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Despite consistently being one of the most popular types of timepieces among today’s collectors and enthusiasts, dive watches often feature designs that have been left motionless in an era that occurred decades ago. Rather than looking solely to the past for inspiration, French watch company Neotype approaches design as an evolving creative process with the goal of producing timepieces that participate in the rich traditions of this industry while simultaneously remaining free from any ties to the past that would prohibit it from moving forward with its designs.

The Neotype brand itself is the collaborative project between Jean-Baptiste Mayot and Pierre-Thomas Lambert, who met while sitting on the benches of an Industrial Design school in Paris. Brought together by their shared values and passion for design, cars, fashion, and watches, the pair each built a career in the watch industry — one as a designer and art director, the other in retail and wholesale for luxury manufacturers. After more than 15 years of gathering experience and refining their collective vision, the two decided to launch their own brand that combines their shared passion for watches with their unique expertise from working on different sides of the industry. Neotype’s inaugural model, the LM01 Type D reimagines the classic diver’s watch to create a durable urban tool watch with sleek contemporary lines and an unmistakably function-forward appearance.

The Neotype LM01 Type D is based upon a 40mm stainless steel case that features a mix of smooth curves and sharp edges for a distinctly modern and rounded aesthetic. While the surfaces are sandblasted for an entirely matte appearance, Neotype offers the LM01 Type D in plain stainless steel or with the option of either a black or gold PVD finish. The distinct case extends on either side of the signed 8mm screw-down winding crown to form large guards that provide the LM01 Type D with a bold and tool-like appearance. Sitting on top of the case is a 120-click unidirectional rotating timing bezel that features a unique domed shape, with six small tabs sticking out of the top at the odd-numbered minute markers to offer an enhanced grip during active use. Protecting the dial is a 3.5mm-thick domed sapphire crystal with five layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides, while a solid screw-down stainless steel caseback helps provide the Neotype LM01 Type D with a dive-ready 300 meters of water resistance.

Regardless of the specific metal finish, all three versions of the LM01 Type D are fitted with a finely textured matte-black sandwich-style dial that features a minimalist time-only design for maximum legibility. Long linear batons are positioned at the poles with small circles placed in between them, along with a double baton marker at the 12 o’clock location to help provide a clear indication of the time even in total darkness. Each one of the cut-out indices reveals the lower layer of the sandwich dial, which is finished with Super-LumiNova C1 to offer a brightly glowing display. The time itself is indicated by a trio of centrally mounted baton hands that have a matching matte-black finish and feature Super-LumiNova C1 inserts to offer instantaneous access to the time, even in the darkest of conditions.

Powering the Neotype LM01 Type D is the reliable Miyota 9039 automatic movement, which is essentially the no-date version of the famous and frequently-used Miyota 9015 that can be found inside a number of different watches throughout the industry. In addition to featuring a slightly lower height for the hand stack, the Miyota 9039 also includes a single setting position for the crown to perfectly correspond with the Neotype LM01 Type D’s time-only display. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph and offering users a 42-hour power reserve, the Miyota 9039 offers proven rock-solid performance and can easily be serviced by any watchmaker in the world.

Completing the Neotype LM01 Type D is a black FKM rubber strap that measures 22mm-wide at the location where it connects to the lugs. Fluorocarbon rubber, better known as FKM, is a family of elastomers that are characterized by their superior strength and flexibility. FKM is often regarded as the gold-standard material for rubber watch straps due to the fact that it has been specifically developed to withstand extreme temperatures, along with exposure to both chemicals and UV light without losing its high-performance technical properties. While the black FKM rubber strap makes the perfect option for diving and active use in the water, each Neotype LM01 Type D also comes with a khaki-colored nylon NATO strap with a buckle and loops finished to match the case of the watch.

It’s undeniable that dive watches are one of the most popular types of timepieces, but very few people actually require that their dive watches be purpose-built for scuba diving. Instead, most collectors and enthusiasts are attracted to dive watches for their bold designs, highly legible displays, ample water resistance, and overall durability. The 300 meters of water resistance offered by the LM01 Type D makes it more than capable of diving deep below the waves, but Neotype’s debut model also offers a fresh take on the classic dive watch that is equally capable of thriving both above and below the surface of the ocean. The Neotype LM01 Type D will be available exclusively online via the brand’s website, and it will also feature a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter with special pricing for the first 30 days. Official retail pricing for the LM01 Type D is set to be €730 EUR for the plain steel model, €780 EUR for the black PVD model, and €790 EUR for the version with a gold PVD finish. For more information, please visit the official Neotype website.