TechnoMarine was established in 1997 by Franck DuBarry, a French advertising executive. He was not, at that time, an experienced watch-making professional, but he saw a niche in the market that wasn't being filled. He developed what he called a "vacation watch," which fell halfway between luxury watches and fun fashion watches. His first design, the Raft, was priced at $250. This chronograph on a transparent plastic strap sold 50,000 models in the first year. In 1999, DuBarry shocked the industry even further by combining plastic with diamonds in the TechnoDiamond line. These watches put a diamond-paved bezel on a diving watch with a gel strap, and 150,000 models were sold. Since the company's beginnings, they have now used more than 300,000 carats of diamonds. The Maori line, the Nitrox and the Chrono Ceramique are newer concepts for TechnoMarine. The Maori watches are striking in appearance. Their triangular face is covered with a tribal tattoo design. In the Maori, the tattoo design is etched with diamonds. The Maori Medium and Maori Medium Full Pave have diamonds on the case as well, and all three styles come with a black rubber strap. The Nitrox is a digital dive watch in a titanium case. The Chrono Ceramique is a ladies' chronograph with a ceramic case and band. Both the Chrono and the Chrono Diamond come in black, white, pink and aqua, and the Chrono Diamond also comes in lavender. |
