It is always a joy to see a new watch from Sergio Di Renzo. The man has a keen eye and with each successive Direnzo design, he further refines the brand’s clean, modern aesthetic. I have enjoyed them all and even declared the DRZ 03 diver as one of the best releases of its year. The aptly named Direnzo DRZ 05 reviewed today is his fifth effort and the brand’s first dual-crown. It is, of course, immensely satisfying.
Dual-crown watches proliferated in 2021. We’ve reviewed at least half a dozen here at The Time Bum and there were plenty more that never crossed our desks. As a fan of vintage compressor-style cases, I couldn’t be happier. Direnzo’s contribution to this crowded field is sharp-looking and mid-sized. Measuring 39mm wide, 47mm long, and 12.5mm thick with 20mm between the lugs, the DRZ 05 projects a suitably sporting presence within a sensible footprint. A flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal rises just above the fixed bezel surrounding it.
The brushed surface gets a bit of flash from the polished crowns, center beads, and lugs. I’ll get to those others soon, but first, have a look at the lugs. A slim polished chamfer between the top and side surfaces would have been the conventional choice and it would have looked just fine, but instead, Direnzo gives us a broad teardrop-shaped scallop. It provides a lovely contrast to both the brushed surfaces and the straight lines of the upper midcase and bezel. It’s the one detail that takes what would have been a merely handsome case and makes it exceptional.
Polished crowns offer another touch of reflection. The lower one is signed and the upper bears a recessed red dot. Although the press loaner was a prototype, they both moved flawlessly, the upper operating the inner bezel and the lower setting the time. They are prominent, as one would expect on a dual-crown design (if you got two crowns, flaunt them!) but not oversized. As you would expect on a dive watch, they screw down, helping the Solaris achieve its 200m water resistance rating.
The final flash comes from the sides and center links of the beads-of-rice bracelet. Please note that this is real BOR as those five beads are individually articulated. Huzzah! There are few things in the life of a watch nerd as disappointing as fused links. A faux BOR may project the right look from across the room, but they fail on closer inspection and move like every other three-link. A real BOR looks amazing and smoothly flows over your wrist for a neater appearance (especially on smaller wrists like mine) and superior comfort. The Solaris wins on both counts. It terminates in a signed, push-button, flip-lock clasp.
You won’t see the last polished bit when the watch is on your wrist, but it is mighty cool. This Direnzo has one of the best case back designs I’ve seen all year. Is it a diver fighting off an octopus or an astronaut and an alien? Direnzo has deliberately left it open to interpretation, and why not? After all, this is a dive watch named for the stars. While the meaning may be vague, the image is perfectly clear, stamped in high relief and gleaming against the matte background.
Unscrew the back and you will find a Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré grade automatic. You know the kind: 2824 architecture, 28.8k bph, Incabloc protection. All in all, a high-quality Swiss unit.
At last, we get to the face. It is exactly what you would expect from Direnzo, which is to say, a delightfully modern, brilliantly detailed take on a conventional diver’s layout. We have the usual dots-and-darts, all applied and polished, as well as a polished handset with a broad arrow hour. A crosshair fills the center. What you won’t find is any superfluous text or type, just the brand name and logo. It is easy to see the how brand’s signature elements have evolved in this fifth watch. Like every Direnzo save the first, there are no numbers. None are necessary as the bezel cleverly uses a triangle and three distinctly different circles to mark the cardinal points. The distinctive branched markers that gave the DRZ 02 its futuristic face are echoed in the internal bezel of the new watch. The two-level dial with its fumé ring recalls that of the DRZ 03. Nothing is repeated without being tweaked and improved.
I sampled a black, no date version where the fumé section presents as a smokey grey-brown. It’s a pretty effect that looks particularly fetching on the optional chocolate brown leather strap. A rubber tropic is also available. Other options include a meteorite dial with a red date (sorry, sold out), blue, and red. All feature bright BGW9 SuperLuminova. Those of us who prefer our watches date-free will also find that the “phantom date change” has been eliminated. A very nice touch that speaks volumes about the brand’s attention to detail.
The DRZ 05 Solaris is available for pre-order now for 650 CHF ($708 US) and is easily worth every penny. You won’t even have to wait all that long as delivery is expected in February 2022, just in time to lift you out of those winter doldrums. If the Solaris has caught your eye, head over to DirenzoWatches.com for more.
