When Seiko started shifting upmarket a few years ago, it left a hole in the affordable tool watch segment. Brands like Citizen and Orient can fill it to an extent, but most of their designs aren’t targeted toward watch enthusiasts in the same way Seiko did. Vaer has come along to fill the void of affordable watches with watches that die-hard enthusiasts will find attractive. We’ve covered a few of their watches before, so I thought we would review them differently today.
Today, we have the D5, a Pepsi-bezel dive watch with some funky design elements and everything that makes Vaer’s dive watches exceptionally great value. We also have the R1 Tactical meca-quartz chronograph. This is a fun take on a military-inspired chronograph with plenty of modern flourishes to fit in with the modern collector. Let’s jump in and take a closer look at two of the hottest new releases from Vaer.
On the Wrist
These two watches don’t share the same dimensions but are close enough that the wearer won’t notice a difference between them. The D5 is 39mm wide, 13.2mm thick, and 48mm lug-to-lug, while the R1 is 40mm wide, 11.8mm thick, and 48mm lug-to-lug. The case height on the D5 is brought down to 11.5mm wrist-to-crystal, which is almost precisely in line with the R1’s dimensions.
It wasn’t until I swapped these watches on and off my wrist one after the other that I noticed what a fantastic two-watch pairing these make. The D5 is bold, bright, and reminiscent of the Seiko SKX009 (or the SKX015 if we go by case size). The R1 is sleeker and fades away on the wrist, especially when wearing a long-sleeved shirt. I can bring these two watches on vacation and not worry about the rest in my collection. The D5 can play all day in the ocean, and the R1, with less weight and a rubber strap, fits perfectly into winding down with a cold beer on the porch.
I spent a little more time with the R1 on my wrist, mainly because I’ve reviewed several of Vaer’s dive watches before the D5. The R1 felt more like Vaer’s new release, i.e., something I hadn’t tried before. However, the D5 felt like an upgrade over the other dive watches I had previously reviewed or had hands-on with. It looks and feels like an iteration over a watch like the D4. Granted, the D4 is solar, so the D5 should feel like an upgrade.
Vaer R1 Tactical Specs | |
Case Width 40mm | Lug-to-Lug 48mm |
Case Thickness 11.8mm | Wrist-to-Crystal 10.5mm |
Lug Width 20mm | Weight 64g (watch head only) |
Water Resistance 100m | Strap Rubber Strap |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova BGW9 |
Movement Seiko VK63 | Price $399 |
Vaer D5 Pacific Specs | |
Case Width 39mm | Lug-to-Lug 48mm |
Case Thickness 13.2mm | Wrist-to-Crystal 11.5mm |
Lug Width 20mm | Weight 71g (watch head only) |
Water Resistance 200m | Strap Bracelet |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova BGW9 |
Movement Miyota 9015 | Price $699 |
Dials Details
These two watches couldn’t be more different in their approach to dial design. Let’s take a look at each one individually. The D5 features a dark blue, almost black dial. Most will be used to the handset if they’ve browsed Vaer’s catalog before. The differences are in the blue ring intersecting the applied markers and the chapter ring.
The blue ring is there simply to add a visual flourish, and I suppose one could argue the chapter ring is also. I say that because the chapter ring doesn’t appear to be aligned to anything. This isn’t a Seiko-like mistake; it was intentional by Vaer. It looks as though either side of the light blue “boxes” on the chapter ring would correspond to the minute hash marks, but it feels a bit disorienting, especially when setting the dive bezel. I would have preferred a tweak on the chapter ring’s design to make it look more aligned than it is. With that said, this is a quirk I quickly forgot about while wearing the watch daily. For those paying attention, you’ll also notice the roulette-style date wheel at 6 o’clock.
The D5’s bezel is a Pepsi-style bezel, with the color split at the 20-minute mark. This is a classic dive watch bezel style, popularized by the Seiko SKX009 (and one I feel is sorely underutilized). The bezel is lumed at the marks between the numerals.
The R1 is built to be purely tacti-cool (I say this as a compliment). Syringe hands with a pale yellow lume color complement the bright white and light green markings on the dial and subdials.
Vaer took some creative freedom with the shape of the subdials, and it works extremely well. They are elongated to be oval-shaped, and this adds just enough visual interest to stand out from the crowd of meca-quartz chronographs on the market today.
The entire watch’s green color palette gives it a night-vision vibe, which is further enhanced by the awesome lume application. While there are no surprises on the hands, numerals, or markers, the dial does have a lumed ring that was a total surprise to me when I went to take the lume shot for this review. I initially thought this was just a neat party trick to add to the watch until I realized it illuminates the tachymeter’s numerals. They don’t glow in your face and make the dial look busy when the lume is glowing, but they are there if you need to read them.
Case Details
It would be easy to say these two watches have nothing in common when it comes to their cases. This is partly true. Yes, one is PVD-coated black, and the other is stainless steel. Yes, one has a fixed bezel, and the other has a dive-time bezel. However, there are elements in Vaer’s overall design aesthetic that both watches share.
The midcase of both watches is beautifully rounded and has no flat surface. I’d go so far as to call the cases Rolex Oyster-inspired, and I’m probably not too far off from the truth.
This design prevents watches from having slabby sides and decreases their perceived footprint on your wrist. That ever-so-gentle curve in towards the wrist as the sides of the case meet the caseback is such an important design element that many brands overlook. Vaer uses this design in almost every one of their watches, and for good reason. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The D5 I had for review came on a comfortable and easily adjustable jubilee-style bracelet. I’m never going to complain about a solid 5-link bracelet, and I love that Vaer has and continues to offer this option for most of its watches. I’m just waiting for the inevitable quick-adjust clasp.
The R1 came with two tropic-style rubber straps in black and OD green. There is nothing to complain about with these straps but nothing to write home about. If you’re buying this watch, get the 3-link bracelet they offer.
Final Thoughts
Aside from the 36mm A3 (review here), these are two of my favorite releases from Vaer in the last two years. They’ve finally perfected the 39mm dive watch in their catalog and are also offering a solid meca-quartz chronograph with its own soul. I’d have a hard time deciding between these two watches (part of the reason I wanted to review both), and I can easily say that you can’t go wrong with either.
Check out more Vaer reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Vaer website here
