AS A RELATIVE NEWCOMER TO THE INDUSTRY, Reservoir has made
remarkable strides in a very short time. This is all the more impressive
considering the somewhat dangerous price point on which the brand
has chosen to focus. With recent reports showing a market price
polarization with low end and high end watches as stable or growing,
the $5,000 +/- price range has been a huge challenge for new brands.
While customers are secure in buying into established powerhouses
like Omega, TAG Heuer, Tudor, and even Breitling, convincing buyers to
pull four to six thousand dollars out of their wallets is no mean feat for
any “new” member of the watch pantheon. Established brands benefit
from the perceived consumer comfort of long-term value, while
brands like Reservoir do not (yet) benefit from decades of service to
and recognition from the industry and its patrons. Clearly they must
count heavily on pure emotion to overcome buyer’s resistance.
In the case of Reservoir, this emotional trigger has been pulled through
a combination of design, build and a basic blueprint that can be
expressed in various incarnations while maintaining its core identity.
Whether emulating the gauge from the control deck of a submarine,
the altimeter from an aircraft cockpit, or a speedometer from a WWII
Jeep, Reservoir watch weaves the helixes of its own DNA into each
and every watch. These embedded codes common to all Reservoir
watches are a digital jumping hour, a retrograde minute hand, and a
power reserve indictor. These basics are simple enough for the
layman to read and appreciate, but also complex enough to appeal
to the aficionado.
From a manufacturing point of view it makes sense to conceptualize
your own patented display and functionality into a variety of personas,
and that’s exactly what the CEO and founder owner Francois Moreau
has accomplished.
In this newest variation, Reservoir presents a completely appropriate
and thoroughly appealing diver’s type called the Hydrosphere. Various
colors are easy to read at a glance and emulate the look of a SCUBA
air pressure gauge.
The 45mm stainless steel case is rated to 25atm and incorporates
a helium release valve while the dial that sits atop emits a cool blue
luminescence in the dark. Surrounding the dial is a customized diver
bezel specifically developed to work with the retrograde minute
hand display.
Retail price is $4,300. See one for yourself at our iW Leading Watch
Retailer IW Marks, Houston www.iwmarks.com.
FALL 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 67