Super compressors! A Montres Publiques favourite; the combination of aesthetics and utility make them amazing dive watches…in theory, but where exactly did they come from?
Contrary to popular belief, a double crown doesn’t make a super compressor. The term ‘super compressor’ was patented by Ervin Piquerez S.A. (EPSA) in 1956 as the name of their proprietary dive watch cases. An authentic super compressor has one principle feature, a spring-loaded case back. These springs ‘compress’ the case back against the rear gasket as external water pressure intensifies, effectively increasing the watch’s water resistance the deeper it goes. The second iconic, but non-essential, attribute of super compressors is the double crown; the 2 o’clock crown rotates the internal timing bezel, while the 4 o’clock crown takes care of the rest. This may seem great in theory; why have an outer bezel when an internal one looks so good? Well, try turning that 2 o’clock crown when your hands are wet, or better yet, under water. Not so easy, eh? Still, EPSA made its name selling their cases to just about every watch brand around, stopping only in the 1970s at the advent of the Quartz Attack. Their cases became an icon in the watch world and affirmed EPSA’s legacy as a manufacture. Some super compressors were even used by the military, for example, the Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (a.k.a. the Polish Navy) commissioned an Enicar Super Dive Mark I in the 1960s, and the Royal Australian Navy commissioned a Jacquet Droz super compressor during the same period.
Nowadays, despite their unique functionality, super compressors often find themselves as mere alternatives to the Monday to Thursday desk divers we love to hate. Long gone are the days of diving expeditions and military exercises, casual Fridays are their new domain. Nonetheless, super compressors demand a high premium in the vintage watch market, and given their ever-increasing scarcity, should only continue to appreciate in valuable.
1966 Hamilton Aqua-Date 600 ref. 64040-3