Introducing: French Brand BND Gives You All The Vintage Diver Vibes At An Affordable Price

What We Know

A no-frills, solid value proposition diver is a must-have in any collection. You can have the brand-new Submariners, Seamasters, Black Bays, and more, but sometimes you need something you can just knock around with abandon, and use without compromising durability or aesthetics. But it’s hard to get right while balancing vintage inspiration without looking like an homage. Vincent Bonnaud has been slowly iterating on that concept with his brand BND, which is now on its Mk.3 version of the BND diver, and it hits a lot of the right notes at a solid price.

Just like the no-frills approach to the BND, I’ll keep the story short and sweet. Bonnaud took the vowels from his name, leaving BND, which he turned into the name and logo for his brand (reversing the B). The anchor on the dial of the very heavily vintage-inspired release is a clue to Bonnaud’s passion for dive watches, as is the name of the reference “MN” (like Marine Nationale, the French Navy, whose issued watches have become so collectible). The references, MNGRA, MNWHI, and MNKHA, are all named after the color options for the dials (shown above), which are accented by Super-LumiNova in their “Old Radium” hue.

Each series that Bonnaud has done has improved on the last, this time upping water resistance from the Mk.2 (which I own). That means the 39.5mm by 13mm 316L stainless steel case (with a double sapphire crystal) with 47mm lug-to-lug has a more closely screwed-down crown that gives it 300m of water resistance (up from 200m on the Mk.2 and 100m in the Mk.1). The Mk.1 version had a plexiglass crystal, while the Mk.2 ditched that and added lume on the seconds hand. With the addition of the FKM rubber strap, you can see how the little details add up.

Other details include the brushed 120-click unidirectional bezel, which keeps the watch from looking like an homage to a Submariner (as people tend to gravitate toward), and it’s set with Super-LumiNova. The drilled lugs are another nice touch. But otherwise, there are no polished chamfers or anything like that. Just a dive watch powered by a Seiko NH35A automatic movement, with 41 hours of power reserve and a stated accuracy of -5/+10 seconds per day.

The BND Mk.3 divers are available now, shipping in April 2026, and limited to 100 pieces per color. The price is €495 before taxes, or just shy of $600.

What We Think

BND got on my radar, as many things do, thanks to an Instagram post from Auro Montanari. I love the idea of a vintage, tropical diver, but don’t necessarily find them all that practical to wear when I’m reasonably hard on my watches. For the price, it seemed to scratch the itch quite well and, as I’ve said a few times in this story, it wasn’t too on the nose and close to other brands’ historical offerings. That balance is important to me—maybe a topic to use my soapbox on for another time—but for whatever reason, this just works. The sword hands aren’t too Omega, the bezel isn’t too Submariner, and the dial is simple and legible. It’s maybe the goldilocks of affordable vintage-leaning dive watches, and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

The Basics

Brand: BND
Model: MNGRA, MNWHI, MNKHA

Diameter: 39.5mm
Thickness: 13mm
Lug-to-Lug: 47mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Dial Color: White, grey, or olive khaki
Indexes: Printed luminous
Lume: Super-LumiNova “Old Radium”
Water Resistance: 300m
Strap/Bracelet: Sand FKM rubber (125mm and 80mm) with signed pin buckle

The Movement

Caliber: NH35A without date
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds
Power Reserve: 41 hours
Winding: Automatic
Chronometer Certified: No, quoted accuracy of -5/+10 seconds per day
Additional Details: Unidirectional 100 click bezel with luminous material

Pricing & Availability

Price: €495
Availability: Now, shipping April 2026
Limited Edition: 100 pieces of each color

For more, click here.