Review and photos by Mike Razak
I’ve been holding the Duxot Forza for a bit too long, perhaps. I got it well over a month ago and it’s been on the wrist, not too frequently, but enough. Duxot is one of the brands under the Dartmouth Brands umbrella—along with Avi-8, Spinnaker, DuFa, and a few others. This is a group that knows microbrand watches, and with Avi-8 and Spinnaker, you could argue it defines microbrand watches in some ways (not all good). Duxot is one of their newer brands, though I can’t say exactly how new, as information on the site is vague. The Forza is a titanium no-nonsense dive watch, one of seven different dive models the brand offers. Yes, seven.
The case of the Forza presents many of its issues. There is nothing wrong with the aesthetic design of the case, but the proportions are jarring at first. Let’s call it tolerably stumpy. We’re talking about a 39mm diver that is 14.5mm thick. The height on my wrist was one of the very first thing is noticed about the watch. It’s just awkwardly tall. And though I could not will the watch to slim down, but I did get used to it as I had the watch on my wrist throughout the day.
The entirety of the titanium case (along with the bracelet) features a satin finish. However, I noticed that the tone of the case is different from that of the bracelet, which is different still from that of the clasp. That’s a pretty big (though in some light hard to see) miss in my book. The case features a bevel on its bottom edge that travels from tip-to-tip of the sharply-curved, slim 20mm lugs. A simple screwdown crown ensures 250M of water resistance, which is totally adequate, if a bit unusual, as most divers are 200M or 300M. The crown is slightly stiff when being unscrewed, but entirely functional—if anything, this may make you feel like it’s more secure; a Duxot ‘D’ graces its end.
The lumed (but not nearly as well as the dial) ceramic bezel is sloped and looks great and is functional, but just a little too hard to get moving. Once you’ve got it turned and set, though, it’ll stay in place without any shifting. Finding the right tension for a bezel is a delicate task for any brand, and I’d rather have a bezel that takes a little extra effort than one that shifts around on me.
Let’s talk about that dial. Under a sapphire crystal lurks a deep green (the actual color name) matte dial. The lume here is big and bold and lovely. But my favorite part is the applied indices. The flat lume plots sit atop what appear to be brushed metal markers. It’s incredibly subtle, but amazingly executed and adds depth and texture to the flat green dial. The capsule-shaped hands feature the same finishing as the indices, while the lollipop seconds hand features an orange end to match the orange dial text. The date window is at 3 o’clock and is inoffensive if it’s anything at all. Taken as a whole, the dial is highly legible with a pleasing balance of color.
The screw-down caseback features a crisp, clear logo with all the words telling you all the details of the watch. It protects a Seiko NH35, wherein we find the culprit of the watch’s thickness. The NH35 is a well-known movement that’s reliable and easily serviced. But it’s also 35% thicker than its Miyota counterpart, the 9015, which offers a higher beat and longer power reserve. However, Duxot may have opted for the Seiko simply because it’s much cheaper (which I’ll come back to).
I’ve already touched on the bracelet’s color as it relates to the case. The bracelet itself has a cheaper feel, unfortunately, and the flip lock of the clasp popped open while on the wrist, though the clasp itself remained closed. I think the cheap feel is partially down to finish. The satin finish of the case is matched on the bracelet, but on the bracelet, it feels rougher and less refined. I did pair this with some good straps; the lug holes are right at the end of the lugs, making strap changes easy, and allowing the watch on a strap to really hug the wrist.
If it wasn’t clear by my review, which is not only uncharacteristically short but also leans heavy on the negative side, I was underwhelmed. The dial is great. I really do like it. Everything about it. I even don’t mind the date window, since it’s far enough out that it’s not awkward. It’s a good looking watch—see those pretty pictures?—but it’s beset by case issue: the initial thickness shock, stiff crown and bezel, mismatched tones, iffy bracelet refinement.
The Duxot Forza’s retail price is $830 is far too much. I can’t mince words. They may well be available elsewhere for cheaper (though I’ve not seen them), but a watch with the issues I’ve mentioned, plus an NH35 (frequently found in sub-$500 watches) has no business with such a price tag. At that price, I’d expect exceptional and consistent finishing, with a higher quality movement (e.g. Nodus). If you’re looking for a titanium diver with a pop of orange, you’d be better served getting something like the Mido Ocean Star Captain V, which can be had for well under $1000, even brand new. For those of you who are undeterred, you can find the Forza here, along with the black and blue dial options. Take a look around the site, too: Duxot has some really great looking designs. And maybe the quality of the Forza is just a fluke.⬩
