FLAGSHIP 40

Axios Watches is proud to present the second act, the Flagship - A renaissance of the vintage dive watch.

A truly excellent watch tells a story, and the story of the Flagship finds its spirit in the man of Horatio Nelson, Vice Admiral of the British Royal Navy. As a commander, Lord Nelson was a brilliant naval strategist and best known for his decisive role in the Battle of Trafalgar in October of 1805.

Etched onto the caseback of each Flagship is the HMS Victory, the last flagship of Lord Nelson as he sailed into battle against Napoleon's larger naval force. Upon suggestion that another ship should lead the line into battle, Lord Nelson refused. And when asked to cover the stars on his uniform to hide his rank, he said "In honour I gained them, in honour I will die with them."

Lord Nelson's fleet won that battle in a decisive victory, but he would perish in that fight. As he laid dying below deck from his wounds, his last words were "Thank God I have done my duty...God and country."

Duty & Purpose

There is a joy that comes from duty, excellence and purpose.

A true sports watch needs to be reliable and sturdy - our foremost thoughts when designing the Flagship. The case is built with 316L stainless steel while both box crystal and bezel feature the extremely hard sapphire glass. The screwed down crown is pressure tested for up to a 200m depth rating.

The Flagship was designed for duty.

A Class Above

Holding on to an ideal, until the end.

Though robustly built, we did not want the Flagship to be thoughtless and severe. Contrasting polished and brushed finishes give the Flagship a refinement not usually seen in dive watches. Neatly chamfered edges run in tune with the coin-edge bezel, and a deliberately thin case profile with the accompanying beads of rice steel bracelet adds dimension.

On the dial, applied indices lie on a sunburst surface - a combination amplified by the 3D-effect of the sapphire box crystal with inner anti-reflective coating.

Nelson's flagship, the HMS Victory moors proudly on the caseback, high polished where appropriate.

A Light in Dark Times

"England expects that every man will do his duty."
-Horatio Nelson's flag signal at Trafalgar

Rectangular applied indices of the Flagship commemorate the flag signals hoisted on the Victory at Trafalgar. Generous application of C3 X1 Superluminova on the primary lume plots with blue BGW9 accompanying make for a distinguishable array in the dark.