Join Date: Feb 2008 meijin Location: Atlanta, GA WatchGeeks Owner Posts: 11,847 True WatchGeek Real Name: Michael Important info about SAN III LE Anniversary TTV
Before diving into one of the newest features of the Anniversary Limited Edition of the SAN III that will be offered as a TTV this weekend, I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page as to how special this model of watch is not only within the company, but to Eyal himself. The name Subaqua Noma is important to understand. The Subaqua part is easy. Loosely translated it is "under water". It is the "noma" part that throws people. It actually stands for the first two letters of the first name of each of Eyal's first two children. And then there is "Project ABDA". Some may have seen this engraved on the case back of their SAN III. This is first two letters of the first names of his second set of children. So, obviously, this watch really does have a place in Eyal's heart. The point in telling you all of this is that when it comes to a company that has 1,200 to 1,500 different models in production at one time, it is virtually impossible for one person to be involved in every aspect of every model. However, when it comes to the SAN, this is "Eyal's watch". He is involved in every step because it is a watch that holds a special place in his heart. This is obviously seen in the evolution of the watch over the years. And it is surely seen in the design, materials and release of this anniversary edition of the SAN III. With all of this being said, some of you may have noticed how unique the "mother of pearl" looks in Jim's picture of the new Anniversary Edition of the SAN III. The reaosn that it looks unique is that it is, in fact, not mother of pearl in the sense you are use to seeing it. It is "River Pearl". A new material never before used by Invicta and only used by a handful of other brands in the world. This fresh water mother of pearl comes from a large lake near the city of Shanghai in the Yangtze Delta Plain called Taihu or "Grand Lake". It is the 3rd largest lake of the 5 freshwater lakes that China is known for. The cultivation of this material from the Taihu Lake is strictly controlled with a quota and is heavily supervised. This assures a high level of eco and habitat friendliness. Please keep in mind that it takes a total of 7 years before this material can be harvested and start the special and delicate process of turning them into an Invicta dial. This material is unique in tone, providing a more of a muted marble like finish and are much more unique than "standard" mother of pearl. While the volume of material harvested is controlled, Invicta has the sorting/choice priority where we chose only the best in texture, color, size and uniformity. Additionally, our strict QC over this process ensures that there is