Direnzo DRZ05 Solaris - Black Meteorite Limited Edition (Swiss Made)

Offered in a choice of red dial, black dial or meteorite dial, each Direnzo DRZ 05 Solaris comes with a beads-of-rice bracelet, convenient watch travel case, warranty card, instructions, and a two year manufacturer's warranty.

Why We Love This Watch

Direnzo is our favorite genuine Swiss microbrand, founded and run by just one man, Sergio Di Renzo, who resides in Geneva, designs all of the watches himself, and has been known to drive to the Swiss factory to personally supervise the final QA testing. What sets this watch microbrand apart from others is Direnzo's exceptional attention to detail. Not only do we see some amazing innovation in Di Renzo's designs, such as with the DRZ02, our microbrand watch of the year, but so many little touches are present to add that extra level of finesse that we feel Direnzo timepieces can easily stand up against and often best much more expensive luxury Swiss watches.

The Direnzo DRZ05 Solaris Limited Edition Meteorite is no exception. Here we have a compressor-style dive watch with dual crowns and a rotating inner chapter ring with all of the little touches we've come to love in Direnzo watches. For example, the date window is perfectly balanced at 6 o'clock and accented in red to match the logo, but the circular window is also a play on the circle theme that permeates this timepiece: At exactly where the main circular inner disc on the dial meets the fumé sunburst outer track, the lollipop on the second hand passes exactly over the center of the date window and continues in a circle around the line dividing the inner and outer sectors of the dial. Direnzo's play on circles continues with some novel introductions in the DRZ05, and we see an unusual combination of circular markings on the chapter ring at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. These subtly indicate an increase in values while helping keep the overall design balanced without any numerals on any of the indices.

There are of course playful references to previous models too. We can see homages to the inner disc and hand set from the DRZ03, Direnzo's earlier dive watch, and when the lume starts glowing, a new surprise awaits, with the entire base circumference of the chapter ring being lumed so as to remind us of the unique DRZ02 indices.

Well thought out good looks are great, but a dive watch needs to be a reliable and practical tool watch, and the Solaris does not disappoint with features such as scratch resistant sapphire crystal, dual screw down crowns, 200 meters of water resistance, (double that of many dive watches,) fully drilled lugs, a reliable Swiss SW200-1 automatic elaboré movement with upgraded Incabloc shock protection, and a very comfortable bracelet with diver's safety clasp and six levels of micro-adjustment.

As the icing on the cake, the Direnzo DRZ05 Solaris Meteorite is a very rare watch, coming in a limited edition size of just 60 timepieces. It also appears to be in high demand and quickly sold out on Direnzo's site as soon as Direnzo's own pre-orders opened. We've only been able to reserve 8 of these for The Microbrand Store, and anticipate that these will be snapped up very quickly indeed.

Video Reviews

Watch Specifications

• Reference: Direnzo DRZ 05 Solaris LE Meteorite.
• Type: Swiss Made compressor-style microbrand dive watch with dual crowns.
  
• Limited Edition Size: 60 individually numbered timepieces.
• Complications: Circular date window at 6 o'clock.
  
• Color Scheme: Black natural meteorite inner disc, black chapter ring, fumé taupe outer disc, (gradient from black to brown-grey,) with subtle sunburst effect, white markings with cyan blue glow when lume is active, silver-colored case, crowns, and edging on hands.
• Water Resistance: 20 ATM / 200 meters / 660 feet.
• Diameter: 39mm, excluding crowns.
• Lug-to-Lug Length: 47mm.
• Height: 13mm excluding crystal, 13½mm with crystal.
• Lug Width: 20mm.
  
• Weight: 74 grams (watch head only.) 142 grams on provided bracelet.
• Case: 316L marine grade stainless steel case with a fine brushed satin finish that is nicely accented by polished chamfered edges on the sides. Dual screw-down crowns, one to operate the rotating inner chapter ring, the other to wind the watch or adjust the time. Fully drilled lugs for easier strap changes.
  
• Case Back: 316L marine grade stainless steel screw down case back with an oil pressed illustration of a diver with a spear wrestling a sea monster, and a mix of polished, bead blasted and brushed finishes.
• Dial Type: Sloped bi-directional rotating chapter ring with ratchet positions for easy accurate setting and an unusual combination of markings at the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions that add to the uniqueness of this design. Applied major indices around the outer track of the dial, which has a sunburst gradient finish. Black natural meteorite inner disc with four cardinal compass lines. Edged circular date window at 6 o'clock that is perfectly aligned with both the lollipop of the second hand and the change from the outer track to inner disc.
• Dial Glass: Scratch resistant boxed sapphire crystal with inner AR coating.
• Lume: Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9 lume. White in daylight. Glows a light cyan blue in the dark when charged. Lume applied to all hands, all applied indices, and all chapter ring markings (including the entire lower edge of the chapter ring.)
  
• Straps Included: A 316L stainless steel beads of rice bracelet that nicely tapers from 20mm at the lugs down to 18mm. Bracelet comes with screwed pins for easy resizing, is finished in a mix of polished and finely brushed finishes that pick up on the accents from the watch, and includes a diver's safety clasp that features a double pusher release and six micro-adjusts.
• Movement: 26 jewel Swiss Sellita SW200-1 elaboré grade automatic movement with upgraded Incabloc shock protection system.
• Oscillation: High beat 28,800 BPH, (8 ticks per second.)
• Hacks: Yes.
• Hand Winds: Yes.
• Automatic Winding: Yes.
• Power Reserve: Up to 38 hours.
• Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 years.