There may be many popular trends that claim to be “the new black,” but black will always have a special place in designers’ hearts. The Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Black Surf limited edition watch takes the standard Maxi Marine Diver watch and adds a lot of black. That is it, but it is fun. The black textured dial with the wave patterns easily reminds you of black volcanic sand beaches. There are two styles of the watch, and all of them are done in 18k rose gold for the 42.7mm wide case.

The difference between the two models, if ever so slight, is on the strap. The Maxi Marine Diver uses a special hybrid strap/bracelet design that has two large metal links. On one version the link is in 18k rose gold, and the other version the link is in black to match the rest of the black rubber strap. Ulysse Nardin makes a very attractive bezel and the dial of the watch features large areas of lume for a good level of darkness visibility. It is hard not to like the UN-26 automatic COSC certified movement. It features a nice subsidiary seconds display with integrated date window, as well as a power reserve indicator.

An area where the Black Surf Maxi Marine watch succeeds, is in successfully matching gold with black. The color combination makes for a good duo, but can sometimes be tricky to pull off. The Black Surf Limited Edition will come in just 500 pieces with each watch being individually numbered with a small plate on the side of the watch.