Introducing: The New Sherpa Ultradive Moon and Ultradive Sun

The Sherpa was a model name in the Ultrasonic series by the Enicar watch company, created to honour the “indefatigable Sherpas” who played a vital role in the 1956 Swiss Expedition to Mount Everest and Lhotse. The expedition, led by Albert Eggler, was equipped with Enicar Ultrasonic watches for timekeeping. The Sherpas, carrying heavy loads of equipment through harsh winds and storms, demonstrated unwavering reliability. The watches, too, endured extreme conditions and inspired the Sherpas series, marked with exceptional quality and robustness. Enicar promoted numerous watch models using the name, compressor-style diving watches included. These Sherpa watches from the 1950s-1960s, once popular, have since become coveted collector’s items.

In 2019, Martin Klocke, an engineer from Germany and Enicar enthusiast, revived the Sherpa name (Enicar name is owned by the Hong Kong company, used as Enicar of Switzerland and has little to do with the watchmaker´s former glory), beginning with the Ultradive and OPS compressor models. Updated in design and functionality to satisfy the modern clientele, these reimagined Sherpas, with all components produced and assembled in Germany and Switzerland, got noticed. Now, two new models, the Ultradive Moon and Ultradive Sun, described by the brand as a “fusion between a robust dive watch and an elegant dress watch“, have been added to the collection.

The Ultradive Moon and Ultradive Sun share characteristics with the original Ultradive model we reviewed last year, the main distinction being their new dial colours. Both models come in a polished stainless steel case measuring 40mm in diameter and 13.5mm thick, with the glassbox-style sapphire crystal. They feature two compressor crowns – one at 2 o’clock for operating the inner bi-directional rotating ring, featuring a minute scale and marked with a triangle coated in Super-LumiNova Grade X1, and another crown at 4 o’clock for winding and setting. The compressor crown system is said to be derived from past Ervin Piquerez SA (EPSA) designs and manufactured by Sherpa Watches. The crowns are fluted and sit well protected by the guard. Both watches have an EPSA-STOP compressor bayonet caseback and boast 200m of water resistance.

The Ultradive Sun features a domed dial with a sunray-brushed finish and a rose gold coating, giving it a nice “salmon” hue. The faceted, baton-style indices are applied and painted black, with larger markers at the cardinal positions accented with Super-LumiNova on their outer tips. The thinner indices also have Super-LumiNova at their ends near the dial’s centre. This design extends to the faceted, diamond-cut hour and minute hands; the “double lollipop” seconds hand carries luminous dots, all to ensure excellent visibility. The date window at 3 o’clock is well-integrated and does not appear obtrusive.

The Ultradive Moon shares these same features but showcases a dial with a galvanic silver treatment. New dial colours, along with minor design tweaks—like removing the orange line from the inner ring and changing the coating on the rim of the domed sapphire crystal from black to chrome—make a noticeable difference in the overall aesthetic of the new Ultradive Sun and Moon. Compared to the earlier Ultradive, new models now boast a refined, even sophisticated look while maintaining the reliability and functionality of dive watches.

The Sherpa Ultradive Sun and Ultradive Moon are powered by the “Mantramatic” MM01 movement, a top-grade Sellita SW200-1 automatic, with two of the wheels microscopically laser-engraved with a traditional Tibetan Buddhist mantra of Om Mani Peme Hung, often found on Tibetan prayer wheels. The movement with a gilt finish and custom rotor operates at 28,800 vibrations/hour and offers 38 hours of power reserve.

Ultradive Sun and Ultradive Moon are worn on a black or white tropic-style vulcanised rubber strap and come packaged in a double watch travel roll made of the finest Italian leather. The price is EUR 6,500 for the Ultradive Moon and EUR 6,600 for the Ultradive Sun; the brand donates a percentage of every watch sold to a good cause in the Sherpa area of Nepal. For more, visit sherpawatches.com.