Limited to 100 pieces, the 40 mm dive watch that is water‑resistant to 300 metres has a luxurious quality without hampering its purpose and durability. It features a corrosion‑resistant, non‑magnetic and hypoallergenic Grade 5 titanium case that houses a shock‑resistant ASE 200 movement made specially for Atelier Holgur by Swiss manufacturer Schwarz Etienne. The automatic movement is skeletonised and elegantly finished with sandblasted and hand‑polished bevelled edges, and can be admired through the watch’s sapphire crystal caseback.

To increase its legibility underwater, the black dial of the watch is contrasted with bright white accents. The hour and minute hands, indices and small seconds indication at six o’clock are applied with three‑dimensional Super‑LumiNova, while the black DLC‑coated unidirectional bezel features a count‑up scale that incorporates Super‑LumiNova.

As to whether the Frømand is De Bakker personified, the frequent diver says: “Absolutely—version 1.0, because there are things that we can continue to work on. But it’s everything that I’ve wanted from a dive watch. What we were looking to do from the very beginning was [to] create really interesting and exciting watches from a horology perspective, but also watches that you don’t have to baby and can instead really enjoy, go on adventures and build memories with. And with that, it was also about making sure that we take care of the environment—the planet that we’re living and working on—in whatever way we can.”

Both Simonen‑Andersen and De Bakker are passionate about conservation, particularly in protecting marine life, and have made it a key objective of Atelier Holgur. The Frømand, for example, comes with two straps made from recycled ocean plastic and is packaged in a box made from sustainable materials, including cork and bamboo wood. In February last year, Atelier Holgur also partnered with non‑profit organisation Our Singapore Reefs to organise a dive clean‑up, which saw more than 20 volunteers come together to clear 84 kilograms of trash from the waters around Lazarus Island.

“These are small things we’ve done [and] we want to expand on that,” says De Bakker, who also participates in dive clean‑ups on a personal level. “We want to establish partnerships, especially with grassroots non‑profits, that allow us to do more things and have a greater, tangible impact on that conservation front.”

A year after the launch of the Frømand, Atelier Holgur expanded the collection with two more references boasting smoky sunburst dials in two new vibrant colours: Fire Coral and Ocean Emerald. Each of these new Frømand Edition Fumée models is limited to eight numbered pieces.

As for what to expect from a version 2.0 Atelier Holgur watch and beyond, De Bakker shares that he is working on the watch straps as well as on design collaborations, potentially with an independent watchmaker that he counts as one of his heroes. His focus is still the Frømand for now and he says that Atelier Holgur is in no rush to produce other novelties outside of dive watches at the moment.

“We’ve done sketches for other concepts that are not dive watches, like a field watch, which is a little bit sleeker and more elegant, but you can still knock it around, so it still fits into our core of exploration and conservation. But for now, we’re sticking with the dive watch,” says De Bakker. “I think waterproof watches that can go in the ocean will always be a thing for us. I can’t say for sure, but I believe our watches will always have a certain element of ruggedness, whether it’s a dive watch or something else.”

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