubber combination (first of its kind). This will give the watch access to outdoor adventures and dinner galas. First a design is envisioned. A genuine Italian rubber mould is fabricated with cavity ready for leather transplant. The prefect alligator leather piece is chosen and cut into exact mm dimensions before meticulously hand stitched onto the rubber. Done by an artisan, no fray stitches anywhere. All straps are handmade with material sourced and made in Italy.” The strap is well made from what I can tell my looking at it at first glance. It’s an interesting combination for sure, but over time is going to put the durability aspect to the true test. The buckle is a signed Dievas 6steel tang style buckle, easy to operate. I would have loved to see this watch come with a nice Dievas 6steel bracelet with rugged, chunky links. It would have really set this watch onto another level all together. The strap is held in place by screw in pins that are quite hard to unscrew on the first few strap changes you do. I would tape around the lugs before you change the strap to protect against scratches.
The Dial:
The dial is a beautiful matte black and according to Dievas the dial is made of a special material that completes the seal of the faraday cage(more about that in the watch movement section. The dial is not over crowded or overly busy. At the ’12’ marker there is an arrow which nicely matches with the tip of the second hand. There are numerals at the 3,6, and 9 spots on the dial which also have corresponding black squares at those marker spots. At the other hour marker spots are lumed rectangles which I really like. The hands are my favorite part of the watch, they are nice and fat and coated with lume. There’s nothing more that I hate on a large tool watch when they are fitted with small, wimpy hands. A tough,rugged watch needs to have a corresponding dial and hands. From the Dievas website: the MAYA’s watch dial and hands are coated with Grade A Swiss SuperLuminova glow pigment, the best in the industry. Multiple layers are applied for visibility in low light environment. In between the 4 & 5 hour markers, is the date window. What I really like about this location is that there still are hour markers for the 4 & 5. The date is printed in red which nicely matches the printed Maya 1888m. Dievas antimagnetic is also printed on the dial, but small enough it doesn’t intrude, but adds a nice balance to the dial. It’s a beautiful dial, it’s what initially attracted me to the Maya.
The Crystal:
The Maya’s crystal is a real beauty without a doubt in my mind. It’s 4.5mm thick domed scratch resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and it is so nice that it almost looks transparent at times. I’m a huge fan of domed crystals, and such a fan of this crystal. It reminds me of The Legion of Doom’s secret hideout. It’s easy to read even when in murky water.
The Lume:
The lume is nice and bright after limited exposure to a light source and it glows all night long. I’m a little confused on the lume application. When you look at the watch in normal light everything looks like it’s coated evenly, but when you are in the dark it’s a different story. Now, I don’t know if this is done on purpose or not, I think it was done on purpose and I will explain why. Given the name of the watch, the Maya, when I look at the lume application it looks like an old cave drawing. Take a look at the pic below and tell me what you think?
Wrist shots for reference my wrist is 7 3/4″
The Movement:
The movement is a real reliable workhorse, it’s armed with the ETA 2824-2. There’s a lot more to the movement which makes this a real tool watch. Underneath the tank of a case, is even more rugged, toolish secrets. According to Dievas, Another significant attribute of the 6Steel MAYA is its anti-magnetic feature. The watch case is designed to include a faraday cage. This meant that the watch movement is completely encased in a separate compartment made out of a highly permeable material(soft iron). Even the watch dial is made of a special material to complete the perfect sealant. Fully operational, the soft iron chamber shields the movement from electric fields by distributing static and magnetic radiation only along its exterior while canceling out electric charges or radiation within its interior, good for protection up to 1000 gauss or 80,000 A/m. This is almost 17 times more than a standard issued Anti-Magnetic watch rated to DIN 8309 (Deutsche Industrie Norm – German Industry Norm) standards. Armed with this feature, the MAYA will continue to operate flawlessly if one needs work done in a high radiation environment even to the extent of a nuclear uranium enrichment facility.
Ticking away in the heart of the watch is the ever so reliable and proven Dievas/Swiss automatic 28,000bhp mechanical automatic movement, ETA2824-2, modded to Dievas specifications which includes better watch parts and a Dievas custom DLC-treated CNC rotor. Each watch is adjusted to its maximum efficiency for the most accurate time telling by our experienced watchmakers.
Summary:
Summary and overall thoughts, how do I like this watch? Do I like this watch? My short answer is yes. I like this watch. It wears heavy like I like my watches to wear. I like to know that I have a watch on my wrist, but it’s not too heavy where I feel the weight constantly and I’m aware of it. I wore the watch all day, and it’s very comfortable. It’s a tough watch, that’s has a great presence on the watch. It feels like it can take any challenge with ease and with it’s build it surely can. I’m not gentle on my watches and the Maya is built to take some abuse. Under the hood is a reliable movement that has been tried and tested and proven to arise to the challenge.
pros-case is top quality and extremely durable, Dievas 6steel scratch resistance, which is perfect for outdoor activities.
-dial is super easy to read.
-lume is nice and bright and lasts all night.
-reliable movement.
cons- if I’m going to be nit-picky, little to much play in the bezel. Should come with a Dievas 6steel bracelet, and the overall price can scare off potential buyers.
Closing-if you are looking for a tough, no nonsense tool watch that can handle almost anything you can put it through, then the Maya may be the watch your looking for. The customer service at Dievas is top notch and the communication is excellent with quick response time. Dievas has a real winner here with the Maya, which I think is a major contender with such companies as Sinn. The Maya can stand toe to toe with the Sinn U series IMHO. A special thank you to Dievas for the amazing opportunity to review the watch.
Thanks for reading!
UPDATE: after a week with the Maya, it is truly an awesome, technically advance watch. The case is a true work of art. It is so well built, I can’t find a single flaw. I would rank the case design right up there with Breitling and Tudor. I really love this watch. In the week, I gained about 15 seconds, the watch has been in every possible position. This watch is tough, kick ass and take names tough!
Update number 2: this things is tough as nails. It is definitely the perfect substitute for a Sinn U series watch. I would rank this on par with Sinn. DIEVAS has a winner right here. It’s still only lost 10 seconds since this review was posted.
