Diving into vintage with class - The Reverie Diver

When you think of a dive watch automatically Seiko and Rolex shapes are the ones that come to mind, utilitarian and tool like watches command your thoughts much more than delicate and elegant proportions and to be honest it should be like this because of the ISO certification. Having to design a watch with certain parameters is always going to affect the way it looks, people think that the every dive watch looks like a Rolex Submariner but is not because everyone wants to have the same the look (many do) but because in order to get that certification the restrictions leave little room to wiggle. There is also the argument that dive watches are a tool and not a fashion item, that was true back then when a computer took a whole room and it was impossible to strap it on your wrist for a precise dive but today is today. I came across Reverie at the beginning of the year because there were offering one watch with one of the classiest cases I've seen on a micorbrand, it was named the Classic.

The watch had a shiny cushion case with a guilloche pattern and white dial, it looked incredible and I wanted to dig deeper on what they were offering. To my surprise there was Panda chronograph but also a Diver on the making, and not just a diver but a dressy/full steel diver, I had to try it on. I've reach out to Reverie and they were extremely kind to offer a demo unit se we can have a full hands on with this blue beauty.

The specifications:

I have always been a sucker for 40mm watches, even when the new submariner was announced at 41mm a couple of weeks back I cringed a little, not sure why as I haven't try it on but 40mm just works and this is the size of the Diver from Reverie. A great lug to lug under 43mm and 12mm thickness this watch speaks perfection in my 6.25 inch wrist. When I started to chat with the owner of this Singapore based brand, the list of specs was so overwhelming that I was getting scared of the final price, the watch includes a beautiful stainless steel bezel, sapphire crystal, a solid link metal bracelet ( we will touch this point again) and a dial that is the start of the show. The dial is a deep blue guilloche effect, it has a baby blue accents on seconds hand and lettering giving a great nautical theme, the semi skeletonized hands are very unique and unlike anything else out there, pointy and sharp. The watch has no date (thank you) making it one of the most symmetrical watches I've tried on. The Diver is powered by a Miyota 9039 automatic movement which it can be seen through the back, the wearer will also enjoy a good 42 hours of power reserve and hacking seconds. I am also happy to report at the moment is at 375 USD for pre order, very competitive.

On the wrist:

As per the specifications the watch wears amazing, I attribute this comfort also to the barrel shape case which has no crown guards giving that vintage feeling on a robust piece. We mentioned that the watch is in full steel and these days paired with a unique blue dial you cannot really go wrong, the metal strap makes the Diver extremely refined, with an oyster style clasp including micro adjustment, you will not have a problem finding the right size for you. The watch will be also supplied with a rubber strap and it will be very easy to change as the case has drilled lugs, comfortable and easy. The lug to lug length is also a winning point, compact and thin the watch can be worn in almost every occasion, usually office and causal environments but I cannot wait to take this beauty where it belongs, to the seaside, I dare to say that it reminds me of the 37mm Yachtmaster from Rolex, and that is a good thing. Two types of lume complete the package making it even more visual attractive under the dark.

Conclusion:

There are very few watches that are hard to find, to me an elegant diver is almost unheard of, everyone seems to be fixated on how deep can it go or the ceramic on the bezel but no one really focused on how classy and elegant a diver can be. I believe that Reverie has created something very niche that is hardly offered in the microbrand world today, the built quality and refinement of the watch is so great that it spent most of the week attached to my wrist, as mentioned blue and steel go hand in hand these days and with the Diver you get all the hottest market trends without breaking the bank.

More info at www.reveriewatches.com