Singapore based microbrand Reverie Watches first caught my eye with their stunning Sea-Spirit, a lovely cushion case, dress/sports watch with a mesmerizing guilloche dial. Now, they are back on Kickstarter with the GT, a retro-themed chronograph offered in Mariana Blue, Panda, and the Rose Gold version they gave me for this review. I am pleased to report that once again, they have knocked it out the park.
Right out of the box, I was struck by how much it reminded me of a 1950’s dress watch. The polished case with its stepped bezel, horn lugs, and stiletto-sharp hands harkens back to the days of Eisenhower. At 40mm wide and 11.6mm thick, it is considerably larger than the watches of that era, but still comfortably mid-sized. I found it to be a perfect fit for my 6.5″ wrist. The watch features an anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal and a signed crown. It is rated for 50m water resistance, reflecting the fact that while the GT is certainly sporty, it is more of a dress watch than tool watch.
The case back is deceptively simple. There are no images back there, just the Reverie name, serial number, and some basic info on the perimeter, but note that checkerboard pattern in the recessed ring surrounding it and the way it makes brushed the center section appear to float. Also, note that although this pre-production watch says “000 of 200” Reverie is limiting production to just 175 per colorway.
Pretty as the case may be, it is the dial that steals your attention. It is triple-layered with a brushed finish and a guilloche center in an engine-turned pattern. The gold markers and handset top it off nicely. It is an elegant face, so much so, that it is almost surprising to see the tachymeter index on the rehaut, or the ringed and recessed 60-minute and 24-hour subdials. Remarkably, this dressed up dial is also quite legible. There is sufficient contrast between the hands and dial for daylight use, and two-tone SuperLuminova on the hands and markers make it suitable for nighttime as well. I did not sample the blue dial variant, but in my experience, polished hands tend to disappear against a dark dial, unless they have a dash of lume, like the GT. As a result, all three dials should be equally visible.
It is easy to forget that the GT is a fully capable chronograph, powered by a Seiko VK64 MechaQuartz. That movement is kind of a darling of the microbrand world right now, and for good reason. By combining a quartz timekeeper with a mechanical chronograph module, Seiko has brought a 1/5th-second sweep and crisp snap-back reset down to a bargain price level.
The GT comes with two 20/18mm quick release straps. My Rose Gold model came with a dark brown perforated rally strap on a signed butterfly deployant clasp, and a camel tan pebbled leather strap with a signed pin buckle. Both are Italian leather and of high quality. To my eye, the brown was perfectly nice, but the gold tone of the camel strap just lit up against the rose gold watch. Once I put it on, I didn’t look back. Also, to be perfectly honest, I’ve never been a fan of butterfly deployants, so it is nice to have the choice.
I found the GT to be thoroughly delightful and expect it will join my Sea-Spirit as a favorite for office wear. The earliest of early bird deals are gone, but you can still get a GT for a pledge of S$478, or about $353 USD, a 20% savings over full retail. For more information or to order your own, see the Reverie GT Kickstarter page before 9:00 pm EST, December 25, 2017.
