There are many pastimes and professions that call for a rugged timepiece - those activities performed at high altitude, in extremely hot or cold temperatures, in close proximity to electrical or magnetic fields, or perhaps merely those which might result in one's watch becoming scraped, scratched, dinged or submersed. As you would expect, the industry provides specialized timepieces for engineers, athletes, pilots, and almost any other sort of vocation you can imagine. There is one style of watch, however, which appears to be most universal in both its usefulness and appeal to those in need of a durable wristwatch and those who collect them. This is the Professional Diver's Watch.
At RGM, the idea of making a dive watch has been germinating for several years. A significant amount of intense thought, market research, and design work culminates in producing the RGM Professional Automatic Diver: Model 300. The Model 300 is a rugged tool watch intended to withstand hazardous duty or extreme environments to which it is exposed. The new RGM diver is water resistant to 2500 feet - thanks to its sturdy construction, 5-mm thick sapphire crystal and double-gasket seals at the crown and case back - and is also anti-magnetic. The traditional combination of a matte black dial with black rotating bezel has been updated with highly luminous hands and dial markings, because legibility under difficult circumstances can be a matter of safety, not just convenience.
The stainless steel case measures 43.2 mm across and has a thickness of just under 16 mm. A large, easily grasped crown screws into the case for extra protection. Housed behind the uniquely decorated case back is a top-quality automatic movement - the industry standard for accuracy and reliability.
Here at RGM we are continuing to uphold the finest traditions of American horology by introducing the Pennsylvania Tourbillon, our new flagship mechanical movement made here in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. The new Pennsylvania Tourbillon is signified by the state’s symbol, a keystone, surrounding a capital T, which will adorn watches in the first serially produced American Tourbillon watches ever made. Following on the heels of America’s first high grade mechanical movement in four decades, our RGM Caliber 801, the Pennsylvania Tourbillon represents significant advances in domestic watchmaking. The watch is not only made in the U.S.A., but is created and built in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania – one of the few traditional watchmaking centers of American watchmaking since the 1800s.
The new model will be produced in a small numbered series, both as a standard model and for custom orders. Housed in a 43 mm x 12 mm case of either steelor 18k gold, the movement is a symphony of layers, showcasing many of the great elements of traditional watchmaking typical of RGM. Finely polished components share space with brushed elements and perlage. Wheel cocks borrow their shape from the RGM 801 and from classic American movements of yesteryear. The spokes of the wheels continue this theme. A 7-tooth click and winding wheels with wolf’s teeth are immersed in plates with subtle striped damaskeening. The movement is made of the finest quality traditional watchmaking materials such as German Silver, Gold, Silver, and Black Polished Steel.> All of these elements are juxtaposed among that which may be the most surprising of all: the label U.S.A. Never before has an American watchmaker introduced a series of Tourbillon wristwatches based upon a proprietary caliber. To do so, and to create them domestically, is an historic accomplishment.
Additional remarkable features of this watch include hand-applied decoration such as guilloché (done on our antique rose engines), an inset hour and minute dial whose placement nicely balances the exposed Tourbillon, and a small curved sapphire window on the side of the case to allow a third view of the miniature ‘whirlwind’, the Pennsylvania Tourbillon’s cage, which is this model’s namesake.