RLG Odyssea
Manufacturer: RLG Watches | Price: $429 USD (£310 GBP)
I reviewed the RLG Oceanfarer back in April of this year and I have to admit, I was really impressed with it. Today, I’m taking a look at RLG’s flagship model, the Odyssea Diver. Since the dawn of time, I’ve never gratified towards any green watch, so I was hoping they’d send me one of the other colours. Just over a week later, a package arrived from RLG Watches and after a quick unboxing, what did RLG send me? The fuckin’ green one! Ah, BOLLOCKS, never mind… I will however, put on my professional reviewer head and disregard the actual colour and pretend RLG had sent me the blue one. So, let’s find out if their flagship is any good…
Full Specification
- Dimensions: Case – 38.9mm, Thickness – 12.3mm, Lug to Lug – 46.1mm, Lug Width – 20mm
- Movement: Miyota 9039, 28,800vph, Hackable, Self Winding, 42hr Power Reserve
- Case: Brushed & Polished 316L Stainless Steel
- Bezel: Coin Edge, 120 Click Unidirectional, Domed Sapphire Insert, Lumed
- Dial: Sunburst Fumé, Applied Batons/Arabics, Fence Post Hands
- Lume: Swiss Super-LumiNova® C3
- Bracelet: Brushed & Polished 316L Stainless Steel, Solid Links, Pin & Collar, Milled Clasp
- Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Inner Anti-Reflective Coatings
- Water Resistance: 200m / 20ATM / 660ft
- Caseback: Screw Down, Double Anchor/Diving Helmet Design
- Crown: 6.5mm, Screw Down, Signed
- Weight: 139g (Sized up for my 6¾″ wrist)
- Where to Buy: RLG Watches
- Warranty: 2 Years International
Case & Crown
The case of the RLG Odyssea Diver has a diameter of 38.9mm. The lug to lug is 46.1mm and the overall thickness, including the domed sapphire crystal, I measured in at a rather lovely 12.3mm. The case, caseback, coin edge bezel, crown and bracelet are all 316L stainless steel. The finish of the case is mostly brushed, but with the aesthetically pleasing addition of some rather sexy polished chamfered accents, that run along the top edge of the case. Overall, it certainly does look “absolutely fabulous darling” and the overall attention to detail really gives this watch that certain “je ne sais quoi“.
The RLG Odyssea has a total water resistance rating of 200m and the proportions of the Odyssea are fantastic, as it wears superbly on wrist, landing right in that sweet spot of 39-40mm. It’s also very comfortable, thanks to well designed bracelet that we’ll cover later on in the review. The signed crown is nicely sized at 6.5mm, looks great with it’s wee embossed RLG logo and is simple to operate with it’s vast amounts of grip. There’s no wobble either when the crown is in use and you can also feel a nice wee pop as you unscrew it. The caseback is obviously of a screw down affair and showcases a double anchor/old school diving helmet design in the centre, with the usual basic spec sheet shinanigans etched around the edge.
Strap / Bracelet
The RLG Odyssea comes fitted as standard with a really nice 20mm, brushed & polished 316L stainless steel bracelet, that I would most certainly class as premium. It is way above above the usual microbrand crap and has all the bells & whistles that you might expect to find from a bracelet of this quality. Solid links throughout, female end links for instant articulation, pin & collar for sizing, as well as a custom fully milled & signed clasp. When adjusting or sizing up the bracelet, it’s still pretty easy to do, even if the bracelet does utilise the dreaded pin & collar system. All tools required to resize the bracelet are included though.
The links of the bracelet are actually of a 3-piece design, even although they’re made to look like a 5-piece construction. I think they look great and it gives the watch that wee bit of extra bling without going overboard. The clasp also has polished chamfered edges, that match the overall aesthetics of the bracelet very well. The micro-adjustment is pretty decent too, with 3 holes added. Oh, before moving on to the next part of the review, the bracelet itself also has a very nice taper to it, going from 20mm at the lugs, down to around 17mm at the thinnest most point, before going back up to approximately 20mm at the clasp.
Movement / Accuracy
The chosen movement for the RLG Odyssea is the high beat, smooth sweep Miyota 9039. This slim, true no-date, Japanese movement is self-winding, has 24 jewels and the oscillating weight spins up, giving you up to a very respectable 42 hour power reserve. The balance runs at 28,800vph (4Hz) and the movement is also hackable. Checking the accuracy on my trusty timegrapher after running the Odyssea Diver for around three to four weeks, I was very impressed indeed with the final results, with the RLG Odyssea Diver coming in at an average of just +4 second per day, with minimal beat error. Nice!
Dial, Bezel & Hands
Other than the actual choice of this green colour, it still all adds up to a beautifully designed dial. However, obviously I would have loved to have seen a date option for the Odyssea, with preferably a white on black date wheel at the 6 o’clock position. Moving on, we get these really nice fence post style hour and minute hands, that are actually very nicely manufactured, with their proportionate scale and lovely overall design. The lumed arrow shaped section of the seconds hand is also very nice and the actual tip of the seconds hand does reach right out to the very edge of the printed white minute track.
Lume
The lume on the RLG Odyssea is executed very nicely indeed. Initially, it will come across as rather potent and even although it will obviously fade over time, it’s still very legible after a good few hours have elapsed. The actual formula that’s been applied on the Odyssea Diver is Swiss Super-LumiNova® C3.
Conclusion
So, the Odyssea Diver from RLG Watches then… I love it! It’s perfectly sized for my wrist size at 39mm. Any smaller though, I reckon it might come across as just a fraction too small. (For me, at least). It has a superb choice of movement, the build quality is outstanding and all the little extra touches all over the watch, like the polished accents are fantastic. The Odyssea certainly looks way more expensive than it actually is. $429 for this, and that’s the retail price, and it’s also in stock! No waiting around for months for the watch to be manufactured then arrive as part of a long drawn-out pre-order. Shipping wise, it took just 3 days to get to me here in the UK. The Odyssea is pretty much the perfect everyday watch, just give me a date option, (and a different colour) and I’d be 100% sold. Highly recommended!
