103 40mm Stainless Steel Case
Rotary Regent Special Edition
Rotary has released a new version of the Regent, and these funky new models are dubbed the Rotary Regent Special Edition. The previous model I reviewed, was a more classical looking watch, a dressier piece and this new PVD version with vibrant colors definitely skews more sporty or casual. The case, crown, and movement ultimately stay the same for the most part, but now adds a 24 hour subdial and comes on a faux alligator strap with color matching backing. Pricing is roughly the same as well, $10 more than the original model, $479.
Specifications:
40mm Stainless Steel Case
12MM Thick
48mm Lug to Lug
Weight: 95 Grams
Sapphire Crystal
100m Water Resistant
Miyota 8217 Movement
Price $479
https://www.rotarywatches.com/regent
The Rotary Regent Special Edition is an online exclusive for Rotary watches, meaning you can only buy the PVD versions on their website currently. There is a stainless version, only one color way, which is yellow, and that one should be available at other retailers. The PVD models do have a yellow version also, as well as this lime or florescent green and a red accented dial. I chose this green model as it just appealed to me the most, and felt like a nice summer watch with a good pop of color, though the same could probably be said about the yellow.
If you bought the original Rotary Regent or one of the many other versions they have, again, this is pretty much the same watch, though now it uses the Miyota 8217 movement that is the newer version that allows the movement to hack when pulling the crown, and gives the 24 hour indicator, which also has the green accented colors. It’s a nice look for this piece, but I wish the movement had been upgraded, especially when we are talking about a watch that is almost $500.
The case has the same finishing as previous models, brushed on top of the bezel and case, with the sides of both being very high polished. With the original models, or any of the stainless versions, this is a nice contrast and works for this style of watch. With this black PVD coated model, I am not in love with it. The vertical brushing on the case looks fantastic, but the high polished ultra black gloss sides can look a little tacky and they are of course finger print magnets. The crown, much like the previous model is still not a screw down, though it doesn’t need to be, but more importantly is still not signed or engraved, and that is a little bit of a letdown. It just looks generic.
The dial is the highlight here, with the applied markers still present, the matte black dial and the vibrant green accent colors, this dial really pops and stands out. Some more color could have been used, like maybe the date frame could have been that lime green, or all the text on the dial in the green color, but Rotary did show restraint and I like it better this way, as it could have easily gone over the top.
With all that is going on, the wall of text, the date, the 24 hour dial, you would think the dial would feel busy, especially considering this is a small dial in only a 40mm case, but it all seems to work together, and I don’t find it busy nor is it difficult to tell the time.
Unlike the previous version I reviewed, this Rotary Regent Special Edition comes on a faux alligator leather strap with matching green leather backing. It is real leather, just not real alligator, this is only a pattern for those who are wondering but it does look very good and it seemed to break in only a few hours. Unfortuanly, if you are someone that likes to switch straps often, this is not the watch for you. Only straps and bracelets made specifically for the Regent will work due to the lug integration. You do have drilled lugs to easily remove the strap and I do wish they used black spring bars for these cases as it is a little off putting seeing the stainless spring bars peeking out of the case.
The strap itself though is very nice like I said and though the green leather backing doesn’t 100% match the dial color, it is close enough and I like how it looks. That said, only you the wearer knows the strap has a green backing, and possibly some green leather keepers or green stitching on the front side of the strap would have been good to see, give it a little more pop of color and make it stand out just a little bit more.
Shown on 7 1/2 inch wrist
This Rotary Regent Special Edition isn’t really a refresh as much as a few new color options, and I do wish they had upgraded the movement, but at least they did add another complication to the dial to differentiate it from their other models, and I have to admit the watch wears well, has a good look with the colors of the dial and strap and is a fun watch to wear, especially if you are used to wearing diver or pilot style watches all the time and just want something a little bit different.
Obviously the watch is heavily inspired by Gerald Genta designs, as mention in the previous review, and even the name, Regent, seems like they were not hiding this fact, but again, its not a bad piece for what it is, and this lineup seems to be very popular for the British based watch brand. (Watch is produced in China as stated on case back). And as you can see below, the lume isn’t bad either, so all around, this is a fun and attractive watch, even if it doesn’t have the highest spec’d movement or a signed crown.
