As you can see, RZE has launched yet another new watch – a chronograph this time – and I got to play with a pre-production sample for this review. The brand has only been with us for about a year, but they already have two excellent models and established a solid identity. Like the Resolute and the Endeavour before it, the new Valour delivers a brilliantly executed, 200m tool watch, in a titanium case, for not a lot of money.
As I’ve said before, titanium may be the ultimate tool watch material. Tough? You bet. Lightweight? Weirdly so. Hypoallergenic, nonreactive, and antimagnetic? Absolutely. That matte gray looks pretty cool too. The only real drawback is that scuffs more easily than stainless steel but RZE takes care of that by applying their ULTRAHex coating, delivering a 1200hv surface that rivals the Valor’s sapphire crystal for scratch resistance.
Once again, RZE has reinterpreted its signature angular form. You can see it in the barrel and lugs but also in the distinctive chronograph buttons. With a listed case size of 42mm, the Valour is the largest watch RZE has produced, but note that case width measurements exclude crown guards. Visually, it is impossible to do this with the Valour because of the way the buttons flow into the crown guards. Those long, angular pushers are a standout feature of this watch, creating the illusion of an asymmetrical case reminiscent of the 1970s Benrus MKI and MKII US Military field watches. If you include the guards with a pair of calipers in the same way you do with your eyes, then the Valour swells to a prodigious 44mm.
Yes, I know it sounds huge, but it isn’t. The engraved titanium bezel keeps the focus on the much smaller dial, steeply chiseled lugs keep the overall length to 49mm, and like the two models before it, this watch is remarkably slim. The precision instruments here at Time Bum Laboratories show a 12.5mm thickness from the case back to the peak of the crystal. Furthermore, the Valour’s perceived width makes it feel even thinner than the 40mm Endeavour even though the thickness is identical.
Those crown guards also provide a nice space in which the knurled crown can nestle. Once screwed into place, it barely peeks beyond the edge – a particularly thoughtful touch that keeps the silhouette clean. Overall, the watch looks and feels closer to its listed 42mm than its perceived 44mm, even when worn on my modest 6.75″ wrist.
RZA offers three versions of the Valour: GT Black, Crusader White panda, and the adventurous Vintage Salmon you see here. You can get a better look at the whole line in this video. It’s a great color, though not as vividly pink as you might expect from the name. I’d say it is less like wild-caught salmon than farm-raised but with a pleasantly coppery sheen.
The applied markers are finished to match the case and are tall enough to cast a good shadow under the right light. Combined with the recessed sub-dials and framed date window, they give the face some pleasing dimension. The hands are long, faceted and like the markers, filled with bright SuperrLuminova. There is no lume on the sub-dial needles or sweep hand, but let’s be serious, nobody uses functions those in the dark.
A solid and relatively unadorned caseback hides the Seiko VK64 MechaQuartz within. As far as I’m concerned, if you are looking for a budget chronograph, MechQuartz is the way to go. It has the grab-it-and-go convenience of a quartz timekeeping module and the crisp button action and reset of a mechanical chronograph module, all for far less money than Seiko’s own entry-level mechanical chrono. What’s not to like?
RZE provided this Valour on a 20mm black FKM strap. I first encountered Fluoroelastomer rubber earlier this year and it has ruined conventional rubber and silicone for me. It is smooth, pliable, exceptionally comfortable, and isn’t a lint magnet.I usually consider rubber straps to be a distant second to leather, but a necessity for wet use. FKM makes it feel more like a luxury. This outstanding strap comes fitted with a signed and ULTRAHex-coated titanium buckle. I understand there is a titanium bracelet in the works too, and if it is anything like the one I sampled on the Endeavour, I’d highly recommend that as well.
While I was digging on the watch, I also got to try one of the new RZE black pocket tee shirts ($29). They might be one of the only RZE products not to have any titanium components, but it is a nice weight, combed cotton shirt that announces the brand’s identity as the “Purveyors of Tough Titanium Goods.” It looks great. You can get M, L, XL – no Small, but I must say that the sizing is more Asian than American so my size Large fit more like a Medium. If ordering up still won’t get your fit, then I’d recommend the RZE Trucker Hat instead.
You can order the Valour directly from RZEwatches.com for $369. That’s right in line with the rest of the RZE collection and once again, a heck of a bargain for such a high-quality, well-designed tool watch.
So that makes three outstanding watches from RZE in two years. They are assembling a formidable catalog. Normally I’d say that I can’t wait to see what they do next (and I really can’t) but in this case, I’m going to wish the team a nice little summer break. They have more than earned it.
