Peren Nera Rogue Hands-On Review

Peren Nera Rogue

The Peren Nera Rogue is quite an attractive watch with a unique dial color, and 200 meters of water resistance and is offered in two distinct versions. The version I have here is the diver, but there is also a Rogue X version, with a stainless 12-hour bezel insert, that can be used to read the dual time. Unfortunately, this brand and I have history, and I just can’t seem to get a perfect watch from them. I go into that in detail in the video above. Still, if you don’t want to watch the video and prefer to read, basically it ended up with a distracting piece of lint or particle, and because this happened (much worse) on a previous model I reviewed a few years ago, it did sour me a little bit on this watch. But, I don’t want to concentrate on this here, so let me push all that aside, and talk about some of the good aspects of this watch, though there is one glaring issue with this watch, besides my bad example.

Specifications:

Diameter: 39mm

Height: 12.80mm

Lug to Lug: 48.80mm 

20mm Lug Width:

191 Grams in Weight

Case: Marine Grade Stainless Steel

Finishing: Bead blasted

Bezel: Steel, Black PVD plated with straight knurling

Bezel Insert: Stainless Steel with one layer of titanium nitride

Functions: Rotating unidirectional 120 clicks

Crown: Screw-down, embossed logo 

Crystal: Scratchproof Flat Sapphire with 3 anti-reflective layers

Case back: Bead blasted Stainless Steel, individual serial number

Lume: BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova®

Water resistance: 200m/660ft

Movement: Swiss Automatic Sellita SW200-1, in-house regulated 

Price $630 USD (Strap) $695 on Bracelet 

https://perenwatches.com/watches-1/nera-rogue

As you can see in the few pics already in this review of the Peren Nera Rogue, this watch is available with a choice of straps. I have two here, the vintage style leather, and a stainless steel bracelet, and there is also a nato strap. Surprisingly, there is no rubber strap option, which I just found odd for a dive watch. But, the bigger issue is not what straps are not offered, it is the bracelet that is offered. I will talk more about the bracelet and strap shortly but know that the case of this watch is bead blasted and the bracelet is brushed steel and as such, they do not match. It doesn’t look horrible and most would have to look close to really see the difference, but for us watch guys that scrutinize everything, this kinda thing just doesn’t fly.

Okay, so we have a bracelet that doesn’t match the case and we have another imperfect review model that is being reviewed, but what about the good? Fortunately, there is actually a lot of good about this Peren Nera Rogue and despite my issues, I am able to still give this piece a fair review, because overall it is a pretty sweet-looking watch. The case comes in at just 39mm, a size I am not overly fond of, even though watches are trending smaller these days, I still prefer something slightly larger. That said, this size works well, and the bezel, insert and dial all seem to be well-balanced nothing feels small to me, especially the dial, and I could see adding this watch to my rotation with no problem.

Speaking of dials, this is quite a groovy dial color. The Peren Blue as it is dubbed has a bluish-green hue, and this dial is matte, with a very light texture on it. Another great feature of this Peren Nera Rogue is the color-matched date wheel. Yes, Peren had the date wheel matched to this specific and unique color, and props are given when it is due, and this definitely deserves major props. I know it might sound like such a small thing to go nuts over, but there are brands that are $3000 that don’t bother to do this, so when I see it on a $600ish watch, especially one with a proprietary color, I make sure to point it out.

The rest of the dial of the Peren Nera Rogue is pretty attractive as well, and as many pointed out on our Instagram page, a very clean and uncluttered dial. Too many brands go crazy with their markers and shapes and designs, massive logos, and walls of text, but as you can see here Peren showed restraint, and even though there is no yellow anywhere else on this watch or dial, that little splash of color for the model name works and was just the right pop needed to stand out and keep it from being monotone. Something else many like is that Swiss-Made marking down at the bottom of the chapter ring. Regardless of the regulations, it is not often you see a Swiss-Made microbrand in the $6-$700 range, so I am sure many will appreciate this.

Bezel action is absolutely superb, and I do not say that lightly. It is so easy to grip, but it turns tightly, yet smoothly, but I would not call it tight or hard to turn. And it has zero play whatsoever, at least in my example, and is just a joy to use. This may be one of the best bezels I have used on a microbrand this year, maybe even any watch I have reviewed this year. Crown action, well, it’s not bad but doesn’t live up to my hype of the bezel, but’s still a pretty large crown, has a good coin edge texture for grip, and screws down with ease, but I don’t get that absolute lock in place feeling that I prefer with crowns.

The movement inside is the new go-to entry-level Swiss Made automatic movement, the Sellita SW200-1. This movement, for now, has basically replaced the ETA 2824 that microbrands use to use for an entry-level piece, but that’s a story most of you know. More interesting, at least to me, is this case back. You may be saying, why, what’s so special? Well, look closer, go ahead and zoom in, and see how the specifications are displayed on the back and also what do if you ever find someone’s Peren Nera Rogue on the bar floor after a busy and crazy night.

So yes, the blasted case is beautiful, but why or how did they mess up the bracelet? I don’t have an answer for that, but that is the deal right now. A brushed bracelet with a blasted case. The bracelet itself is fine, you have seen this EXACT bracelet on countless watches, it’s solid, functional, with friction pins in the links, and has a locking clasp with a few micro-adjust holes for a better fit. The vintage leather strap is nice as well, with good color and feel, but is a little on the short side, especially for someone with a 7 1/2-inch wrist. Smaller wrists shouldn’t have an issue.

On a more positive note, the lume is a nice icy blue BGW9, is applied evenly, and looks very good in the dark, but more importantly, will get you a good few hours of visibility, as I had no problem seeing it 5-6 hours later after I crashed in the bed for the night. I am someone who always wears a watch to sleep, so that is where I rely on lume. When I am in a movie theater or probably any other dark area, I have a phone or car screens, etc that I can see the time on, but in bed, it’s great to have a watch you can glance at quickly with barely open eyes and see the time.

For me, my biggest gripe (besides the lint or particles I can’t seem to escape these days) for the Peren Nera Rogue is obviously the bracelet finish not matching the case. Of course, you could opt to get one on just a strap, but I know many watch guys who want a bracelet or nothing, and many of those same guys have wristwatch OCD, so the mismatch will not sit well with them. If you don’t care or don’t need a bracelet then the rest of the watch is darn nice as I have talked about here. Some have compared it to a Sinn, and I can see that, and do feel it has German dive watch vibes, and overall is a simple, attractive, and relatively slim diver watch, with a great dial color. They just need to blast those bracelets, like right now.

If you liked this review, want to comment about lint or working at a bar and what you really find on the floors, or just to say hello, hit me up in the comment section below. As always, thanks for reading.