I’ve been a fan of the Visitor Watch Company ever since I saw the original Duneshore Calligraph prototype. Brand ower Phil Rodenbeck has a real talent for industrial design and he is not afraid to express in his unusual, yet always exquisitely balanced, creations. The latest Visitor through The Time Bum Headquarters is the Duneshore Shallows, a watch we already named one of the best micro brand watches of 2020 so – spoiler alert – this is going to be a glowing review. That said, I do hope you read on to see if the Shallows is the watch for you.
If you have the ability to see the full color spectrum, you will have already noticed that our press loaner is orange. Visitor calls it “Tangerine Fission” and I cannot think of a better monicker. I’ve done my best to capture it in my photos but as our various monitors and displays might not interpret color in exactly the same way, I’ll tell you it is a “true” orange that doesn’t veer too far into the red or yellow sides of the spectrum. I’d place it in the same family as the arresting hues of the first generation Seiko Orange Monster or Doxa SUB 300 reissue, but just a touch more saturated than either of them. It is immensely satisfying, but if orange is not your thing, you can try the dark and inky Iron Jade green, muted Sharkside gray, or the lively Seal Teal. Dive watch purists will be disappointed to see there is no true black option (although the Iron Jade achieves the same levels of contrast) but the Shallows is anything but conventional.
Visitor devotees will instantly recognize the Caligraph’s case in the Shallows. Like that first model it is a delightfully Baroque composition of curves and facets measuring 44mm wide and 51mm long. Deep scallops on all four sides reveal that it is a multi-piece case with a separate barrel. The most obvious differences between the Shallows and the Caligraph are the finishes and the prominent stainless steel bezel on the diver. I found it fascinating to see how dramatically those elements changed my perception of the two watches. Mirror polishing masked some of the Caligraph’s complex form whereas the Shallows’ brushing brings those curves and angles into stark relief – all except the polished barrel, which now serves to highlight the depth of those edge scallops.
The case also appears much taller than the Caligraph – and it is, by about 2mm – but there is a bit more going on here. Because of the Duneshore’s curved case back, you really need to measure the thickness at two points. It’s 13mm at the center but 15.6mm where the curve crests at the ends. That precipitous drop from the bezel to the lugs is a dramatic element on both watches but the lip of the bezel and the contrasting finishes of the Shallows make it all the more so. Of course, that arc also makes the Duneshore surprisingly wearable. A cushion case with these dimensions would normally be huge on my 6.75″ wrist. This does not necessarily mean the watch would sit badly, only that I would be well aware of its bulk. Not so with the Shallows. It is hardly small, but the wrist-hugging shape and broad, flat lugs manage to keep its acreage in check. It is a surprisingly comfortable watch.
Speaking of that curved case back, let’s take a moment to appreciate the challenge of making a concave hatch watertight to 200m – double that of the Caligraph. Phil accomplished this with a solid back, a 1mm increase to the wall thickness of the central case, an additional seal in the screw-down crown, and a 3mm thick sapphire crystal. Now, let’s take in its beauty. Phil reimagined Visitor’s lion doorknocker logo as a sea lion – emphasis on the “lion” as it has a feline head and mane. This fanciful creature is expertly rendered and cast in high relief. I tend to regard case back art as a bonus feature. It is often an afterthought, but a nice one like this goes far to define a watch’s character.
Phil clearly devoted tremendous attention to the Shallows’ form, but that doesn’t mean he neglected its function. Unorthodox though it may be, the Shallows still ticks all the right boxes for an effective diving instrument. I’ve already mentioned its water resistance. That thick sapphire crystal is AR-coated on the inside. Its crown is large enough to easily grip and screws down into a recess that swallows about half its height, thereby protecting the crown, your wrist, and the lines of the case. Inside is the smooth (28.8k) yet durable Miyota 9039 automatic movement. The 120-click bezel delivers positive action as well as excellent legibility through engraved, painted markers, three raised and lumed pips, and a lumed 20-minute index.
The dial also deftly balances offbeat aesthetics with practical necessity. Its large raised and polished hour markers and the drilled minute index all pop with C3 SuperLuminova. Phil adapted the pen-nib motif from the Caligraph into a pen-nib plongeur handset with an oversize minute hand that addresses what I felt to be insufficient differentiation between the hands of that first watch. When taking it in, don’t let those glowing paddles blind you to the smaller details like a second hand counterweight that echoes the Visitor logo or the lumed brand name at three o’clock.
Visitor always goes the extra mile with their straps and bracelets. For the Shallows, they offer NBR rubber in black or white, black rubberized textile, or a novel beads-of-rice bracelet. I got to try all of them and drilled lugs made swapping a breeze. The straps are 22mm wide, tapering to a 20mm buckle that complements the Shallows’ unique shape and is signed on the underside. All are of high quality but I found I wore it most on the supple and low profile textile strap.
The bracelet is a real treat. Each bead in its rows of six is teardrop like the hour markers on the dial. A double-deployant clasp that echoes the complex shape of the case and bears an embossed door-knocker logo. I love its looks, comfort, and low profile. Interestingly, it has quick-release pins to detach the clasp from the bracelet, but not the bracelet from the lugs. I can live with that, but I do wish it had fitted end links to fill that gap between bracelet and case.
So there it is. I told you it was going to be a rave review, and it was. The Visitor Duneshore Shallows is a uniquely beautiful watch that can still handle the briny depths with aplomb. At $750 it is also sensibly priced ($850 if you opt for the bracelet). What it is not, is readily stocked. Visitor collects waitlist orders until he has enough to pull the trigger on a production run. Lucky for you, a new crop of Shallows has arrived and is ready for delivery now. For more information head over to www.visitorwatchco.com.
