Review and photos by Mike Razak
Every once in a while, I get a watch in for review and immediately upon opening the package, say “Wow!” It happened once before, and it’s now happened once again. The Feynman Timekeepers Cove diver–the brand’s second watch–is the culprit. I did a preview post last month, and while the pictures provided by the brand were quite nice, I hadn’t anticipated being so taken by the watch. This one is right up my alley. Like they went to the local bowling alley and said “Only Coke and Chicken Tenders, plus he gets a strike every time he bowls.” I fully understand that a large part of this is down to personal taste, but it checks almost allof my boxes. Read on and maybe you’ll be enthralled, too.
The case of the Cove is a thing of incorruptible beauty. The midcase features 4 different facets, alternating between polished and brushed finishes done at an exceptional quality. A keen eye will note that the bottom chamfer is slightly concave. The three base facets run the entire 46mm from lug to lug, while the top of the midcase features wedges on the lugs’ interior facet. It all combines for a dazzling light show, in any environment (except the deepest depths of the sea, where the monsters dwell).
The curvature of the entire 40mm case allows for it to sit ergonomically on any wrist without any need to worry about discomfort. While the prototype I had come in at 13.2mm thick, the production model will, in fact, be thinner at only 12.8mm. When I learned about this, my head nearly exploded: I was already experiencing an amazing watch that I thought wore perfectly. And then I hear it’ll be even thinner? BOOM. In fact, those with exceptionally large wrists (8in+), may find the case a bit small. At 2 and 4 o’clock, you’ll find knurled screw-down crowns nestled into the case, which control the bezel and set the time, respectively (and allow for 200M water resistance). While I found them slightly undersized, I’m happy to say they will be enlarged on the production model.
A polished bezel encircles the domed sapphire crystal (with an outrageous 5 layers of AR coating!). I cannot for the life of me decide whether I am more in love with the case or the dial. The dial itself is very similar to Feynman’s first watch, the Feynman One (a watch originally intended as a piece unique for the brand owner’s son, after whom the brand is named), featuring a delicate combination of layers and textures reportedly designed in accordance with The Golden Ratio.
The deep blue “Eclipse” dial (it also comes in black and a limited edition green) is encircled by a lumed internal dive bezel, adjustable with the screwdown crown at 2 o’clock. It’s subtle–without knowing about watches in general, or maybe wondering about the extra crown, you might not even realize it’s an internal bezel. While adjusting the bezel isn’t a chore with the current crown, it will be even less so when it’s enlarged on the production model. However, the domed sapphire creates distortion, making a precise reading of the bezel at a glance a challenge; increasing the size of the 12 o’clock bezel triangle go a long way in mitigating this.
Moving in from the bezel, that blue outer dial features grooves in lieu of more traditional hour markers. The Feynman badge is affixed at 4 o’clock, and I quite like this nameplate approach, as it adds a haute horology vibe to the whole dial. An elevated minute track adds depth and separates the outer dial from the wave-patterned inner dial, which is fully lumed to great effect. At 7 o’clock, bisected by the raised minute track, you’ll the subseconds dial with the trademark lizard tail hand. Of note, the 60 and 30 markers on the subseconds will be replaced with Chinese characters. All the white on the dial is BGW9 lume, plus the relief of the central waves. It shines well, but will be further improved for the production model (in my casual tests, the wave motif faded very quickly).
Flipping the watch over, you get an up-close view of the decorated Swiss ETA 2895-2 movement, which has been adorned with a custom blue rotor featuring the “Cove” model name. The movement is top grade, meaning it’s almost chronometer-level accuracy (average -/+ 4 seconds per day, maximum of 15 seconds per day), without the COSC certification. The movement features 27 jewels and a 50 hour power reserve. It is a date movement, which means that you’ll have a dead crown position. I’m usually a stickler for this, but given the totality of the watch, I’m making an exception. Surrounding the sapphire caseback glass are some standard watch details, but far less than many other microbrands (Feynman thankfully omits the case material, which shouldn’t be mentioned unless it’s a precious metal).
The strap game is strong with this one—especially with my stock of straps. The Cove comes equipped on a supple rubber made of what’s called FKM rubber. What you need to know about that is it’s better than neoprene and most other rubbers (it also has some fun trademarked names like Viton, Dai-El, Dyneon, Elaftor, and my favorite, Tecnoflon). The strap is comfortable and steps away from many of the stock rubber straps that come with most watches (usually catalog items), as Feynman has replicated the dial wave pattern in a thin strip running down the center of the strap. A bold custom buckle with sharp angles belies the elegance of the case. My strap collection is well suited to dressier watches with 20mm lugs, so I was able to pair quite a few with the Cove.
I’ve spoken a bit (perhaps elsewhere, or in private…I lose track) about the idea of a dress diver. This subclass of dive watches usually features the standard specs of a typical diver (200M+ water resistance, bezel, lume) but offer a less rugged case and may have some practical issues when it comes to actual water usage. My Omega Seamaster Pro fits the bill (the bezel is utterly unusable with anything but the driest of fingers), but as a dress diver it pales in comparison to the Feynman Cove.
The Cove is a true dress diver: fluid, easy-wearing, elegant, and refined. While highly legible, the dial is quite complex. All of those are nonsense words, really, and what I’m getting at—what I’ve hopefully driven home above—is that this is an excellent watch, though probably isn’t for proper diving. But can’t you just see wearing this all day, every day on a nice vacation? It’s got you covered in the club, in the cabana, and in the waves. At a preorder price of around $760, the Cove is an amazing buy (full retail pricing of around $1,100 will likely take effect in September). If you’ve been thoroughly charmed, it’s available on Feynman’s site now.⬩
