Vincent
Introduction
Thanks to work commitments and the chaos that’s been happening around the world lately, I must confess that it has been a while since I last reviewed a watch.
Naturally then, when Sam from Reverie Watches reached out to us, asking if we would be interested in spending some time with their latest offering – the Reverie Diver, I wasted no time to jump at the opportunity.
Now that I have spent about a week with the Diver, I thought I would do a short write-up of my experiences to share with you.
Before I dive (yep, you saw that coming) right into the review, and to give you an idea of what to expect from the Diver, you should probably check out our introductory post here, if you have not done so already.
First impressions
The excitement hit when I put the Diver on for the first time; the sheer joy of having a watch that fits perfectly on my tiny wrist is quite overwhelming! It felt like the kind of joy I experienced as a kid receiving my first Swatch. What sets the Diver apart and takes it further by a mile from that experience, however, is its guilloche dial that is super playful under the sun, along with the brushed and polished finishing of the watch case. I do find the hands unique and one of a kind, with the similarly shaped seconds hand acting as a counterbalance that compliments the overall visual.
The bracelet has a sweet taper that is everything I look for in a vintage-inspired piece. It had me wanting to stick with the bracelet instead of swapping it out with other straps, mainly because of its hidden lugs, sweet glide-lock mechanism, and just how much the bracelet compliments the watch.
Flipping over, the Diver greeted me with an open caseback, decorated with Seigaiha engravings on the Miyota 9039’s rotor. While it is a subtle decorative touch, I find it a little lacklustre in visual impact, yet to others, it may be a bonus for an open caseback diver. Nonetheless, a little detail that counts.
Looking Closer
I noticed a few things which I would love to see improved in the final, production version of the Diver. Turning the prototype’s bezel is a slightly disappointing experience due to the amount of back-play, something which I hope Reverie will resolve in full production.
No doubt, the bracelet’s glide-lock mechanism is a saving grace for when my wrist expands and shrinks along with the very much temperamental Malaysian weather. Probably as a result of the aggressive tapering, however, it proves to be a double-edged sword, as I noticed that a few of the links weren’t quite small enough to fit under the skinny clasp. Several cuts and dings too could be found as a result of the rather aggressive corners and edges cutting into the steel bracelet.
The crown of the Diver is something that I hoped would be slightly larger, though I had no issues with adjustment thanks to its threaded surface. An educated guess would suggest that the crown’s size was probably held back by the case thickness at 11mm. A missed opportunity at that.
I found the choice of case dimensions to be interesting. It measures only about 40mm across and 43mm lug to lug but does look larger than the numbers suggest. Visually, the case is cushion-shaped, somewhat similar to that of the modern Omega Constellation, i.e. aggressively cut off lugs, which exposes the upper, curved side of the case, and gives the appearance of being thicker than it is from the wearer’s visual angle.
Personally, I would like to see a solid caseback instead of a decorated rotor, which brings the question: What could Reverie do with a solid caseback that would better complement the Diver?
Above all, I appreciate the blurring lines between strictly utilitarian divers and dressier pieces. History notwithstanding, this could have been James Bond’s watch for his cocktail parties and hardcore spy missions alike, ambitiously speaking of course.
In my opinion, the Diver unequivocally possesses some of the flair of its higher-end brethren. At a practically rock-bottom asking price of US$350+ via Kickstarter, there is not much room for argument as the Diver definitely packs a punch in terms of paying homage to a classic design language.
Conclusion
With the above said, the Reverie Diver is a dive watch that nicely combines the virtues of function and elegance in a solid package.
A standout for me was its near-perfect size and dimensions for noodle wrists such as mine. There is some room for improvement, many of which can easily be addressed in production models.
I can see this piece fitting into many collections, including mine. In other words, it’s a thumbs up from me!
If you’re keen on securing one for yourself, head over to the Reverie Diver’s Kickstarter page to help fund its production by clicking here; while stock lasts, of course.
For Team Matick,
Vincent
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