As I’ve remarked before, the space for dive watches under $500 is a crowded one. Bigger brands like Seiko and Tissot have mostly ceded the space to microbrands and smaller manufacturers. This is great for the watch buyer, but can get tricky for the watch designer and brand owner. When there are so many good and different options, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd while still maintaining mass appeal. The Bencler Rocks Diver will try to make its mark when it launches on Kickstarter later this month. I sampled a prototype for this review.
The first thing that stood out to me when I saw the Rocks Diver was the sand-blasted dial. There’s a lot of attention to detail here. The texture makes the watch very readable under the AR-coated crystal and Bencler went with very minimal text on the dial, allowing the great coloration to do all of the heavy lifting. The applied hour markers are generously filled with BWG9 lume, and I like that the surround at 6 accommodates the cut for the date window. Worth noting, the date disk will be better matched to the dial in the final production model. I do wish that the lume plot on the minute hand extended a bit further, but overall the hands are well proportioned for the watch.
The case is a compact 39mm diameter and 46mm lug to lug. The lugs and sides of the case have a fine brushed finish with a polished chamfer on the edges. They curve nicely around my 6.5” wrist so combined with the nearly flat crystal, the case ends up with a very low profile, even for its 11.5mm height.
The final model will have a screw-down crown, but the crown on the prototype I handled is well-proportioned and easy to operate. The 120-click, unidirectional bezel is extremely well constructed with good grip, zero play, and just the right amount of “click.” I like the modern take on the bezel markings, with the 12 marker echoing the sea rocks that inspired Bencler to create this diver in the first place. All of the bezel markings are engraved and filled with more BWG9. The crystal is very slightly domed and creates a smooth profile with the bezel. The case back is deeply engraved with a design of its namesake sea rocks along with the watch’s specifications, including its impressive 300m water resistance rating.
The flat beads of rice bracelet has a brushed finish that matches the case almost exactly. The endlinks fit seamlessly in the 20mm lugs and the bracelet flows nicely around my wrist to the 18mm clasp. The bi-fold clasp has only three holes for micro adjustment, and frankly, I wish that the clasp had a toolless ratchet extension. Maybe that can be added as a stretch goal to the Kickstarter campaign. The clasp is engraved on both the cover and the safety lock with the Bencler logo. There are a couple of sharp edges around the clasp, but that’s undoubtedly due to the fact that this is not yet the production watch. Color-matched tropic and rubber straps will be available as add-ons during the Kickstarter campaign. Switching straps myself, I found the lug holes well placed to accept a strap, but quick-release pins on the bracelet would be a nice touch. Perhaps another stretch goal?
The Rocks Diver is powered by the Miyota 9015, which has become the expectation for microbrand watches, right along with solid endlinks and milled clasps. What’s not expected is the starting price for the Rocks Diver: $339. For a watch with these specifications and as well constructed as this one is, the price is a very good deal. I got to play with the red variant, but there will also be blue, turquoise, and black options. Yes, the tropic and leather straps will be extra, but I struggle to think of an equally well-designed dive watch at such a low price.
There is a lot to like about the Bencler Rocks Diver. It’s compact, it has a unique aesthetic, and the price makes it easy to jump in with both feet. With a few more refinements, I think Bencler will have a hit watch on their hands. The Kickstarter is set to launch in late November, and you can sign up on Bencler’s website here to stay up to date for the launch.
