Today we are gonna look at another Kickstarter watch, but with a very cool thing going on from each watch they sell. The company is called Rezin and they were funded through Kickstarter with 210 backers who pledged €27,006. The company was funded in 2014 by three friends and they actually at first started making sunglasses from wood. The brand itself is French. In 2018 they designed a watch collection and they use wood, concrete and other materials for the dials. In the collection, they have three different lines. The one we are taking a look at today, in my opinion, is the best looking and I like that it has the GMT hand. All their watches are hand assembled in Besancon (France).
So what do they do for each watch sold? The company is all about travelling, exploring and going green as you can see they use natural elements for the dials. In 2018, Rezin celebrated its 4 years of existence. This anniversary is definitely a great occasion for the company to look forward to the future and affirm again its green commitments. Rezin is committed to several associations which are deeply fighting for a better world. Rezin team daily works on 3 projects, by donating a portion of the profits from their sales. Rezin also wants to give you the opportunity to make an additional donation for the projects you’re sensitive to during your payment.
The three projects they are donating to hold by two French organizations (Coeur de Foret and 1001 Fontaines) which are working on access to drinking water, biodiversity and reforestation. Right now they have sponsored more than 11000 bees for pollination, planted more than 4500 trees and distributed more than 6400 litres of water. When I received the watch, I actually got a package with seed alongside with the watch box. Inside there is a mix of seeds for different plants which is made to attract and feed bees, in order to work for pollination and biodiversity. Of course, you need to plant them and grow the plants, any case, this is a very cool idea and I will definitely plant them on my balcony in March and see what happens as I have many bees in my area where I live in the summer.
So, the model that they sent me from the GMT line is Rezin GMT Granite & Argent which has some nice yellow accents. The other two models in the GMT line are also pretty good looking, but I just liked this one more. The watch came in a nice rectangular cardboard/cork box. Inside I had two straps (black and brown), instructions, warranty and the watch of course. I was actually surprised by how small it is. I was actually waiting for a bigger sized watch like 42mm or something, but that 38mm size is really wearable and looks good on the wrist.
The case of the GMT is made of 316L stainless steel. The case is very well machined. I wasn’t expecting such good quality for that price at all. The finishing on the whole case is satin brushed, except the polished bezel. Finishing is also done very good. The case shape is round with wire lugs. I actually really like this case style, I’m a big fan of the vintage watches that have the wire lugs, so this is kind of a modern design with that small vintage vibe. The case diameter is 38mm, the thickness is 10mm and from lug to lug it measures at 44mm. The dimensions, in my opinion, are perfect. My reader will probably know that in recent years I started to like smaller sized watches and this definitely goes in that category, it isn’t too small or too big and in daily use, it feels comfortable. At 3 o’clock we have a signed push-pull crown with which you can change time and set the 24h hand. The solid screw-in case back is nicely signed with Rezin logo and around it we have some specifications engraved. On top of the watch sits a domed hardened mineral crystal. The water resistance is 5ATM which is fine for rain or handwash, but no swimming.
The dial is where everything is happening! Around the dial, we have this chapter ring made of ebony wood. Then we have a natural granite on that second part with white printed hour markers and minute track. The middle portion where is the 24-hour dial located we have this black circular brushed circle. At 12 o’clock we have the Rezin logo and at 6 o’clock the GMT name. The polished hour and minute hands have dauphine shape. The stick-shaped second’s hand is in yellow colour. The GMT hand is black with plane shape pointer in yellow. I’m usually am not a big fan of the wooden elements or any other non-traditional materials, but Rezin designed them in a way that you don’t even notice the wood around the edge and the granite gives a very nice texture to the dial. I also like that GMT hand with that plane as the pointer.
Inside the Rezin GMT, we have a Swiss Made Ronda 505.24 quartz GMT movement. As always nothing much you can say about quartz. It is reliable, Swiss made, accuracy is better than any mechanical movement. The battery life is 2-3 years.
The straps that come with the watch are really good. I put the brown strap on the watch as I think the black one is too plain in my opinion. The straps are made of genuine leather, they have a very nice feel and they are very well finished. Stitching is also very good, no loose threads. The underside is lined with soft beige leather. The straps are really supple so they will wrap your writ comfortably right out the box. The signed, stainless steel tang style buckle has satin brushed finish. The strap is attached to the case with already built in quick release spring bars which makes the strap change super easy and fast. The strap is 18mm at the lugs and 16mm at the buckle.
Overall the watch is really cool and good looking for the price! It has a lot of going on for that price: nice design, well-made case, hand-assembled in France, GMT function, Swiss made Ronda quartz movement and nice leather straps. Yes, this more or less is a fashion brand, but if I had to choose between this and Daniel Wellington, I would choose this all day long! It is unique and has that useful GMT function if you travel or something.
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