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Annapolis
·First things first, you can see the entire collection and get additional specs, pics, and a video of the microadjust clasp here on RZE's own site.
The Basics:
- Solid Titanium with UltraHex™ Coating (up to ~1200Hv hardness - 8x harder than stainless steel)
- Seiko-manufactured NH38A(No-Date) Automatic Movement
- 40hr power reserve
-Made in Singapore - their site includes some interesting brand history
- 200m water resistance
- 120-click dive bezel with lumed pip
- Screw-down crown
- Applied indices with 2-color Superluminova
- Sapphire Crystal with inner AR coating
- Solid Titanium bracelet with on-the-fly quick adjust clasp and quick release springbars)
- Screw-down solid titanium caseback
- 40.5mm case diameter
- 12.5mm thick
- 46mm lug-to-lug
- 20mm lug-spacing (bracelet tapers to 16mm at the clasp)
- 110g weight with bracelet and all links (about 100 as I wear it on my 6.75" wrist)
- Price as pictured, on the bracelet: $579 USD
My Thoughts:
I've been after a titanium watch for a while now, both because I think they're cool and I've never owned one, and because I'm contemplating a "collection" built around the concept of materials. (I already have steel, white gold, rose/yellow gold, and plastic/electronic covered.) I was considering an Omega for this--the electric blue Seamaster--and might still go that route eventually, but when I stumbled upon this option, I was hooked pretty quickly. I like that it's a watch I can wear as a true "beater," and have been doing so for about a week now.
It's a tool-ish, industrial-looking watch: not a polished surface to be found, and the coated titanium is very matte, as is the -textured "azure" blue dial. (I wanted something fun and summery.) The bezel is also titanium, and the action is what you'd expect at this price-point: tactile, "clicky," and a bit resistant, but also precise with no discernible play, and easy to grip. The branded screw-down crown has little wobble to it (which has been a problem for me with other micro-brand watches), and winding is easy and smooth. The Seiko-based movement keeps superb time: a rough estimate, but I'd say about minus 3 seconds a day. (Better than some of the Omegas I've owned! The NH38A isn't rated for that, but my watch seems to have been well regulated.)
The dial is simplicity: no date, just a three-hander, with white lumed hands and applied indices that glow brightly in green and blue (which you can see to full effect on RZEs site, linked above): I'd say it's downright impressive how legible the watch is in the dark, and the lume glows all night. The dial has a subtle, pebbly texture, but nothing that calls attention to itself, and there is minimal dial text, which is what I prefer. The solid titanium caseback is also nice and plain: just some basic branding and spec info around the circumference, but, like a Rolex, mostly a blank canvas for engraving.
The simple H-link-style bracelet is the show-stealer for me, as it eschews the oyster style that most dive watches emulate: it's masculine, practical, and has a nice taper (that I wish Omegas had). The clasp, which is also titanium (though I gather earlier versions used steel here) is phenomenal: thin, lightweight, but offering a very easy-to-use on-the-fly microadjust system that puts much more expensive watches to shame. Add to this the fact that it's got a straightforward quick-release system built in, for easy strap changes, and it's about as good as any bracelet I've handled. (The case also has drilled lugs, so even if you swap in a strap without quick-release, getting it off will be no problem.)
The watch is right-sized: about 40mm for the case, but with short, angled lugs, it's only 46mm across the wrist, so it wears beautifully--I'd say it could even work as a unisex option. At 12.5mm thick, it reminds me a bit of the 3rd-gen Seamaster diver: just right.
Design-wise, there are some thoughtful touches, including a slight protrusion on the case side opposite the crown, which offers some symmetry for the crown guards (sort of reminiscent of what Patek does with its sports watches), and the anglings of the case and lugs, while (again) industrial--reminding me a bit of the Tesla pickup truck--seem original and totally appropriate to the piece.
If I have a gripe, it's with the way the bracelet is assembled. I was able to size it just fine, but I wish there were more screwed links for those who might need a smaller size: I believe it could be sized down to 6.5", but perhaps no further than that. (I suppose that those with very small wrists would just have to get it on the strap.) Also, even though I was careful, I managed to strip the head on one of the screws and cannot remove it now, which tells me that they're using a less-than-amazing material there.
As for the wearing experience these past several days: the coated titanium does indeed seem to be scratch-resistant. (Not that I've been deliberately testing that, but I have accidentally tested it once or twice.) And the watch is feather-light to me: like so light you forget you have it on, and you kind of can't believe the mismatch between how heavy it looks and how light it feels. (This may be exaggerated for me by the fact that I normally wear a watch that weighs 270 grams.) In that regard, it really does feel like a go-anywhere-do-anything daily tool watch: tough as hell, accurate, simple, and easy, adjustable, and comfortable to wear.
Quite feature-rich, I'd say!---and a lot of watch for under $600! Shipping (from Singapore via DHL) was fast---ordered on a Thursday, had it here in the states the next Monday. This all sounds like a paid advertisement: I can assure you it's not--I have no incentive to promote this watch or this brand, and had never even heard of these guys before last week. But a good product deserves a good review! I'll try to remember to post an update after a few more months of wearing.
The Basics:
- Solid Titanium with UltraHex™ Coating (up to ~1200Hv hardness - 8x harder than stainless steel)
- Seiko-manufactured NH38A(No-Date) Automatic Movement
- 40hr power reserve
-Made in Singapore - their site includes some interesting brand history
- 200m water resistance
- 120-click dive bezel with lumed pip
- Screw-down crown
- Applied indices with 2-color Superluminova
- Sapphire Crystal with inner AR coating
- Solid Titanium bracelet with on-the-fly quick adjust clasp and quick release springbars)
- Screw-down solid titanium caseback
- 40.5mm case diameter
- 12.5mm thick
- 46mm lug-to-lug
- 20mm lug-spacing (bracelet tapers to 16mm at the clasp)
- 110g weight with bracelet and all links (about 100 as I wear it on my 6.75" wrist)
- Price as pictured, on the bracelet: $579 USD
My Thoughts:
I've been after a titanium watch for a while now, both because I think they're cool and I've never owned one, and because I'm contemplating a "collection" built around the concept of materials. (I already have steel, white gold, rose/yellow gold, and plastic/electronic covered.) I was considering an Omega for this--the electric blue Seamaster--and might still go that route eventually, but when I stumbled upon this option, I was hooked pretty quickly. I like that it's a watch I can wear as a true "beater," and have been doing so for about a week now.
It's a tool-ish, industrial-looking watch: not a polished surface to be found, and the coated titanium is very matte, as is the -textured "azure" blue dial. (I wanted something fun and summery.) The bezel is also titanium, and the action is what you'd expect at this price-point: tactile, "clicky," and a bit resistant, but also precise with no discernible play, and easy to grip. The branded screw-down crown has little wobble to it (which has been a problem for me with other micro-brand watches), and winding is easy and smooth. The Seiko-based movement keeps superb time: a rough estimate, but I'd say about minus 3 seconds a day. (Better than some of the Omegas I've owned! The NH38A isn't rated for that, but my watch seems to have been well regulated.)
The dial is simplicity: no date, just a three-hander, with white lumed hands and applied indices that glow brightly in green and blue (which you can see to full effect on RZEs site, linked above): I'd say it's downright impressive how legible the watch is in the dark, and the lume glows all night. The dial has a subtle, pebbly texture, but nothing that calls attention to itself, and there is minimal dial text, which is what I prefer. The solid titanium caseback is also nice and plain: just some basic branding and spec info around the circumference, but, like a Rolex, mostly a blank canvas for engraving.
The simple H-link-style bracelet is the show-stealer for me, as it eschews the oyster style that most dive watches emulate: it's masculine, practical, and has a nice taper (that I wish Omegas had). The clasp, which is also titanium (though I gather earlier versions used steel here) is phenomenal: thin, lightweight, but offering a very easy-to-use on-the-fly microadjust system that puts much more expensive watches to shame. Add to this the fact that it's got a straightforward quick-release system built in, for easy strap changes, and it's about as good as any bracelet I've handled. (The case also has drilled lugs, so even if you swap in a strap without quick-release, getting it off will be no problem.)
The watch is right-sized: about 40mm for the case, but with short, angled lugs, it's only 46mm across the wrist, so it wears beautifully--I'd say it could even work as a unisex option. At 12.5mm thick, it reminds me a bit of the 3rd-gen Seamaster diver: just right.
Design-wise, there are some thoughtful touches, including a slight protrusion on the case side opposite the crown, which offers some symmetry for the crown guards (sort of reminiscent of what Patek does with its sports watches), and the anglings of the case and lugs, while (again) industrial--reminding me a bit of the Tesla pickup truck--seem original and totally appropriate to the piece.
If I have a gripe, it's with the way the bracelet is assembled. I was able to size it just fine, but I wish there were more screwed links for those who might need a smaller size: I believe it could be sized down to 6.5", but perhaps no further than that. (I suppose that those with very small wrists would just have to get it on the strap.) Also, even though I was careful, I managed to strip the head on one of the screws and cannot remove it now, which tells me that they're using a less-than-amazing material there.
As for the wearing experience these past several days: the coated titanium does indeed seem to be scratch-resistant. (Not that I've been deliberately testing that, but I have accidentally tested it once or twice.) And the watch is feather-light to me: like so light you forget you have it on, and you kind of can't believe the mismatch between how heavy it looks and how light it feels. (This may be exaggerated for me by the fact that I normally wear a watch that weighs 270 grams.) In that regard, it really does feel like a go-anywhere-do-anything daily tool watch: tough as hell, accurate, simple, and easy, adjustable, and comfortable to wear.
Quite feature-rich, I'd say!---and a lot of watch for under $600! Shipping (from Singapore via DHL) was fast---ordered on a Thursday, had it here in the states the next Monday. This all sounds like a paid advertisement: I can assure you it's not--I have no incentive to promote this watch or this brand, and had never even heard of these guys before last week. But a good product deserves a good review! I'll try to remember to post an update after a few more months of wearing.
