Go big or go home. That’s the motto around RZE this month as the brand launches the latest of its titanium divers. Before today, RZE has lived inside the 38-41mm space, producing purpose-built tool watches for the field, the sky, and of course, the sea. The all-new RZE Aspirare bucks the current trend of shrinking case sizes and packs a 44mm wallop, instead.

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RZE has a talent of reinventing cases and dials that appear fresh and familiar at the same time. I have always felt that the brand created an aesthetic with the Resolute that it has adhered to with great success. There isn’t, for instance, a single watch in its catalogue that is not at once recognisably “of the brand.” The Aspirare is no different. The same angular design language we find everywhere in the RZE pantheon is again here in spades. And its bead-blasted surfaces provide a restrained minimalism that I can’t help but appreciate.

Like all its offerings, RZE has forged the Aspirare from UltraHexTM titanium. But unlike past inventives, this one grows on you. Measuring in at 44mm in diameter, the watch is also noticeably longer with a lug to lug of 53mm, and a slightly more subdued case thickness of 13mm.

When RZE chose the motto “Assembled for Adventure,” it had the Aspirare in mind. True to its toolish roots, the watch promises to be a tough customer. The UltraHex treatment proffers added to protection from scratches and abrasions, while the crown and caseback are sealed and screwed down—guaranteeing 300m of water resistance.

Beneath its sapphire crystal is a highly legible, bold handset that I am tempted to dub “The Crayola,” coupled with broad trapezoidal markers and a high contrast colourway. Here we have the entrancing metallic blue, Midnight Meteorite dial (limited to 100 pieces); however, each colourway—be it Basalt Black, or Diamond White—has a custom matched date wheel at six that must be among the most unobtrusive date complications out there.  The dial also has a sharply slanted rehaut with a striking minute track.

This same brash distinction is extended to the bezel—which like the dial elements is fully lumed, allowing for easy nighttime readability, or in the darker reaches beneath the waves. It is uni-directional, countdown, and fully graduated from 0-20. The bezel edge has also been nicely scalloped for easy manipulation—even with a gloved hand. In addition, for the first time, the Aspirare extends an extra level of customization by making the bezel interchangeable using nothing more than a screwdriver.

Time and again RZE goes back to affordable, Japanese workhouse movements to power its watches. The brand has chosen the ubiquitous Miyota 9015 for the Aspirare, which displays a 4Hz sweep and provides a 42-hour power reserve.

Of special note this time around is the new bracelet. Aside from appearing rugged and stylish, the milled Ultra-Link has been specially developed as the perfect counterpart to the brand’s “on-the-fly” micro-adjusting clasp. As such, obtaining  the perfect fit—even if that fit changes throughout the day—has never been easier.

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SPECS

Case	Titanium /w UltraHex™ Coating 44mm Diameter 53mm Lug to Lug 13mm Thick 22mm Lug Width Unidirectional, 120-Click Bezel Screw Down Crown & Case Back 300m Water Resistance
Dial & Crystal	Flat Sapphire Crystal /w AR Meteorite Dial (Limited Edition) Applied Markers Colour-matched Date Window @ 6 Super-LumiNova
Movement	Miyota 9015 24 Jewels 28 800bph 42-Hour Power Reserve
Strap	Ultra-Link Titanium Bracelet /w UltraHex™ and On-the-Fly Micro-adjust

RZE Aspirare

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Of Interest

I am often tempted to call any watch produced by RZE, “function forward.” But I am fearful that this might diminish what the brand’s designers have accomplished with timepieces like the Aspirare. The wonder of a good design is that it is uniquely functional, but also attractive. Take the high-contrast dial featured here. RZE could have simply produced a blue dial, but instead, we have a stunning piece of iridescent blue meteorite. The bracelet is another area of interest. RZE already have several operational bracelets that would have worked with the Aspirare. But the new, beefy tank-track scheme could not be more perfect when matched with increased case size. Functional? Sure. But also cool as hell.  

Quibbles

This watch will not fit everyone. But I am not sure if that is a fair criticism. If you intend to use this watch as a true diver, it wouldn’t be a criticism at all. While dive watches have largely been replaced by dive computers, many people still take a diver with them—whether it be a case of double-jeopardy, or simply for the romanticism of it. Whatever the reason, if you intend to use the Aspirare as the tool it was designed to be, you’ll do nothing but celebrate its size and straightforward design.

Final Thoughts

I like this move by RZE. At its most basic level, a tool watch has at least one function, beyond timekeeping, for which it was built. But, of course, we mean so much more when we use the term. We look to our tool watches for robust build quality. Hardiness. Solid specs. We want them to take a beating and then shrug it off. I get that from the Aspirare. In fact, I get it from everything in the RZE catalogue. But the design decision behind the Aspirare—to go bigger—when most others are doing the opposite, tells me that the brand means business. The value proposition here, too, is undeniable. A true tool watch needs to be affordable. You can’t be afraid to wear it. And this is where the Aspirare (and the brand) excels.  

Aspirare is an interesting name. In Latin and modern Italian it means to breathe or to inhale. But it can also mean spirit—the force which animates the living. More and more I find the RZE philosophy akin to that you can find in a number of successful adventure brands, like Patagonia. I like the idea of seizing the day with sustainable adventures. The watches produced by RZE don’t belong in watch boxes. They should be kept on your nightstand, where you can grab them quickly and toss them back dinged and dented at the end of the day.

The RZE Aspirare is available for purchase today in Basalt Black, Diamond White and Midnight Meteorite (100pcs Limited Edition) for $659USD on the Ultra-Link bracelet. For more information, please visit the brand website.

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About the author

Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.

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