The Night Diver is back. Following the release of the updated Swiss made replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 series back in April, we now have an all-black model with an all-lume dial, reprising the famous “Night Diver” watches from the mid-1980s. The “Night Diver” name comes from the Super-LumiNova coated dial- while most dials don’t glow, but have hour-markers that do, the Night Diver flips this around, with the entire dial glowing and only the hour markers staying dark. The idea here is that this is more useful when diving at night, making the watch easier to read.
Also new with the 2021 Night Diver is a freshly designed rubber strap, that is not only available on this watch, but also as an option for the blue and black dial steel 1:1 UK replica watches launched in April- and of course, we have some great live photos to show you what this latest strap actually looks like on the wrist. And while the new strap is a cool addition, it’s the micro-adjustable clasp that steals the show.
While the modern incarnations of the night Diver have been based on the black-case Heuer/ best UK sale fake TAG Heuer Ref. 980.031 (above), there was in fact a full-range of these glow-dial watches back in the 1980s, as you can see from this 1984 Catalogue scan (below). Three of these watches featured a coloured (Black, Khaki and “Pewter”) coating applied via a Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) process, while for the traditionalists there was always a polished stainless steel model. And yes, for new readers it’s important to remember that PVD is not the coating itself, but the method by which the coating is applied.
These 1980s PVD watches are lovely, but oh-so fragile, with the PVD coating wearing quite easily, especially on the links in the bracelet and the folding clasp. But if you find one that has been well-cared for, they are among the most collectible of these Heuer and perfect replica TAG Heuer divers.
And of course, it wouldn’t be right to discuss these early Night Diver watches without also mentioning the watch’s fleeting appearance in the James Bond film The Living Daylights. You can click here to read more about that story.