Formex Reef Radiant Bronze Review

In our previous reviews of the Essence ThirtyNine and Essence Leggera we went into full detail of the history of Formex. Formex is an independent and family owned watch manufacture founded in 1999 in Biel/Bienne Switzerland. Formex prides itself on thinking outside of the box and using unique engineering expertise to bring innovative features and designs to their watches.

The Essence series for example employs an innovative suspension system that allows the watch to expand and contract with the wearer's wrist as well as absorb shocks to the case. For the first time we also experienced a deployant clasp fixed to a rubber strap that allowed for micro-adjustments. Typically only metal bracelets have allowed this kind of adjustment at the clasp level. The Essence series served as a great introduction to Formex, but we knew that we'd like to expand our knowledge of the brand and asked Markus over at Formex if they could send us one of their Reef series of watches to review.



The Reef series is Formex's line of dive watches, coming in both 39.5 and 42 mm versions, there are also GMT variants as well. Since I prefer larger watches, I asked Formex if they could send me one of the 42 mm time only Reef models. I also learned a lot about the ability for Formex to make some truly unique dials when I spoke with Markus over the phone, so I requested if they could send me the version of the Reef with the radiant bronze dial.

When the watch first arrived, the thing that initially grabbed my attention was of course the bronze dial. Bronze while somewhat commonly used on watch cases is not really seen as a finished dial option. While patina on the case of a bronze watch is desirable, the results of oxidation on a dial could be rather unsightly. Formex's dial production facility spent months testing bronze dials until they finally arrived on the brushed version you see on this Reef model. To prevent oxidation, Formex treated the finished bronze dial with a special lacquer to ensure patina will never set in. The hue of the bronze along with the vertical brushing just makes this dial seem to jump out of the watch.



The second thing that stood out was the matte black and polished dive bezel. The style of bezel used by Formex here is the style I really prefer that uses raised markings and numerals that give a nice depth to the bezel. My personal IWC GST Aquatimer 2000 and my wife's Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 use similar styled bezels. I'd say this style is my favorite bezel design if not including the rounded sapphire bezels used on the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. The bezel is crafted out of ceramic with the background being a textured matte black and the raised markings brilliantly polished. The contrast between the matte and polished areas along with the depth of the dial really need to be seen in person to be appreciated fully.

Having already used Formex's adjustable deployant clasp previously, I won't say that was something that took my attention on the initial viewing of the Reef. The final thing that really stood out to me on the Formex Reef was just how thin the watch is. For a larger 42 mm diver, you just expect the watch to be thick and bulky, which it is not. We verified Formex's measurement of 11.4 mm of case thickness with our calipers. While the watch does have that bulky diver look, it's completely manageable due to how thin it is. I'd say that if you wanted to wear this watch under cuff, you'd probably have no problems.



So that we've now gone over my initial thoughts on the Formex Reef, let's go ahead and look at the technical specifications. The Reef is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 42 mm with a lug to lug measurement of 48.8 mm. The case thickness is 11.4 mm and it weighs 116 grams with the rubber strap and stainless steel and carbon fiber deployant clasp.

The Formex Reef has a flat sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. Underneath the crystal clear sapphire is the multi-finished and vertically brushed bronze dial. Like stated before, the brilliant bronze dial is treated with a special lacquer that makes sure the dial will look as brilliant today as it will in fifty years. Formex prides itself on its ability to craft dials just not achievable by even the largest watch manufactures. We see this in their meteorite, carbon and stone dials, as well as with this bronze reef dial.



The Reef has hand-applied tri-angular shaped hour markers that are brushed and polished and feature a Super-Luminova covering. The hour, minute and seconds hands are also brushed and polished and feature a Super-Luminova treatment as well. At 12 o'clock you find the Formex Logo and at 6 o'clock you have "REEF Chronometer 300M" text. Also at 6 o'clock you have the color matching date window. Now a black or white backed date window would look really out of place on this stunning bronze dial, so I have to really applaud Formex here.



The bezel is indented nicely and provides ample grip when operating the 120 click uni-directional dive bezel. I just love a 120 click bezel and even the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms I just purchased only has 60 clicks to its bezel. I feel the extra clicks just add that much more to the already great bezel action. The bezel requires just the right amount of force to turn and rewards you with a satisfying click. As mentioned earlier, the bezel is crafted out of Zirconium oxide black ceramic and is rough and matte on its backing. The numerals and markings are engraved by laser pulsations and each bezel takes an hour to engrave. The bezel markings also feature a nice polish and are easy to read against the matte background. The three dimensional appearance of the bezel catches my eye almost as much as the crazy bronze dial does to be honest.



Remember earlier in this review when I was speaking about how Formex likes to bring something new to their watches through their special engineering team? Well the Reef is no different with its introduction of swappable bezels. Changing the bezel of your watch will alter its appearance just as much as swapping straps. Formex developed a quick change system for the bezel that doesn't require much more than a flat edge to wedge between the bezel and case and with a quick twist the bezel pops off. Formex offers a wide range of diver and GMT bezels that fit on the Reef, so changing up the appearance and function of your watch can be done in a literal snap.



The case of the Formex Reef is mostly brushed with some edges being polished. The mostly brushed finished gives the watch a true tool watch look, while the polished areas add a bit of luxury to the mix. The screw-down crown is flanked by large crown guards. The crown is brushed and polished and has a Formex logo on the top. The sides of the crown are scalloped nicely giving nice grip for crown operation. Once un-screwed, the crown allows for manual winding. Pulling out the crown to position one allows you to set the date, while pulling the crown out to position two allows the time to be set.



Flipping the watch over shows off the solid case back picturing a wave pattern with an inset Formex logo. With the screw down crown and solid screw down case back, the Formex Reef is good for 300 meters of water resistance. Inside of the Reef beats a Swiss made Sellita SW300-1 automatic movement. The watch beats at 28,800 vph (4Hz) and has a power reserve of 56 hours. Being a certified chronometer, the watch should have an accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds per day. On our timegrapher the Formex Reef showed an accuracy of 0 to -1 seconds per day, well inside chronometer specifications.

The lug width of the Formex Reef is 22 mm and the watch comes on a black rubber strap that tapers down to 19 at the stainless steel and carbon fiber deployant clasp. The rubber strap is extremely supple and requires no break in to be comfortable. The watch is also available on a stainless steel bracelet, but we prefer a diver on a rubber strap.



There is a Formex logo on the brushed stainless steel part of the clasp which uses two pushers to release the clasp. Above were the pins on the carbon fiber part of the clasp attach to the strap is another button which when pressed in allows the strap to slide along the buckle adding virtually endless micro-adjustments to get a perfect fit. The strap also has a quick release mechanism that is activated by pushing the tab in towards the case.

I spent a good deal of time with the Formex Reef on my wrist and put it into my daily rotation of personal watches. With the temperature in Austin being over 100 degrees every day, having the ability to adjust the clasp is a godsend. When you're inside for an extended period of time and then go out into the hot and humid outdoors, your wrist instantly swells up and makes the once comfortable strap annoying. Opening the clasp and depressing the adjustment tab allowed me to pull the strap out a bit and in a few seconds the strap was comfortable again.



On the wrist the Reef sat pretty centered on my wrist and didn't favor one side or the other. The watch is a little smaller than the 50 to 53 mm lug to lug I prefer, but at 48.8 it was close enough. The Reef has a pretty nice weight to it, pretty much you always know you have it on, but it never gives you any wrist fatigue. I'd imagine the version with a full stainless steel bracelet might be a bit more present on your wrist though.

I was actually approached by a few people about the Formex Reef, which isn't too surprising given the stunning bronze dial. Like expected, most people had questions about the dial. While the bronze dial is pretty subtle in lower light situations, in full sun the dial really comes alive and will attract attention. If you wanted a watch that was a little more low key, Formex does offer the Reef with silver, black and dark blue dials.



For some reason we didn't go swimming during the time I had the Reef, but I think the watch would be a great watch for hanging out at and in the pool. Naturally water resistance wouldn't be a concern and having the ability to make small adjustments to the clasp would be welcomed in the water and heat.

At $1,935 the 42mm Formex Reef offers a lot for the money. You get a robust stainless case with a stunning laser engraved ceramic bezel featuring 120 clicks. You also get a super accurate chronometer certified Swiss made Sellita automatic movement with over two days of power reserve. The addition of the deployant clasp with micro-adjustments is a game changer to me as well. Finally you have that amazing bronze dial, which you don't even see the largest manufactures producing.



Now that we've spent some time going over the details of the Formex Reef, we can now take a look at some alternative divers which offer similar specs. Naturally you can't talk about 300 meter divers and not bring up the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M. This watch has been the go to "entry" level diver forever. My first two luxury timepieces were both Seamasters, but this was back in the early 2000s. I believe I paid around $2,500 for a new Seamaster 300M GMT, which would have been comparable to the price of the Formex. The base Seamaster is now $5,600, which is almost three times the price of the Reef. You do get the iconic names of both Omega and Seamaster along with an in-house Omega caliber. The Seamaster does have a slightly shorter power reserve though and both watches are certified chronometers offering 300 meters of water resistance.



Next up you have the Squale 1521 Classic COSC. Like the Reef, the 1521 is a 42 mm dive watch crafted out of stainless steel. Inside of the 1521 beats an also chronometer certified Sellita movement, but this time being the slightly down catalog SW200-1 with only 38 hours of power reserve. Squale has a rich history with dive watches, helping pioneer their Von Buren water tight case with crown at 4 o'clock. The 1521 comes on a stainless steel bracelet and includes a leather strap as well and retails for $1,870. Squale is also able to offer 500 meters of water resistance on the 1521. The price of the Squale is just a hair less than the Formex Reef, but its styling might be a bit too retro for some when compared to the Reef's more modern design aesthetic.



Moving on we have the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date. The Aquaracer once again is a 300 meter dive watch crafted out of stainless steel with a 42 mm case diameter. The TAG Heuer has a movement built by Sellita as well which offers 80 hours of power reserve and is chronometer certified. The dial of the Aquaracer features a strong wave pattern that seems to be pretty divisive amongst watch collectors. The Aquaracer is also almost twice the price of the Formex Reef at $3,600.

Finally we have the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver automatic, which is another 42 mm stainless steel diver with 300 meters of water resistance. Zodiac was also one of the early pioneers of dive watches and the Super Sea Wolf is a modern take on the vintage Zodiac divers. Inside of the Super Sea Wolf is the same chronometer certified Sellite SW200-1 as found in the Squale 1521, also offering around 38 hours of power reserve. The price of the Super Sea Wolf is a bit more than the Formex Reef at $2,195, but does come on a stainless steel bracelet.



As you can see from these four alternatives, the Formex Reef offers a very compelling package for a relatively low price. Besides the much more expensive Omega, the Reef has the highest end movement and is nearly the least expensive. Also the Reef has that one of a kind dial that the other brands just can't match. The Reef also manages to be its own unique diver without copying all the diver design traits put in place by the Fifty Fathoms and Submariner. All this and chronometer certification for under $2,000 is hard to beat.



Is the Formex Reef for me? This is a tough one since I like the watch so much, but it's just a tiny bit smaller than my preferred 50 mm plus lug to lug sizing. Personally on my 58.5mm wide wrist, I just see too much of my wrist on either side of the watch. This is highly subjective and most will probably find this 42 mm Reef on the larger side of what they like, but hey I just bought a 48mm Blancpain… The combination of the laser engraved bezel and bronze dial just make this watch for me. The Formex Reef just isn't another boring diver. The perfect version of the Reef for me would be if Formex made a 44 mm version out of titanium or carbon, which would allow for a larger size at even lower weight.



So would I recommend the Formex Reef for somebody looking for a luxury dive watch around $2,000? Yes I would completely recommend the Reef to somebody shopping in this segment, probably up to somebody shopping north for $5,000. I can't really see anything wrong with the watch at all. The movement is super accurate and chronometer certified. The power reserve isn't record breaking, but it will last you just fine when worn as a daily driver.The clasp with micro-adjustments means the watch will be comfortable in any imaginable situation. Finally having such a unique and stunning bronze dial is just the chef's kiss. It would be a mistake to not give the Formex Reef a good look if you're looking at adding a luxury diver to your collection.

I'd really like to thank Markus and the team over at Formex for sending us this 42 mm Reef to review. Just like the two Essence models we reviewed previously, the Reef has been a great watch with nothing to really nitpick. We look forward to seeing what Formex sends us next to review.



For more information about the Reef please visit : Formex

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: 2200.1.6382.910

Retail Price: $1,935

Case Size: 42 mm

Lug to Lug: 48.8 mm

Thickness: 11.4 mm

Weight: 116 Grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Ceramic

Strap: Rubber Strap with Adjustable Stainless Steel and Carbon Fiber Deployant Clasp

Movement: Swiss Made Sellita SW300-1 Automatic Movement

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Power Reserve: 56 Hours

Water Resistance: 300 Meters