Hello everyone, and welcome to another Singaporean article! On this shiok Saturday, I’m pleased to introduce the latest offering from Singaporean watch microbrand, Reverie.
I’ve previously covered the brand story of Reverie in my review of the Reverie GT here. That was more than two years ago, and the brand finally has a new watch to unveil – the Reverie Diver, pictured above. It’s the brand’s first dive/sports watch offering, a stark departure from their previous offerings which were all dress watches. It’s currently live on Kickstarter here. There has been no shortage of dive watches on Kickstarter recently – the Martenero Belgrano, Spectre Time Frostbite, Audric SeaBorne are just a few that I’ve covered in the past month! Can the Reverie Diver stand out in such a crowded field? Let’s take a look.
Reverie Diver
Let’s start by discussing the specifications.
Firstly, sapphire crystal is utilised on the Reverie Diver. As you guys know, I’m a huge fan of sapphire crystal because of its scratch-resistant properties, which significantly enhances the durability of a watch. Reverie states that anti-reflective coating has been applied on the underside of the crystal, so you don’t have to worry about nasty reflections affecting legibility. Being a dive watch, the Reverie Diver boasts a WR rating of 20 ATM, so you should have no issues wearing this in the pool/shower.
A marked improvement over their previous offerings, the premium Miyota 9039 movement is used in the Reverie Diver. It has 42 hours power reserve, a hacking seconds function and beats at 28,800 bph. I’m a big fan of the Miyota 9 series movement – it’s a step up from the rather pedestrian 8 series, and more affordable than its ETa/Sellita/STP counterparts. The 9039 movement is a slim one too, and it allows the Reverie Diver to come in at just 11mm thick despite having an exhibition caseback and an external rotating bezel. That makes the Reverie Diver one of the thinnest dive watches at its price point – it’s even slimmer than the lauded Tudor Black Bay 58! In addition, I must highlight the engraved rotor of the movement. According to Reverie, the graceful Japanese ‘Seigaiha’ pattern (i.e. “blue sea and waves”) is engraved on the rotor as a tribute to the movement’s Japanese roots and the watch’s aquatic theme. At a price point where most microbrands simply engrave their logo on the rotor (if at all), the Reverie Diver goes above and beyond in the decoration department. Kudos to them!
According to Reverie, the bracelet has: (A) a 6mm taper from lug to buckle which minimises weight and improves comfort; (B) micro-adjustments which allows the user to extend/shorten the bracelet by up to 11mm on the go (a rare feature at this price point and a real treat during summer); and (C) tool-less removal so user can change straps without a tool. The brand stresses that the bracelet has been engineered for the utmost comfort and convenience. As I don’t have a production model with me at the moment, I’m unable to personally comment in this regard.
Interestingly, two types of Super-LumiNova are used on the Reverie Diver. BGW9 (blue) is used on the hands, while C3 (green) is utilised on the hour markers and bezel marker. Again, I can’t comment on the strength of the lume without interacting with a production model, but I find the juxtaposition of the blue BGW9 against the green C3 intriguing.
Like the previous Reverie watches, the Diver also features a guilloche dial. It’s a trademark of the brand, an aesthetic staple on all their watches. Here, the guilloche pattern is more subtle than previously, with a wave-like pattern. I must say, I think that it’s a handsome dial. I love the juxtaposition of textures – there’s guilloche, brushed, and matte elements, and they combine terrifically together in a way that balances visual interest with legibility. The skeletonised broad sword hands are intriguing as well, and definitely makes a statement on the dial.
Again, it’s hard to comment without having a production model, but I must say that the Reverie Diver looks well finished. Various finishing techniques are present on the watch, such as polished finishing on the bevelled edges of the case, circular brushing on the steel bezel, and straight-line brushing on the case and bracelet. I love the way the crown is signed as well, with the stylized “R” – a very nice touch.
If you fancy the Reverie Diver, you will be delighted to know that it comes in three different colourways. My favourite has to be the blue. Not only is it (in my opinion) the most versatile, I simply adore the usage of different shades of blue on the dial. There’s four different shade of blue – it reminds me of Impressionist art, how artists like Monet would often use different shades of the same colour to compose a painting. It’s a blue dial with nuance, and I personally love it.
There’s also a green variant, which seems to be the trendiest option out of the three. Green is the new black in the horological world nowadays, with almost every major watch company – and microbrand – offering a green dial variant. If you love strikingly coloured dials, this is certainly the option for you. I’m personally not a big fan of green dials, but the emerald tone of this variant looks quite dope, for the lack of a better word.
Lastly, there’s also a grey option! It’s certainly the most subdued out of the three colour variants available. Reverie calls it “a sleeper hit”, and in a sense I agree with the brand. I think it’s going to be the least popular choice, but those that do opt for it are likely to be very pleased with their decision. It’s like a silver dial Datejust – nothing fancy, just gets the job done. For those that prefer their watches not to be ostentatious, the grey would be the smart choice.
As the icing on the cake, the Reverie Diver will also come with a leather travel roll that fits four watches! If you’re a frequent traveller, or go to watch GTGs often, the watch roll will be immensely useful. Overall, I think the Reverie Diver is a great deal at its current Kickstarter price of $325 USD/ ~S$459. Most dive watches at this price range use the Seiko NH35 movement – the Reverie Diver uses the superior Miyota 9039 movement in comparison. It also has a captivating dial, looks to be well-finished, and is astoundingly slim at just 11mm. Honestly, if you like smaller, thinner dive watches, the Reverie Diver is your best bet at this price point. To me, it’s the perfect affordable alternative to the Tudor Black Bay 58. It’s been a long time since Reverie has announced a new watch, but it looks like the wait was worth it.
Back the Reverie Diver on Kickstarter here.
Specifications:
•316L stainless steel case. 40mm diameter, 43mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thickness and 20mm lug-width. Comes with a display case back and 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel.
• Engraved Miyota 9039 movement. Japanese automatic movement with a 42 hours power reserve, hacking seconds function and high frequency of 28,800 per hour.
• Guilloché dial with 3 color choices. A double-layer dial with our signature guilloché effect. At least 3 colours will be offered: (1) navy; (2) olive green; and (3) warm grey. We are also considering a burgundy option.
• 2 types of Super-LumiNova. BGW9 (blue) on the hands and C3 (green) on the hour markers and bezel marker.
• Sapphire crystal. AR-coating provided on the underside to minimise glare.
• Screw-down crown and 20ATM water resistance.
• Adjustable tapered bracelet. The brushed stainless steel bracelet includes: (1) a 6mm taper; (2) micro-adjustability of up to 11mm extension on-the-go; and (3) tool-less removal design allowing easy swapping of straps.
• Additional EPDM rubber strap with tang buckle. 20mm wide and tapers down to 18mm, with the same tool-less removal design as the bracelet.
• Limited edition. Limited edition of 125 pieces per colour with each watch’s number engraved on the case-back. Like all other Reverie collections, we do not reproduce any designs once they are sold out.
• Leather travel roll. Each watch comes with a leather travel roll which fits up to 4 watches.
• Free worldwide shipping.
• 2-year international repair warranty.
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wahsoshiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.S.S.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
