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Serket Reef Diver 2.0
Have you been watching older episodes of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives? I mean, like really old episodes. Well, I have, but probably because I was looking for episodes where he was wearing this watch. Well, not exactly this watch, but the original version of it. The Serket Reef Diver 2.0, is a watch that in its original form was released all the way back in 2008. A lot of things have changed since 2008, including this watch, as it’s not exactly the same watch as before. For those not familiar and if you haven’t figured it out already, Serket is one of the OG microbrands in my opinion. Started in 2005/6, back when buying a microbrand was done by only the most hardcore watch enthusiasts. I mean, just think about it. This is before the iPhone, before everyone was buying everything from Amazon before 3,000 other brands thought they could run a watch brand and before most people even knew who Guy Fieri even was.
Specifications:
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Stainless Steel 316L Brushed/Polished
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Diameter 46mm across without crown
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Width from 10 to 4: 47mm
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Width from 8 to 2 including crown: 51mm
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Lug to Lug: 52mm
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Lug width: 24mm
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Total Height: 14mm
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6.5mm diameter screw-down crown
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158 grams on rubberย
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254 grams on Braceletย
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120 Click Unidirectional Bezel
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Flat Sapphire
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Anti-Reflective Coating
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Diameter: 34mm
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Sellita SW200-1 Swiss Automatic Movement with Date at the โ3โ
Price $599
https://serketwatch.com
Why do I keep mentioning Guy Fieri? Well, he is a watch nut and he prominently wore the original Reef Diver for probably a whole season of DDD. But, there’s more to this watch than it used to be worn by some bleached blonde TV show host. At the time when the original model came out, in 2008, large watches, especially in the microbrand space were all the rage, as a matter of fact, I just remember a lot of watches being much bigger than most are now. But this is not just a copy/paste of the original and is actually sized down. I know, saying a 46mm is sized down sounds crazy, but the original was 47mm but more importantly, had a much larger lug to lug at 57mm and was thicker at 16.5mm. So, this is still a large watch, but not as large as it once was.
Serket faded away in 2015, mostly because the owner Brent just didn’t have the time for it anymore. The brand has always been a side business for him, as it is with many microbrands, but in 2020, he had a little more free time on his hands and decided to re-launch the brand. Some would say, probably not the wisest decision, simply because times have changed and the plethora of microbrands and factory brands out there now is just too much for most to keep up with, let alone buy. And in 2022, watches have been trending toward smaller sizes, in fact much smaller sizes such as 40mm, 38mm, and even 36mm. So why bring back a 46mm watch in this crowded market?
My answer is-Why not? The Serket Reef Diver 2.0 might be looked at by some as a watch from an era long forgotten, but I disagree. I review a lot of smaller watches these days and I see a lot of comments about how they would like it if it was larger. Sure, the market seems to be about smaller watches, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for large watches such as this. Some guys still like a beefy watch and Serket, along with Bathys and Boschett among others were the best at the large microbrand watches, and I feel their presence has been missed over the past 5-6 years. Now don’t take it as I am telling anyone what size watch to wear, if you don’t like big watches, you don’t like big watches. But for those that do, it is nice to see this brand re-emerge and offer a classic-looking microbrand diver.
The large 2 o’clock crown, the unique flat dial indices, and the massive bezel grip, all make the Serket Reef Diver 2.0 stand out. And this really isn’t the 2.0 anymore in my opinion, as there were already 3 different versions of this watch, so technically this would be the 4.0, but I guess Serket didn’t want to go that route, though I am not sure why. I never held the original, or maybe I did at a watch get-together back in the day, I honestly can’t remember, but since I myself don’t regularly wear large watches these days, I am glad this is sized down, though honestly, I wasn’t sure what my first reaction to this piece was going to be. I thought it was going to be garish and I would hate wearing it. I was very wrong. But before we get to how this wears, let’s talk about the rest of the details.
Two dial colors are available, this black and there is a blue, both have the same orange accents and there is a third model, one in all black PVD, but that is only available with the black dial. It also comes with 3 different straps, all for $599. Actually even cheaper with the 15% off they are promoting on the Serket website, so it does, at least on paper, look to be a fantastic deal.
I’ve been wearing this piece as much as I can for the past few weeks, as on the FKM rubber strap, it is very comfortable. The large size has not bothered me at all, and it just really feels like a watch meant to be worn by me. That said when a watch with a Swiss Movement (Sellita SW-200-1) comes with 3 straps for around $500 in 2022, you know there are going to be some quality issues. Let me be clear, I think for what this watch is and offers for the price, it is still a pretty good deal, but things like poor lume, hour and minute hands that shouldn’t have passed quality control due to paint clearly missing on some spots and a bracelet that just didn’t need to be included, are some things you should expect.
Overall there is much to like about the dial, it’s pretty straightforward, and the unique diamond or kite markers as I call them, still stand out amongst the traditional circles we see on most watches. The date window is outlined in orange, the brand name is still in a horrible font, and the one thing that really cheapens the look of the dial. I say this as someone who is a fan of this watch, but I still think the logo could be much better. I am not alone in this as many of my watch friends and colleagues were texted a pic of this watch when it first arrived, and that was the first thing they replied back- “What is up with that logo?”.
The Reef Diver has a very prominent bezel, one that reminds you of a Marathon JSAR in the way it sits off the case, and of course, this means it is going to be easy to grip even if you have large hands or gloves. The bezel is too easy to turn though, way too easy, and I show this in the video above. Another thing and this may sound ultra picky, but because of the high polished areas of the bezel teeth, this thing picks up your finger oils and smudges any time you touch it and it is kind of hard to clean them off without a trip to the sink and a soft toothbrush every time.
The crown on the other hand is the highlight here. A large crown offset at 2 may not sound like the best placement, but I assure you, it is. I am glad Serket kept this signature crown for this new release and not only is it is the 6.5mm crown easy to grip, but it stays out of the way on your wrist, meaning no crown marks after wearing the watch for the day. It also allows the time or date, or to simply wind the watch to be quite easy while this large watch is on your wrist.
The case back of the Serket Reef Diver 2.0 shows off the Sellita movement, and at least there is a cool Scorpion logo on the rotor, and for those that love to see the movement of a watch, it is right there. I would have preferred a solid case back with an embossed or stamped scorpion, and also the high polished area surrounding the exhibition back is high polished, and as you can see, can get easily scratched up.
The watch comes with 3 straps, something I feel many brands choose to do nowadays to compete with the Kickstarter scene and the stretch goals where they offer extra straps or bracelets if the funding reaches a certain level. That’s some fun marketing for the KS crown, I guess some people like it, but I will just say this, this watch only needed the rubber strap. It is smooth, comfortable, pliable, well made, and attractive, with a nice signed buckle. The leather strap is ok, pretty standard, but the bracelet is cheaply made and just brings the whole package down. Some will say, yeah but it’s thrown in, and you are getting it along with the other two, so why complain? Because I feel it actually detracts from the watch instead of adds. The finishing is not good, the end links are hard to fit and it just doesn’t belong on this watch.
Like I said though, the rubber strap is fantastic, and that is how I have been wearing this watch over the past few weeks. It balances the heavy watch head out perfectly on my 7 1/2 inch wrist and it is so comfortable, I just never know that I am wearing a big old watch such as this. I am in the 4th hole from the bottom though, so if you have a really massive wrist, you might not be able to wear it on this rubber, leather, or bracelet, at least not without a few extra links.
Flat printed indices don’t leave a lot of room for the SuperLuminova to be applied, and as such the lume definitely suffers. This is just not what I expected from a large dive watch such as this, and no other way to say it but I was disappointed. It will glow, just don’t expect it to last very long or be very bright. In 2 hours the lume will be pretty much non-existent, even in a very dark room.
I think it is great that Serket is back. Many old forum guys like me for sure remember them and others are being introduced to them for the very first time. Serket has a few other watches available right now as well, but for the Reef Diver 2.0, I think things could have been improved even more. The bezel action needs to be tighter, more attention to detail on those hands, source a better bracelet, and maybe do dials with applied indices so we can get more lume, but all those things may raise the price a lot more.
As is though, for the $500ish price tag, I think many will probably be happy with it, again, if they are looking for a large watch. And if you are like me, and sizing down the past few years and hesitant to wear a big watch again, well, all I can say is I was very surprised as to how this piece wears on my wrist, and I have never felt like a clown or like I am lugging around a crazy big watch. In other words, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. It can be fun.
