Pita Barcelona Oceana Watch Hands-On

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed)
Jun 4th 2010 at 12:01PM

I was so happy to get my hands on this watch, but to bad lighting the images I snapped of the very cool Pita Barcelona Oceana timepiece wasn't ideal. So I will have to make due with what I have - I chose the best for this, and the other images in the gallery below. For more details and specs about the Oceana watches, you can refer to one of my previous Luxist articles here, as well as this other article on the Pita Oceana also by me. The 5000 meter water resistant watch become almost mythic for a while because lots of people argued that the unique design of the watch couldn't possibly put up with that type of pressure. Indeed, Pita wanted to make something totally different. A crownless watch that has no gaskets, and is super water resistant. The design is unlike anything else out there. To adjust the time you twist the back plate of the case. The little nubs around the ring help with grip, but also serve another purpose.

When the watch is worn on the wrist, the rubber strap hugs the nubs holding the back plate into place - ensuring that you don't accidentally adjust the time. A really clever little design feature. The construction of the case offers very few places for water to enter, and thus the watch has a gasketless design. A draw back is that the automatic movement does not offer hand-winding - only automatic winding. The movement is a highly modified Swiss ETA 2678, called the Pita-003.

Gallery: Pita Oceana watches

Available in steel (also PVD steel), titanium, gold, and platinum, the watch is 43mm wide. There are actually two versions of the watch - both shown here. One is thinner than the other and has less water resistance. The 5000m version of the Oceana is a thick 21mm, while the thinner version (here with the blue rubber strap) is a few millimeters thinner. People familiar with the much anticipated limited edition are aware that Pita offers a number of customization options (right on their website), when ordering an Oceana. Meaning you can opt for a number of various aesthetic and material choices.

The timepiece has a charming, friendly look to it. Like a tank would look if it was a cartoon, painted orange. It is a beast of a timepiece technically speaking, but had a great design and aesthetic. The dial is very easy to read under the specially made polycarbonate crystal. While the watch is made using some strange techniques, the idea is to make it maintenance free- a lofty, and highly desirable outcome. One thing I was happy to get clarification on when meeting with Pita Barcelona and checking out the watches is the exact operate of the seconds hands / depth meter. The watch has a colorful three-pronged seconds hands in the center of the dial. The colors are cute, but not just for show. In a diving situation the deeper you go, the less colors are able to penetrate the deep water. As you go deeper, certainly colors on the chromatic seconds hands will go away. Thus, you can generally gauge your depth given the colors of the seconds hand. It isn't a super precise system, and you need to educate yourself briefly on which color light wavelengths are able to travel deeper, but it is useful and fun to have. Apparently some people aren't fond of the style of the seconds hand that looks a bit like a pinwheel. Personally, I love it, and think it should be part of the brand DNA. I believe that prices for the Pita Oceana start at about $4,000 bucks. Very good price for a super indie watch maker who does everything by themselves, and for a timepiece of this quality and originality.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: Barcelona, hands-on, Oceana, Pita, pita barcelona watch, review, Spain