the/gp/chronicles

from/my/collection: Girard-Perregaux Deep Diver 9076C

Diver watches are immensely popular. They are practical, sporty and masculine. A Rolex Submariner can be seen all over the world. However, when it comes to green coloured Diver watches, the selection is getting quite thin. Rolex Kermit and Hulk come to mind and a few others.

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Luckily, there is a great option from Girard-Perregaux, the Deep Diver 9076 C from the end of the 1960s / early 1970s. Unfortunately though, finding a good condition 9076 C green Deep Diver is not an easy game. Not easy at all.

It took me two attempts until I finally had one I’m fully pleased with. The dial has a very special finish of a vertical brush that turns into shiny green with the right angle towards the sunlight, while otherwise the dial appears to be black. That finish seems quite sensitive and many examples I have seen had some damage on that paint.

Great masculine look on the wrist

The case is a C-Shape with 39mm diameter and 20mm between the lugs. Screw-in crown and case back provided for a good water resistance. The rating is not specified, but the Deep Divers started off with 100 Fathoms (600 ft or 180m), so you can assume that the Deep Diver 9076 was at least rated at 180m WR. As with all vintage watches, there is no point putting this to a test.

The Deep Diver 9076 C shines like a green lantern

The Deep Divers since the 2nd generation came with a rotating bezel and the bezel of the 9076 C is green coloured. The dial as already mentioned is actually green with a vertical brush. The look is very clean with long stick indexes painted with tritium lume. At 6,9 and 12, there is a different style of index with a metal square and underneath another tritium square. The hands are also tritium filled, hour and minute hands are just straight while the running seconds has a square lollipop. At 3 o’clock you have a date window.

Most 9076 Deep Divers I have seen had Caliber 42.x inside, but I also seen some with 32.x. Both calibers are essentially identical with the newer 42.x having some minor improvements.

But enough of technical facts. What makes the Girard-Perregaux Deep Diver 9076 C so special? It shines! Especially in the sun, the green comes out. When it comes to vintage watches, the green Deep Diver is one that has a very special place in my collection. Coolness, rarity and character sums it up.

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