It has to be said that, on the whole, dive computers could never be described as luxurious pieces of jewellery, with the possible exception of the Suunto D9 Titanium.
They are typically functional items of equipment, generally designed to withstand the knocks and bangs they inevitably receive during their day-to-day use.
However, Linde Werdelin, the Danish manufacturer of luxury sports watches and digital sports instruments, has developed what it claims to be the world's first luxury dive computers. Costing a whopping £23,000 for the solid 18-carat gold version, it certainly is no ordinary computer - and even at £1,550 for the regular anodised aluminium model, it's one of the most expensive computers on the market.
Until we can get our hands on one to test - we've been promised a working version by October - we can't comment on whether these prices can be justified (I'm not sure if any watch is worth 23 grand!), but judging by it's appearance, it certainly has style. It has a transflective colour screen, which is a type of LCD where the pixels are illuminated from the front and from behind the monitor's screen, enabling it to work under any light conditions, from complete darkness to bright sunlight. The display is covered with scratch-resistant sapphire, which is second only to diamond in hardness. It can track your dive using a 'three-axis compass' and can present its data in both digital and graphical formats.
Morten Linde, creative designer for Linde Werdelin, said: 'Our goal has always been to create high-quality yet easy-to-use products that provide all the necessary protection, guidance and re-experience information needed when participating in sporting activities without compromising on style.'
The computer uses the Bühlmann algorithm to calculate its decompression model, which is displayed on the 220-by-176-
pixel colour LCD screen. At the heart of the instrument is a high-performance, low-power multiple CPU platform with four buttons and a memory. Using its 2.4GHz wireless network sensor, the software can be upgraded and logs transferred to any compatible PC. The computer is powered by an internal rechargeable lithium ion battery and can run continuously in dive mode for 28 hours or in standby for five days.
alright, i understand gold is expensive stuff but think about it: you're going to put the second hardest substance in the world on the screen then surround it with one of the softest metals????? obviously there is probably more to it than described but for a little more than the price of the Aluminium version you could have a Vr3!!!!!
