Wait! The year is not over yet, so there is time for one more release from RZE Watches. This will be our fifth, and presumably final, RZE review for 2022, and true to form, the brand has come through with a worthy addition to the collection, the RZE Valour Chronograph.
Like all RZE watches, the new Valour has an angular case hewn from grade 2 titanium. I love titanium for its strength, low weight, and when bead-blasted like this one, its tough industrial good looks. It is also naturally hypoallergenic and anti-magnetic. RZE’s UltraHex coating ensures scratch resistance by raising the surface hardness to an impressive 1200hv, more than half that of the AR-coated sapphire crystal and far beyond the untreated metal.
You may recall a previous RZE Valour Chronograph from the summer of 2021. With its 44mm case, that one was a bit of a departure for the brand. The new model fits tightly into RZE’s established and wildly successful design model. It measures 39mm wide, 47mm long, and 12mm thick. This makes it only slightly larger than the Valour 38 Field Watch, with which it shares a name but nothing else. (Hey, RZE! More names, please.) Similar to that model, the new chronograph features long, angular buttons and a “bridge” between the crown guards, both of which broaden the case lines, creating a distinctive and aesthetically pleasing asymmetry.
With such tight dimensions, the Valour Chronograph fits my 6.75″ wrist just like every other RZE product, which is to say, perfectly. The short lug-to-lug goes a long way in this regard.
In profile, you can appreciate the crisp edges and dramatic corners of the Valour’s case. Note how sharply the lugs drop below the case for a better wrap around the wrist. Drilled lugs are always a useful bonus on a tool watch. I particularly like the knurled and signed crown. It looks and feels like a rugged precision instrument and nearly disappears when fully screwed down, maintaining the case’s sleek lines.
Around the back, it’s a brushed and engraved lid. RZE has never gone for fancy engraving or decoration and did not change its position here. If you were to unscrew it, you would find a Seiko VK63 MechaQuartz movement (quartz timekeeper, mechanical chronograph); always a reliable choice.
The crown, the case back, and the gaskets they compress allow the Valour a 200m water resistance rating. I’ll note the shape of the chronograph buttons makes it highly unlikely that they will be accidentally depressed, a useful feature when submerged.
The Valour’s dial eschews the bar markers more often employed by RZE in favor of lumed dots. It’s a wise move, differentiating the Valour from the rest of the line. It also allows a layout in which there is a uniform hour marker in every position, without any having to be eliminated or truncated by one of the three sub-dials (minutes, small seconds, and 24-hour). The large logo and remaining text are positioned up top in the only remaining open position. Nothing is in any way cluttered.
I am usually a big proponent of color-matched dates — this one could not be less so. That black disk jumps out of this slivery-white dial and acts the same on the yellow and aqua dial options as well. Weirdly, I like the high contrast here, where it works in concert with the black tachymeter scale and registers. The 4:30 position keeps it out of the way of the other elements, again avoiding truncation. The recessed, trapezoidal frame is a nice touch too.
Of course, you get SuperLuminova, good and bright, particularly on the generous fill area in those brushed hands.
An FKM rubber strap comes standard. Once you have tried one of these, you will never go back to standard rubber (even the sweet-smelling kind) or silicone. In terms of comfort and appearance, it is simply the superior material. This one is smooth and unadorned with a venting texture on the underside, quick-release pins, and tapers from 20mm to 16mm at the signed titanium buckle. Top-notch.
The RZE Valour Chronograph sells for $369, spot-on for a 200m titanium MechaQuartz chrono. It is in stock and shipping now from RZEwatches.com. If you are in the market for a sporty, everyday watch that will look sharp and take a beating, I’d suggest you give this one a good look.
