In 2019, French-founded watchmaking house Reservoir unveiled its first dive watch, the aptly named Hydrosphere, whose unique configuration added a diving bezel to the brand’s signature racing-inspired retrograde time display. One year later, Reservoir introduced the Hydrosphere Bronze, which added intrigue thanks to its use of the uncommon case material. This year, the maker revisits the model again, offering a fresh take on the bronze look and adding a colorful dial. Here’s what you should know about the new Hydrosphere Bronze “Greg Lecoeur” Edition.
The watch is the result of a partnership between Reservoir and award-winning diver-photographer Greg Lecoeur, known for capturing the beauty of the marine world and raising awareness of the fragility of its ecosystems. The special edition, designed in a close collaboration between the brand and Lecoeur, pairs the bronze case with a blue sunray dial, the latter chosen by Lecoeur “to best reflect the seabed.”
The case is large, at 45 mm in diameter, its bronze surface entirety finished with a no-nonsense satin finishing. Water-resistant to 250 meters, it includes a hidden helium escape valve and features hooded lugs that connect it to a black rubber strap. The watch also comes with an additional blue NATO strap, which is mounted via distinctive-looking bronze stirrups. A deeply toothed, unidirectional ceramic bezel tops the front of the case and interestingly features a “double scale” that allows for reading the time at different diving depths before and after the retrograde minute hand’s return to zero.
Covered by the sapphire crystal, the aforementioned retrograde-display has a deep sunray blue coloring on its surface. Retrograde timekeeping, established as Reservoir’s stylistic signature since its launch in 2015, was initially derived from the dashboard scales of race cars. For the Hydrosphere, Reservoir cites “pressure gauges” as the inspiration for the design, but the result is the same: minutes are indicated via a 60-minute scale along the top three quarters of the face, while a cyclops-magnified, digital jumping hour is on display below this scale, at 6 o’clock. A stylized power reserve lies just below the hour indicator, providing some extra symmetry to the design. Powering the limited-edition diver, behind a solid, engraved caseback, is a Reservoir-modified ETA 2824-2 caliber, specially adjusted to meet the needs of the retrograde time display. The automatic movement is capable of a 37-hour power reserve.
The Reservoir Hydrosphere Bronze “Greg Lecoeur” Edition is available directly through Reservoir for $4,980, limited to only 50 pieces, with part of its sales benefiting the Coral Gardeners Association and its mission to plant for corals and protect existing reefs. Additionally, each buyer of the limited edition will be offered a dive with Greg Lecoeur in the Port-Cros national park in France in September 2021, presenting a select few with a very special oceanic opportunity.
To learn more, visit Reservoir, here.
This is an eye-catcher. I usually don’t take to such unconventional time-keeping schemes, but I like this one. The dial colors, the cyclops hour indicator, the minute hand, and the whole effect look fun. Nice case size too.