Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Kirby Morgan 50th Anniversary Diver’s Watch – 1959–2009
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- 2009
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- steel
- Auction house
- Invaluable auction listings
- Lot
- Lot 71E419F583
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 5, Nations Attic Winter 2026 Diving Into History Auction, Nation's Attic Inc (2026), via Invaluable
- Catalogue title (original)
- Kirby Morgan 50th Anniversary Diver’s Watch – 1959–2009 (English)
View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Invaluable auction listings (lot Lot 71E419F583), this is a wristwatch, dated 2009. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Nation's Attic Inc
A handsome and collectible Kirby Morgan diver's wristwatch commemorating the company's 50th anniversary, 1959–2009. Kirby Morgan is one of the most recognized names in commercial diving, renowned worldwide for its professional diving helmets and underwater breathing equipment. This special anniversary watch features a stainless steel case and matching bracelet, a black dial displaying the Kirby Morgan diving helmet logo, and the commemorative dates 1959–2009. Additional features include luminous hands and hour markers, a rotating diver-style bezel, day-and-date display, and a helium-release valve. The dial is marked KIRBY MORGAN – 1000 METERS – HELIUM-SAFE, while the stainless steel caseback features an engraved Kirby Morgan helmet design. The watch presents very nicely, with light surface scratches and signs of normal wear visible on the stainless steel case, bezel, and bracelet. Its bold styling and distinctive anniversary dial make it an especially appealing piece of Kirby Morgan memorabilia. At the time the photos were taken, this watch was working properly. A great opportunity to acquire an unusual collectible celebrating 50 years of one of the diving industry's most respected names! We want your items to arrive exactly as described, so we ship everything fully insured via FedEx or USPS Priority Mail with a signature required upon delivery. We're happy to ship worldwide, but please keep in mind that international payments must be made via bank wire. For a fast, accurate shipping quote before the auction starts, just email us your postal code and we'll get you a quote.
Historical context
Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.
Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution
Atlas type guide
Dive and water-resistant watches
Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.
Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.
What to look for
- Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
- Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
- Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
- Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.
Dating clues
- Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
- Professional dive watches: from 1953.
- Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Related records
Wristwatches · 1999
'Millennium' co-axial wristwatch by George Daniels and Omega, England, 1999
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 2008
Wristwatch by Breitling?, 2008
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 2008
Wristwatch by Celsior Quartz, 2008
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 2008
Wristwatch possibly by Emporio Armani, 2008
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · c. 1990s
Audemars Piguet Bamboo, c. 1990s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Audemars Piguet Huitieme Perpetual Calendar, ref. 25696PT, c. 1990
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Breitling Chronomat, ref. b13050.1, c. 1990
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Cartier Pasha, ref. 2412, c. 1990
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva