Delma Shell Star Black Tag Dive Watch Review

Christos, DIVEIN editor, smiling with the ocean and coastline behind himTorben Lonne
By
Christos
Christos, DIVEIN editor, smiling with the ocean and coastline behind him
Staff writer at DIVEIN.com
Hailing from the island of Cyprus, Christos could swim before he could walk. He found his passion for water sports with scuba diving at 15 and...
Torben Lonne
Editor and Co-founder at DIVEIN.com
Torben traveled to South East Asia for scuba diving and never really stopped his search for new adventures. His affinity for gear that works and his...
Delma Shell Star Black Tag dive watch resting on a wet scuba regulator beside a yellow hose
The blacked out case and orange markers look loud on paper, but next to a first stage and hoses it reads as exactly what it is: a watch sized for gear, not for a shirt cuff.
Our tester wearing the Delma Shell Star Black Tag while holding wet black dive gear in one hand
Neoprene eats wrist room fast. The rubber strap still had length in reserve over a wetsuit sleeve, which is where plenty of dive watches quietly run out.
Close-up of the Delma Shell Star Black Tag on our tester's wrist over a black wetsuit sleeve
Up close the applied indices and the crisp minute track are what separate this from a fashion watch with a spinning bezel bolted on top.
DIVEIN tester finning through blue water in full scuba gear with a black dive watch on the wrist
Legibility underwater has nothing to do with lume charts. You get one glance mid dive, and either the dial answers or it does not.
Our tester's wrist and dive watch above a sunken wreck with a second diver in the blue above
Wreck dives are where a bezel earns its money. Ambient light drops, colour drains away, and everything on the dial has to still work in blue.
Delma dive watch on our tester's outstretched wrist against open blue water
Open blue with no reference point is the hardest legibility test a dive watch gets. Contrast, not branding, decides whether you can read it.
DIVEIN tester gripping a regulator second stage with the Delma Shell Star Black Tag on the wrist
Kitting up is the honest test of case height. Nothing on this watch snagged hoses or the second stage while we handled the reg with a gloved sleeve.

The Delma Shell Star Black Tag is an automatic professional diver’s watch that features a helium valve and has a stainless steel coated case with a black rubber strap. With only 500 pieces ever made, this model is a limited edition piece.

About this review

To help you find a Dive Watch that will fit your needs, we’ve tested, researched, and reviewed the best ones available today.
We test both in the water, diving in various conditions - and in our lab - so we can give you accurate answers on quality, performance, and the overall value.

Read about our test of Dive Watchs

Recommended in: Dive Watch

Things we like:

  • High quality and resilient
  • It feels solid and looks like a professional’s timepiece
  • Bezel turns without protest, like a well-oiled machine
  • Water resistant to 50 ATM
  • Multifunctional and unique features
  • Iconic limited edition watch
  • Affordable for a limited edition swiss made diving watch

Things we don't like:

  • Lower power reserve of 38 hours

Relaunched with modern technology, this 1975 model is one of the most proficient professional diving watches on the market, an exemplary timepiece that serves as the flagship model for Delma’s series of diving watches

Made in the center of the Swiss watchmaking region in Lengnau, the Delma Shell Star Black Tag watch is a professional diving watch that is water-resistant to 500 meters/ 1650 feet or 50 atmospheres.

Features

Close-up of the Delma Shell Star Black Tag on our tester's wrist over a black wetsuit sleeve
Up close the applied indices and the crisp minute track are what separate this from a fashion watch with a spinning bezel bolted on top.
  • Power reserve of 38 hours and frequency of 28’800 A/h
    The bracelet is made out of solid, black genuine rubber material
  • Black anodized aluminum unidirectional diver bezel and sapphire crystal with AR coating
  • Functions include date and time, helium valve and unidirectional diver bezel

Our tester wearing the Delma Shell Star Black Tag while holding wet black dive gear in one hand
Neoprene eats wrist room fast. The rubber strap still had length in reserve over a wetsuit sleeve, which is where plenty of dive watches quietly run out.

The Shell Star Black Tag is beautifully designed with its iconic orange indexes and comes in two different color options. It is available with a monochrome black dial or vibrant orange dial to suit your stylistic needs. The dial is clean and extremely easy to read with highlighted luminescent hour markers and luminescent hour and minute hands and an orange seconds hand.

While the second hand can be heard in the silence of the night from its resting place on a night stand, it’s not a disturbing tic, tic, tic sound. It’s a small consideration, but a pleasant realization nonetheless.

This diver’s watch exceeds the standard ISO 6425 for professional diving watches and is equipped with a screw down crown that guarantees resistance to humidity and water over the long term. This watch is also protected from damage caused by expanding helium molecules that leads to internal overpressure. This is thanks to an integrated helium valve that allows for these molecules to escape.


Do we recommend it?

Delma Shell Star Black Tag dive watch resting on a wet scuba regulator beside a yellow hose
The blacked out case and orange markers look loud on paper, but next to a first stage and hoses it reads as exactly what it is: a watch sized for gear, not for a shirt cuff.

We definitely recommend the Delma Shell Star Black Tag for professional divers who want an exceptional dive watch for an affordable price. This watch is a limited edition diving watch that has been constructed to last a long time making it a perfect investment for professional diving.

This dive watch is for anybody looking to commit to an investment in their diving career and increase their performance and style above and below the water. It has elegance and masculinity that fits well for any formal function. The Delma Shell Star Black Tag is the perfect accessory for any occasion, especially diving.


Specs & Features

Case and Strap Stainless steel black DLC coated with transparent mineral crystal
Movement ETA 2824 / SW200, Delma custom rotor (Automatic)
Water resistance 50 ATM / 500 m / 1650ft
Size 44mm
Height 13.8mm
Weight 150 gram
Details Helium valve, 38 hour power reserve, aluminium diver bezel
Warranty 2 years international manufacturer's warranty
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