Nautage Diver II: what does its owner think?

Nautage Diver II was launched in 2025 as the second generation of Nautage’s automatic dive watch, created by a young Danish brand founded in Copenhagen by two brothers. It takes up the idea of a modern, simple, robust diver, but with a more accomplished execution than the Diver I: bead-blasted 316L steel case, 41mm diameter, 49mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thickness, 22mm lug width, flat sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating, screw-down crown, screw-down exhibition caseback, 200-metre water resistance, 120-click unidirectional bezel, Swiss BGW9 Super-LumiNova, integrated vulcanized NBR rubber strap, and Japanese Miyota 9039 automatic movement customized with a Nautage rotor.

The Diver II is positioned as an everyday tool watch, sporty, legible, and accessible, with a very Nordic identity based on clean lines and direct functionality.

Danish design: modern diver, clean lines, and everyday tool

The Nautage Diver II clearly belongs to the dive-watch tradition, but it does not try to imitate one specific historical icon. Its design favours a contemporary reading: bead-blasted case, taut shapes, contrasting dial, functional bezel, and integrated rubber strap. The brand claims a Danish approach, with simple lines, a certain visual restraint, and priority given to use. This philosophy is felt in the watch, which avoids unnecessary decorative effects to focus on legibility, robustness, and comfort. In this logic, Scandinavian design first serves function, rather than turning the watch into an overly demonstrative style exercise.

The Diver II is presented by Nautage as an evolution of the Diver I. This means the model does not start from nothing: it takes up a base already identified by the community, then refines the details to offer a more mature piece. The bead-blasted case brings a matte texture, less shiny than polished steel and more coherent with a watch designed for sport, leisure, and work. The visual result is deliberately utilitarian, but not brutal. On this watch, the bead-blasted finish gives immediate technical character, while limiting reflections and reinforcing the impression of a solid object.

The dial remains focused on the essentials: hours, minutes, and seconds, with no date. This absence of a window is an important choice, because the Miyota 9039 is a true no-date movement, avoiding the ghost crown position sometimes found when brands use a date calibre while simply removing the aperture. Reading gains balance, and setting becomes simpler after a period of inactivity. The markers and hands receive BGW9 Super-LumiNova, known for its bluish tone and good visibility in darkness. In use, the no-date dial reinforces the purity of the tool watch, removing any secondary information that could disturb symmetry.

The collection also plays on a contrast logic between a light or black case, a black, blue, or green bezel, and a coloured strap. Bead-blasted steel versions keep a more classical presence, while black versions with DLC treatment appear more tactical and modern. This choice lets the Diver II cover several temperaments without changing its main characteristics. For the wearer, bezel colour becomes the first personality choice, because it immediately changes the perception of the watch while keeping the same functional DNA.

41mm case: bead-blasted steel, DLC, and 200 metres

The case measures 41mm in diameter, 49mm lug-to-lug, and 12mm thick. These proportions place the Diver II in a highly legible category, quite present but still controlled for an automatic dive watch. The 49mm lug-to-lug measurement should nevertheless be considered on smaller wrists, because this figure influences comfort far more than diameter alone. The 12mm thickness remains reasonable for a 200-metre watch, especially with an exhibition caseback. In practice, the 41mm, 49mm, and 12mm relationship creates a solid but still everyday watch, provided the strap is correctly adjusted.

Bead-blasted 316L steel is the shared material for the main versions. This is a logical choice for a tool watch: 316L steel is widely used in watchmaking for corrosion resistance, ease of maintenance, and overall strength. Bead blasting gives a matte surface more discreet than mirror polishing and reinforces the technical appearance of the object. On black versions, Nautage adds a DLC coating, or Diamond Like Coating, intended to improve resistance to scratches and marks. Within this range, DLC makes the black versions more assertive and utilitarian, even though violent impacts should always be avoided.

The screw-down crown is engraved with the Nautage logo and directly contributes to the 200-metre water resistance. Nautage also mentions a double-membrane system allowing this level of water resistance to be reached. For an accessible dive watch, this is reassuring, because it allows genuine aquatic use if the crown is properly closed and the seals are maintained. The Diver II is not only a dive-style watch: it has a technical base coherent with that use. In real life, the screw-down crown is one of the most important safety elements.

The screw-down exhibition caseback shows the Miyota 9039 movement and the specific Nautage rotor. This is an interesting choice for a diver, because many tool watches favour a solid back to maximize the professional impression. Here, the brand chooses to add a visible mechanical dimension without renouncing the stated water resistance. The back keeps a minimalist engraving and reveals the Japanese movement, strengthening the relationship with mechanics. For an owner, the exhibition caseback adds discreet pleasure, especially in a watch whose dial remains deliberately simple and functional.

Bezel, sapphire, and lume: the fundamentals of a diver

The 120-click unidirectional bezel is one of the Diver II’s essential functional elements. It allows elapsed time to be measured, notably thanks to traditional zero-to-fifteen-minute markings. Unidirectional operation corresponds to dive-watch heritage: if the bezel moves accidentally, it should only indicate a longer elapsed time, which is a safety logic. Even outside diving, this bezel remains practical day to day for timing cooking, a walk, exercise, or a meeting. On this model, the 120-click bezel brings genuine immediate usefulness.

Bezel inserts vary depending on the version. Some configurations use a steel insert with DLC coating, while others use a coloured ceramic insert, notably blue or green depending on the variant. Ceramic brings better scratch resistance and a more contemporary appearance; DLC-coated steel gives a more matte, industrial reading, more coherent with the bead-blasted case. The choice is therefore both aesthetic and practical. Within the collection, bezel material influences perceived durability, but also the way the watch catches light.

The flat sapphire crystal receives internal anti-reflective coating. This solution is highly coherent for a modern tool watch: sapphire resists everyday scratches better than mineral glass, while internal coating improves reading without exposing an outer layer to friction. The choice of a flat crystal also reinforces the Diver II’s restraint. It avoids the strongly retro effect of a domed sapphire and suits the case’s clean geometry. In use, the flat sapphire favours direct and robust reading, suited to a watch designed to be worn without excessive caution.

Swiss BGW9 Super-LumiNova is used on the dial to improve legibility in low light. This is central for a diver, even though many users will mostly wear the Diver II in the city, at work, or during leisure. Good lume makes the watch more useful at night, while travelling, or in a dark room, but it also contributes to the visual pleasure of a dive watch. The strength of this model is that legibility is not treated as a secondary detail. In this architecture, BGW9 links dive-watch style to real function.

Miyota 9039: no-date automatic, 42 hours, and custom rotor

The Miyota 9039 movement belongs to the Japanese manufacturer’s Premium series. It is especially suited to a no-date watch because it avoids the ghost crown position sometimes found when brands use a date calibre and simply remove the window. This technical coherence matters for user experience: the crown directly serves winding and time setting, with no unnecessary step. Inside the Diver II, the Miyota 9039 reinforces the simplicity of the concept, in harmony with a clean dial and a use-oriented dive watch.

The general specifications of the Miyota 9039 indicate a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, 24 jewels, and a power reserve of more than 42 hours. This architecture gives a relatively smooth seconds motion and convenient autonomy for a watch worn regularly. The reserve will not necessarily allow the watch to rest for an entire weekend without stopping, but the absence of a date makes restarting quick. For an enthusiast owning several watches, the more-than-42-hour reserve remains easy to manage, especially on a diver with no calendar complication.

Nautage customizes the movement with a specific rotor visible through the exhibition caseback. This customization does not turn the calibre into an in-house movement, but it gives the watch a clearer identity and shows that the brand wants to create a complete object, even in the part not visible on the wrist. The Miyota 9039 remains a pragmatic choice: robust, known, relatively easy to service, and suited to a microbrand. In this logic, the custom rotor adds emotion without unnecessarily complicating the mechanics.

Maintenance should remain coherent with real use. A Diver II worn in water will require periodic water-resistance testing, especially after shocks or several years of wear. The automatic movement should be serviced when accuracy, amplitude, or winding performance justify it. The screw-down crown must be handled carefully, without forcing the thread, and always screwed back before water exposure. Over the long term, the simplicity of the Miyota supports maintenance, which is very important for an accessible tool watch designed to be used often.

Timeline landmarks and main models (2019-2026)

(2019) Nautage First sketches :

Nautage states that the brand’s first ideas began to be sketched in 2019 by two brothers in Copenhagen. This matters for understanding the spirit of the Diver II: the brand does not present itself as a historical house, but as an independent microbrand born from an interest in design, watches, and entrepreneurship. This origin directly influences the products: small batches, community listening, social media presence, and the desire to offer a functional watch at a controlled price. In this history, microbrand culture explains proximity with users, but also the attention paid to visible details such as straps, colour variants, and direct communication.

(2022) Nautage Diver I:

The Diver I forms the conceptual base on which the Diver II is built. Nautage presents the Diver II as a modern evolution of an already successful first model, showing that the new generation is less about changing direction entirely than refining the formula. The Diver I helped establish the fundamentals: automatic dive watch, Danish design, Miyota 9039 movement, 41mm case, and the desire to offer a robust piece for everyday use. The Diver II takes up this logic and makes it more mature. In the brand chronology, the Diver I serves as the functional starting point, while the Diver II brings more variants and finishing options.

(2025) Nautage Diver II Silver/Black:

The Diver II Silver/Black represents the most classical and legible expression of the second generation. The bead-blasted 316L steel case keeps its natural metallic tone, while the black bezel gives very direct contrast. This combination recalls the archetype of the modern diver: dark dial, clear markers, functional bezel, and rubber strap. It carries the Miyota 9039 automatic movement, flat sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, exhibition caseback, 200-metre water resistance, and integrated vulcanized NBR rubber strap. Within the range, Silver/Black is the most timeless version, the one best suited to those wanting an efficient, restrained, easy-wearing Diver II.

(2025) Nautage Diver II Silver/Blue:

The Diver II Silver/Blue keeps the bead-blasted steel case, but replaces the black bezel with a blue bezel, which strongly softens the perception of the watch. Blue brings a more nautical, brighter, more summery dimension without making the piece overly colourful. This version remains highly coherent for a dive watch, as blue naturally evokes water, travel, and leisure. The main characteristics remain identical: 41mm, 49mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thickness, Miyota 9039, BGW9, flat sapphire, and 200 metres. For everyday use, Silver/Blue offers the best compromise between tool and freshness.

(2025) Nautage Diver II Silver/Green:

The Diver II Silver/Green offers a more original reading of the steel version. Green brings a more contemporary tone, less expected than black or blue, while remaining associated enough with the outdoor universe not to feel merely decorative. This configuration suits someone seeking a microbrand diver with genuine visual personality, without moving to the black DLC case. It keeps the same technical base: bead-blasted 316L steel, flat sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, exhibition caseback, Miyota 9039, 120-click unidirectional bezel, BGW9 Super-LumiNova, and integrated strap. Within the family, Silver/Green is the most natural and adventurous version.

(2025) Nautage Diver II Black/Black:

The Diver II Black/Black adopts the darkest and most tactical identity in the collection. The case receives a DLC treatment, while the black bezel reinforces the monolithic effect. This version highlights marker and hand legibility more strongly, because the contrast between the dark dial and luminous material becomes central. It may appeal to those wanting a colour-discreet diver with strong style presence. The technical base remains that of the Diver II: 41 x 49 x 12mm, Miyota 9039, flat sapphire, screw-down crown, exhibition back, BGW9, 200 metres, and integrated rubber strap. Within the range, the Nautage Diver II Black/Black is the most understated and utilitarian version.

(2025) Nautage Diver II Black/Blue:

The Diver II Black/Blue combines the black DLC case with a blue ceramic bezel according to the official sheet consulted. This pairing is especially interesting because it mixes a very dark tactical base with a more nautical and expressive colour. The watch feels less radical than a Black/Black, but more modern than a classic steel version. It keeps the same essential elements: Miyota 9039 automatic movement, 41 x 49 x 12mm dimensions, 22mm lug width, exhibition back, screw-down crown, BGW9 Super-LumiNova, integrated NBR strap, and 200-metre water resistance. Within the collection, Black/Blue is the most contrasted and contemporary version.

(2025) Nautage Diver II Black/Green:

The Diver II Black/Green pushes the adventure spirit further by combining the black DLC case with a green bezel. The result appears more outdoor, more assertive, almost more military in imagination, without losing the simplicity of the dial. It will suit those wanting a dive watch different from usual configurations, but still usable daily. Like the other versions, it offers a 41mm case, 49mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thickness, Miyota 9039, flat sapphire, screw-down crown, exhibition caseback, 120-click bezel, and 200-metre water resistance. Within the range, Black/Green is the most assertive and adventurous version.

Conclusion

The Nautage Diver II is a very solid proposition in the world of microbrand dive watches: it brings together clean Danish design, a bead-blasted 316L steel case, DLC versions, 200-metre water resistance, flat sapphire, 120-click unidirectional bezel, strong BGW9 lume, integrated rubber strap, and a no-date Miyota 9039 movement. It does not try to revolutionize the dive watch, but to offer a clear, coherent, well-equipped, easy-wearing formula. The choice will mainly come down to the natural feel of steel, the tactical character of DLC, and black, blue, or green bezels.

To compare this presentation with real wrist presence, strap comfort, and owner experience, consult Dialicious customer reviews.

(Updated August 2026)