Reverie Diver
The Reverie Diver was released earlier this year through a successful Kickstarter campaign. As usual with most campaigns, there were incentives and early bird prices but even at the current sale price of $395 is quite the value in my opinion. For those not familiar with Reverie, the company started operations in 2014 and is based out of Singapore. Naming it just Diver was not their first choice for their first dive watch, but things move fast and unfortunately, there were some issues with the original model name, and to simplify it and get the campaign up and running, they went with Diver, even if it is a little bit generic. Only 125 pieces of each color are being produced, (blue, silver, green and red), so when it is all sold out, this will be the last of this design. Hopefully, if they do another dive watch in the future, they will have more time to come up with a catchy model name. Naming aside, this watch has a lot to offer for the price with a Miyota 9039 movement, above-average case finishing, a spectacular dial, and comes with both a bracelet and quality rubber strap, as well as a watch roll.
Reverie Diver Specifications:
- 316L Stainless Steel Case with 20ATM WR. 40mm diameter / 43mm lug-to-lug / sub-12mm thin / 20mm lug-width. Brushed and high-polished surfaces with a screw-down crown and 20ATM / 200m water resistance.
- Dive / 12-Hour Bezel Options. 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel included. Choose from a traditional dive bezel (measures elapsed time up to 1 hour) or a 12-hour bezel (tracks time in another time-zone).
- Miyota 9039 Movement. Premium Japanese automatic movement with 42 hours power reserve
- 2 types of Super-LumiNova. BGW9 (blue) on the hands and C3 (green) on the markers aid in reading the time in the dark. Super-LumiNova is the benchmark for the luxury watch industry.
- Sapphire Crystal.
- Adjustable Tapered SS Bracelet.
- Extra Rubber Strap. Tapered rubber strap with a tang buckle and quick-release pin also included.
- Price $395
https://www.reveriewatches.com/store/p24/Diver.html
I have always been a fan of the hooded lug case design. The length of the case is always shorter, allowing a much better fit on all wrist sizes and it also allows for straps to seat much cleaner, as you don’t have to worry about strap gap. The only downside is that thick straps ( in this case, probably anything over 4mm) will not fit, as there is just not enough room inside the lugs. Obviously, this can vary from watch to watch. With this Reverie Diver, I have to say I am very impressed with the case finishing. The top of the case and most of the sides are finely brushed, but there is a big high polished chamfer running on the top edge and sides of the case, adding to the elegant feel. Many divers with this style of case go for the tool watch look, all brushed, which normally I do prefer, but this is meant to be a dress diver of sorts, so it works here. The all brushed stainless steel bezel (12 hours shown here but also available with the standard dive bezel) gives it a ruggedness as well as the knurled screw-down crown and to top it off, the face of the crown is high polished with the R logo. Overall the case design is perfect for this style of watch, not too rugged, not too much high polish, it is a nice balance.
The star of the Reverie Diver for me is the guilloche patterned dial. It does not end with the guilloche section though as I feel the entire dial is quite attractive, clean, and easy to read. Applied indices are always welcome, the text is kept to a bare minimum, the Reverie logo is simple but classic and the oversized sword hour and minute hand are prominent and unique. The shape is familiar, but they are skeletonized hands and wider than what is on most dive watches. I would say my only issue is that they can get lost in the dial ever so slightly at certain angles due to them not being solid hands, but I am not sure they would have the same pizzaz if they were standard filled hands. On this blue dial, both the water-resistance text and the second hand are a nice shade of teal, adding a good contrast of color from the ocean blue dial. Looking at the website, the other color variations are quite nice, but the blue is probably my favorite.
I have stated many times in the past, specifically with microbrands, that less is usually more. What am I talking about? Watch rolls, tools, extra straps, etc. Most of the time, these extras are included to entice you to buy, because you’re are getting more than the competitor who is only selling a case head and a bracelet as an example. The truth is, it is usually the exact opposite as these so-called extras are not of high quality. With the Reverie Diver, I would say this is not true, well not entirely at least. The watch roll is okay, not the best I have seen, but does the job, but the rubber strap is very welcome. This rubber strap is real rubber not silicone, but has a good taper and a decent buckle, and most importantly, feels great on the wrist. This rubber strap feels more like an option rather than an extra and if this diver was sold on only the rubber strap, I think most would (at least those who like straps or do not always need a bracelet) would be very pleased.
The bracelet is one we have seen from a few brands, and while I would have liked some high polished sections, such as chamfer lines on the inner parts of the bracelet would have worked, it is a solid bracelet with a very functional clasp and extension. Both the bracelet and the rubber strap include quick-change pins, something I am normally not a fan of, but both seem to have sturdy pins and springs, especially on the bracelet end links. Speaking of that, the spring pin bars are completely removable on the bracelet, a feature not always seen. Why do I point this out? If they break or you just do not like them, you can easily switch it out to standard spring bars. This is the way all bracelets using a quick change feature should be done.
Another big plus of the Reverie Diver is the Miyota 9039 movement. Now, let me be clear for some that are reading this, there is nothing extraordinary about this movement, but in terms of microbrands and what most have been using lately (Seiko NH35), the no-date version of the Miyota 9015 is a big upgrade, especially considering the sale price of $395. I have seen far too many brands this year using the much cheaper and lower beat Seiko, and truth be told, I am over it. Nothing wrong with that movement as I have always discussed, but at a certain price point. Once you get to $500 or more a different movement should be used. This example has a wave pattern to the rotor-a nice touch, but still a mundane-looking movement and I would personally prefer a solid case back, especially on a dive watch, but it is decent looking I guess. While I am not in love with the look, I am glad they chose this movement over others, and the no date gives the dial a much cleaner and unobtrusive feel.
The regular price of the Reverie Diver is listed at $545, but is currently on sale for $395. With all that if comes with and offers, I do feel this is a great value. Not only that, but it is a very attractive and well put together watch. I would prefer the elapsed time dive bezel over the 12 hour one this was sent with, but either way, both the bezel and crown have a very good feel to them. The lume as you can see below is better than average and uses both C3 and BGW9 for nice color contrast and whether on the bracelet or rubber strap, I find it very comfortable. What more can one want for just shy of $400? Reverie seems to be much slower at producing watches and new models, and I do not consider that a negative. It seems many brands these days are pumping out new models left and right, and while it may be good for sales initially, it usually comes with quality control issues. For those looking for a dive watch that is a little different than the norm, one that can easily be worn dressed up or down, the Reverie Diver is certainly worth a look.
