HGP stands for Hommes Grenouilles de Paris, the Frogmen of Paris. From the 1970s through the 1990s, HGP was the Paris dive shop that outfitted individual French Navy Frogmen (Nageurs de Combat) to the city's scuba divers with masks, regulators, knives, and dive watches commissioned from the French and Swiss watchmaking trade. The HGP-signed dial sat on cases produced by Georges Monnin in the Franche-Comté, the same case maker quietly responsible for some of the most recognizable professional diver silhouettes of the 20th century. When the shop closed in the 1990s, the name went dormant. In 2023, HGP returned, rebuilt around the original Monnin case architecture and assembled in France by the team at MNP Solutions Horlogères near Besançon, in the historic cradle of French watchmaking. HGP watches are currently in use by members of the GIGN, French Legionnaires, and other units worldwide.

The SPD Edition is our exclusive collaboration with HGP, refined by PDW for the modern field user. SPD Kraken Trident at twelve, signature orange sweep hand, SPD Kraken Trident logo on the caseback. The Monnin case is the same form factor that has been strapped to the wrists of professional divers, military frogmen, and serious sport divers for fifty years. Now it carries the SPD mark.

The Monnin Case: A Quiet Legend

In the mid-1970s, when Heuer decided to enter the dive watch market without prior experience in waterproof case construction, they outsourced production to a French specialist named Georges Monnin. The case Monnin engineered became one of the most influential dive watch case architectures of the modern era. The same form was adopted under contract by Breitling, Sinn, Aquadive, Zodiac, and HGP, among others. Collectors today refer to it simply as "the Monnin case," one of the few dive watch cases known by its maker's name rather than the brand printed on the dial.

What the Monnin case offers is geometry in service of function: a flat, low-profile midcase that wears smaller than its dimensions suggest, protected crown architecture, and lug geometry that distributes load across the wrist without snag points. It was engineered before marketing departments told watchmakers what divers wanted. It was engineered by people who actually built diving equipment for people who actually dove.

Built for the Modern Field

The SPD x HGP Diver 200M Automatic carries forward what the original HGP did well and removes what fifty years of materials science has made obsolete. Sapphire crystal replaces acrylic. A modern Seiko NH38 automatic movement, hacking seconds, 41-hour power reserve, regulated by HGP's French watchmakers to a tolerance specification tighter than the Seiko factory baseline. Seven layers of Swiss Super-LumiNova on the dial indices. A screw-down crown and screw-down caseback rated to 200 meters / 20 ATM. Assembled by hand in France.

The SPD Edition dial carries the Kraken Trident at twelve in lume-charged Super-LumiNova, the signature SPD orange tip on the sweep seconds hand, and PDW's wordmark engraved on the caseback. The dial layout otherwise honors the original HGP professional dive watch language: jumbo applied indices, pencil hands, no-date for the cleanest reading underwater or in low light.

Special Projects Division

The SPD x HGP Diver 200M Automatic is part of PDW's Special Projects Division, our collaborative line built with watchmakers, knife makers, and tool builders whose standards align with ours. Previous SPD watch collaborations have included the MkII Paradive, the Ares Diver-1 Mission Timer, and the Resco UDT. The HGP collaboration extends that lineage across the Atlantic, bringing one of the most storied dive watch case architectures in European watchmaking into the SPD program. Limited production. Numbered edition.

The SPD x HGP Diver 200M Automatic is a French-assembled mechanical dive watch built on the legendary Monnin case architecture, produced in partnership with HGP (Hommes Grenouilles de Paris) and PDW's Special Projects Division. Heritage case geometry inherited from the golden era of European tool-watch design, paired with modern materials, a Seiko automatic movement, and the SPD Kraken Trident on the dial. Built for divers, EDC, navigators, and explorers who understand that the case design on their wrist is the same one Heuer, Breitling, Sinn, and Aquadive turned to when they needed a diver that worked.

Specifications:

Materials:

Case: Satin and Polished 316L Stainless Steel
Crystal: Flat Sapphire with AR (Anti Reflective) Coating
Caseback: Stainless Steel Signed
Dial: Black Finished Brass with Super-LumiNova
Bezel: Black Aluminum with Super-LumiNova Indices
Strap: SPD Titanium MNPara in Exclusive Stretch Nylon Webbing in OD Green w/Orange Tracer
EWB Compass Kit 2.0: Titanium, Nylon and Oil

Dimensions:

Case Diameter: 42mm
Case Thickness: 13.2mm
Lug to Lug: 47mm
Lug Width: 20mm

Approx. Weight:

Watch-Strap-Wrist Compass: 3.5oz

Features:

Original Monnin Case Architecture, Hand-Finished 316L Stainless Steel
Created from the HGP Commando Diver 200M Baseline
Assembled in France Near Besançon by MNP Solutions Horlogères
Seiko NH38 Non-Date Automatic Movement, Hacking Seconds, 41-Hour Power Reserve, 21,600 BPH
Movement Regulated and Quality-Checked In-House by HGP Watchmakers
Sapphire Crystal With Internal Anti-Reflective Coating
200M / 20 ATM Water Resistance, Screw-Down Crown, Screw-Down Caseback
Unidirectional 60-Click Dive Bezel, Steel Bezel With Aluminum Insert
Seven Layers of Swiss Super-LumiNova C3 on Dial Indices and Bezel Pip
Skeletonized Hands Filled With Super-LumiNova for Full Low-Light Legibility
SPD Kraken Trident at Twelve in Super-LumiNova
Signature SPD Orange Sweep Seconds Hand
SPD Kraken Trident Laser Mark on Caseback
20mm Lug Width, Compatible With All 20mm PDW-SPD Watch Straps
Exclusive SPD X HGP Morale Patch
Comes on Exclusive Colorway of the SPD Ti-FXDS Strap
Includes PDW Expedition Watch Band Compass Kit 2.0
Come in a SPD EDTC and Presentation Grade Kraft Drawer Box

Marks:

SPD Kraken Trident Mark in Covert Gray on Dial
SPD Letter Mark on Dial
SPD Kraken Trident Laser Mark and Wordmark on Caseback

Assembled In:

France
Japanese Movement

Frequently Asked Questions

What does HGP stand for?

HGP stands for Hommes Grenouilles de Paris, which translates as "Frogmen of Paris." HGP was a Paris-based dive equipment shop active from the 1970s through the 1990s that commissioned dive watches under its own name from French and Swiss watchmaking partners. The brand was revived in 2023 by the Wolbrook Watch Company and is now assembled in France near Besançon.

What is a Monnin case and why does it matter?

The Monnin case is a dive watch case architecture engineered in the mid-1970s by French case maker Georges Monnin, originally for Heuer's entry into the dive watch market. The case design proved so capable that it was subsequently adopted under contract by Breitling, Sinn, Aquadive, Zodiac, and HGP, among others. It is one of the few dive watch cases known to collectors by its maker's name rather than the brand printed on the dial. The SPD x HGP Diver 200M uses the original Monnin case architecture.

What movement does the SPD x HGP Diver 200M use?

The watch is powered by a Seiko NH38 non-date automatic movement, a workhorse Japanese mechanical caliber known for reliability and serviceability. It features hacking seconds, hand winding, a 41-hour power reserve, and runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour. Each movement is regulated and quality-checked in-house by HGP's watchmakers in France to a tolerance tighter than the Seiko factory baseline.

Where is the SPD x HGP Diver 200M assembled?

The watch is assembled by hand in France at the MNP Solutions Horlogères workshop in Pierrefontaine-les-Varans, in the Franche-Comté region. This is the historic heartland of French watchmaking, near Besançon. Each watch undergoes individual control, assembly, regulation, and final quality check by trained French watchmakers before shipping.

Is the SPD x HGP Diver 200M suitable for scuba diving?

Yes. The watch is rated to 200 meters / 20 ATM water resistance, with a screw-down crown and screw-down caseback, and a unidirectional 60-click dive bezel for tracking elapsed bottom time. It is suitable for recreational scuba diving, free diving, snorkeling, and any water-based activity. Routine pressure testing every two to three years is recommended for any mechanical dive watch in active use.

How is this watch different from the standard HGP Commando Diver 200M?

The SPD Edition is an exclusive PDW Special Projects Division collaboration. It carries the SPD Kraken Trident at twelve in discreet Covert Gray on the dial, the signature SPD orange sweep seconds hand, and the SPD logo and wordmark engraved on the caseback. Production is limited to the SPD Edition run and the watch is sold exclusively through Prometheus Design Werx.

What straps will fit this watch?

The Diver 200M has a 20mm lug width with quick-release spring bars. It is compatible with all PDW Ti-NATO straps in 20mm, as well as any standard 20mm strap or bracelet. The watch ships with [FILL: strap configuration]. The Expedition Watch Band Compass Kit 2.0 from PDW is compatible with the included strap.

Is this a limited edition?

Yes. The SPD x HGP Diver 200M Automatic is currently a limited production collaboration.

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