Zodiac Deep Reef Review

[Perdu]

Zodiac Deep Reef – A Brief Review

Case
Huge 49mm case that’s 16mm thick requires a large wrist. Brushed stainless with polished sides with huge onion shape crown is very smooth to operate. It wobbles a little when open as the crown is so large in comparison to the stem. The case is water proof to 200m/660ft. The case back is engraved with a diver and the serial number of the watch. The quality of finish on the case and back is first class and much above what you expect at the going street price. The 120 click bezel is smooth, positive but a little difficult to get a hold of because of its smooth edges and low profile to the case. The crystal is thick mineral glass and domed to fit flush to the bezel. I love the clean look of this watch.



Face
Black hands on a white face with raised silver hour markers make the face simple and stunning. The rectangular marker on the second hand is also a pleasant departure from the usual circle. The lume is decent and the hands are designed to glow brighter than the hour indices. Beauty is in the eye of the holder and for me, the Deep Reef is one of the most striking designs of diver’s dials I have seen. One small niggle is that when showing dates in the teens the “1” is so close to that day/date divider that it is a little difficult to see.

Strap
The natural rubber 24mm strap (tapering to 22mm) with a signed brushed buckle is very comfortable. The strap fits my 8.25 inch wrist on the on the second to last hole. A ridge on the strap holds the keeper from riding, which is a neat design. It’s definitely the most comfortable rubber strap I have ever worn and it adds to the overall quality feel of the watch. As a diving watch I think the strap should be a little longer.



Movement
The Deep Reef is powered by the Rhonda 517 day/date quartz movement. This is not an expensive movement and can be found for $9.00 plus tax, although it can be found in $450 watches. The PowerTech movement has a very powerful stepping motor and the movement has one jewel, which is all quartz needs. Despite it price the movement is Swiss made with all Swiss metal parts making it repairable Quartz. At 25 centigrade it is accurate to -10/+20 seconds a month. Personally, I would have liked to see a higher quality Eta movement used in the Deep Reef and this is my only real criticism of the watch; that Zodiac has used the cheapest possible Swiss movement.



Summary
This is an incredible piece of quality and I’ve not seen a watch of this price (about $130 internet pricing) with this level of quality and finishing. I had never even heard of Zodiac until I joined an affordable watches forum and their line is well worth looking at (most of the line is autos). Personally, I’d like it to have a better movement albeit at a higher price. Overall, a nice addition to my little collection and I will wear it with pride. Since I can’t user my autos at work and can’t afford a Milgauss the Zodiac is going to get plenty of wrist time.

[lavaman]

I just saw similar at Bernard Watch and was wondering if Zodiac is any good....

looking for watch to give my Dad until I can afford to buy him a Speedy...

Anyone else on TRF fam with this brand?

[PerfectTiming]

Thanks for the review!

[Perdu]

Originally Posted by lavaman

I just saw similar at Bernard Watch and was wondering if Zodiac is any good....

looking for watch to give my Dad until I can afford to buy him a Speedy...

Anyone else on TRF fam with this brand?

There is an affordable watch forum on WUS and some of those guys have Zodiacs. That would be the place to ask.

[Mike B]

Nice review, I enjoyed the read