I’ve liked Direnzo Watches from the very start. I’ve reviewed the initial DRZ-250F and DRZ-02, 03, and 05. Each has demonstrated crisp execution, innovative design, and meticulous attention to detail. Today, I fill the hole in my review history by going hands-on with the Direnzo DRZ-04V2 Mondial.
Like others in the Direnzo stable, the Mondial is a sport watch, this time in the newly resurgent integrated bracelet style. There is a bit of Zenith Defy in here and maybe some Tudor North Flag. Those of us on a Time Bum budget will be forgiven for thinking of the Tissot PRX first, but of course, the Direnzo is its own design and a lovely one at that. It measures 40mm wide, 48mm wide, a scant 12mm thick (listed as 11.9mm, but who’s counting?), and 14mm between the lugs. The sleek H-link bracelet fastens with a butterfly clasp, maintaining the low profile. It’s a tidy package all around, even on my 6.75″ wrist.
Behind the sapphire display window, you will find a Sellita SW-200-1 Elaboré grade movement with Incabloc protection. This Swiss unit is based on the bulletproof ETA 2824 architecture and is decorated with a Direnzo-signed rotor.
While predominantly brushed, the Mondial’s case imparts more than a bit of shine with its polished bevels, crown, and bezel edge, then carries it through on both the center links and the outer edges of the H’s. The result is lively and perhaps a bit dressier than you might expect. You won’t confuse it with a dress watch, but there is no reason why you couldn’t slip this one under a buttoned shirt cuff and pair it with a sport coat. Not that you couldn’t get messy. The crown screws down to seal for 100m water resistance, and between the sapphire crystal and HV800 scratch-resistant coating on the case and bracelet, the Mondial should stand up to just about anything this side of deep sea diving.
Personally, I’d be more inclined to show it off on dry land. This is due in part to my leisurely and generally non-aquatic lifestyle and partly to the fact that the Mondial is stylish in a way that your average cephalopod or cetacean is unlikely to appreciate. Zoom in on that dial, would you?
Once you have absorbed that glorious ombré red (it’s also offered in light blue, purple, white, and red meteorite), check out the dished dial bending the minutes track, the applied and polished pill-shaped markers, and those distinctive Direnzo hands, this time semi-skeletonized. Note the way the inner and outer minutes tracks echo the shapes in the logo. Appreciate the properly framed porthole date that complements rather than displaces the 6 o’clock marker. It’s that kind of detail that makes a Direnzo watch so satisfying.
When the lights go down, the BGW9 SuperLuminova goes to work. No legibility worries here. It glows like a torch.
One downside to the streamlined look of an integrated bracelet watch is that the seamless transition from the case to the endlink usually means you will be forced to use the supplied bracelet forever or order custom-made straps. It can be a bitter pill for a compulsive strap-swapper to swallow; however, Direnzo lessens the sting. First, by supplying such a well-designed bracelet. I like a bit of variety, but I’d gladly leave this one in place forever.
Second, they offer a pair of rubber straps tailored just for the DRZ-04. Like the bracelet, they fit neatly into that 14mm lug gap, flare to 24mm to meet the corners of the case, then dramatically taper to 18mm at the signed buckle. I’m usually ambivalent about rubber, but these are quite comfortable, and I love the recessed “spine.”
The Mondial V2 is available for pre-order for 650 CHF (about $675 US), a 100 CHF savings from the full price, and it comes tucked in a rather dandy canvas ratch roll. Accessory straps are 60 CHF each, so I’d recommend spending your discount on that. You’ll pay more for the red meteorite dial (950 CHF full, 890 CHF pre-sale) but come on; you think meteorite just falls out of the sky? Ok, maybe it does, but there is way more to it than that. Regardless, Direnzo has priced this functional, fashionable, Swiss-made beauty just right. Head over to Direnzowatches.com and claim your favorite.
