Today we are taking a look at a new watch from Revelot which just launched on Kickstarter! It is called R7 Avantgarde which is a retro-futuristic inspired automatic watch! I have been eyeing Revelot for some time now as I really like their older models especially the chronograph they have called R8 which is kind of an homage to Rolex Daytona, but with its own twist! Revelot is a micro brand watch company which has been in the market for some time. Their main goal is to make premium watches, in the best quality they can for very accessible prices and combining all that with a retro-futuristic design and Japan movements. And so far I think they have accomplished it. Also besides watches, they make those small wallets which don’t take much space in your pocket and from everything I can see on their page and read online, they are pretty great for the price too!

Revelot sent me one of the five available R7 Avantgarde watches in stainless steel, there is also a couple in rose gold and black coating. I always prefer Stainless steel look as I know that there is no coating to rub off after many years of use, but that is just my preference! The review sample that they sent me is still a prototype so if you see bad finishing or any other details that haven’t been machined nicely, I can assure you that on production model everything will be finished to the finest detail!

The R7 came in a very interesting box, or should I call it a metal tin box. Reminds me of childhood when there were these Yugioh trading cards and they came in very similar metal tins, but that’s another story, haha. Inside the tin, you get the warranty card with QR codes for instructions and warranty and you get a watch! A very simple straight forward unboxing experience! The first impressions of the watch are pretty good, I actually didn’t see any photos of what I will be getting they just wrote to me if I would be willing to write about their new timepiece. Usually, I know everything about the watch, before I get it, but here I didn’t know anything, and I got to say I was surprised, and I was especially surprised to learn that the super early bird price on Kickstarter for this will be only 199$ (that is US dollars), that’s the price for the first 30 people! It is jaw-droppingly low in my opinion! Usually, similar watches are going for 400-500$ at the lowest! I really like the lugs on the case and the strap is also very well made!

The case of the R7 is made of 316L stainless steel. The machine work seems to be fine, there are some unfinished areas by the lug cutouts, but as this is a prototype, everything will be finished right on the production model. The finishing on the case is brushed with a polished edge on the bezel which looks very cool and gives a nice contrast! The case shape is round. The diameter is 45mm the thickness is 14mm, the lug to lug distance is 53mm and the lug width is 22mm. The watch actually to me feels a bit too big, I know it is a modern watch and they tend to be on a bigger side, but I kind of like smaller watches. But I know and understand why people love bigger watches, I have some too. Maybe if the thickness was 10-12mm the watch would look a lot better. At 3 o’clock we have a push-pull crown which is signed on top and it has some nice machine work on the sides for some grip. The exhibition screw-in case back has a flat mineral crystal with some specifications around the edge. On top of the watch, we have a flat sapphire crystal which actually is surprising for the super early bird price in my opinion!

The multilayered skeleton dial has a lot of going on. From what I read on their webpage this dial and actually, the whole watch was inspired by old plane turbines/engines. I can see some resemblance. The most interesting thing in my opinion on the dial are subdials on the wings, the watch features dual rotating plates one for seconds and another for 24 hours. I like how they did the small seconds subdial where the numbers stay in place and a gold plate is rotating to show seconds. The thing that I don’t like that there is empty space on the dial, on the outer portion of the dial, everything is happening mostly in the centre of the dial, but the outer portion feels a bit empty, I think it needs more details on the outer portion, but that is just me. But nonetheless, you get a skeleton dial for under 200$ and in my book that is a steal + it has cool subdials, nice skeletonized hands and somewhat interesting design.

Inside the R7 Avantgarde, we have Japan-made automatic Miyota 82S7 movement. The movement has a 42-hour power reserve and beats at 21600 BPH. I have this movement in one of my Xeric watches, the Halograph II to be exact and I have only positive things to say about it! It is a workhorse of a movement. Both of the examples given were running at +7 average a day which is really good for these affordable movements. I also have to say that you just can’t go wrong with Miyota or Japan movements in general as they have proven their reliability throughout the years. Also, Miyota movements are pretty popular in microbrand watches because of how much you get for a relatively low price if you compare it for example to the more expensive Swiss counterparts.

The strap that mine example came on is a pretty good one. It is a light brown leather strap with contrasting cream stitching. The strap is very supple and won’t need the break-in time. I like the small Revelot logo detail on the end of the strap, it is a nice touch! Revelot also included a second strap which is a black silicone strap which is really nice, I have had watches that cost 10 times more than this and they had way worse straps. And I like that all straps have the built-in quick release spring bars, that just makes strap change very quick job.

Overall the watch is cool, yes it has some minor things I don’t like, but that all is design-wise. The price of this watch is just too good! You get an automatic Miyota movement with hacking feature, sapphire crystal on the front, exhibition case back, nice straps and a cool package overall! This is a serious contender to many microbrands coming out right now as this offers a premium watch for just under 200$. Is this watch worth to buy? Hell yes, if you like the design and how it looks, get it while you can on Kickstarter!