Serket, formerly Scorpion, is one of my favorite US-based boutique manufacturers and I’m quite impressed by their latest, the Telson. it’s a 48mm watch with ETA 6497 manual wind movement and exhibition back showing off Cotes D’ Geneve engraving with a scorpion.

The movement is a workhorse – I believe Glycine uses it in their Incursore line – and the design is quite striking, especially the blue, shown here. They’re water resistant to 10ATM and come on a strap or a bracelet.

Now for the bad news: The new models cost $1,250. This one is part of a 200 piece set so you’re getting something amazingly unique, which is great, and it comes with both the bracelet and the leather strap. The Reef Diver 2.0, their beautiful 47mm diver, still costs $999, though, if you’re so inclined.

Serket, formerly Scorpion, makes really nice dive watches. They’re not very flashy but they’re well-made and use real Swiss Movements inside an American-designed case. I’ve reviewed the 1.0 version of this watch and I really liked it.

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One of my favorite homebrew watchmakers, Serket, just launched the Reef Diver 2.0, a beefy automatic with a beautiful huge bezel. I loved the original Reef Diver and this new model looks extra good. It costs $999.

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CASE
• Stainless Steel 316L Brushed/Polished
• Bezel Diameter: 47mm Height: 5.7mm
• Width from 3 to 9: 48mm
• Lug to Lug: 57mm
• Lug Width: 24mm
• Total Height: 16.5mm
• 120 Click Unidirectional Elapsed Time Bezel
• Drilled Through Lugs

CRYSTAL FRONT
• 4mm Thick Sapphire
• Diameter: 35.5mm

CRYSTAL BACK
• 2mm Thick Orange Mineral
• Diameter: 26mm

MOVEMENT
• Sellita SW200 26 Jewel Automatic
• Black Date Wheel at 3:00

CASE BACK
• Exhibition Back
• Engraved with Watch Identification/Serial Number

CROWN
• Off Center Oversized Crown at 2:00
• Diameter: 10mm
• Height: 8mm

STRAP
• 24mm Black Leather Strap Orange Stitching/Brushed Stainless Steel Buckle with Serket Engraving
• 24mm Black Italian Rubber Dive Strap Brushed Stainless Steel Buckle with Serket Engraving

WATER RESISTANT
• Pressure Tested – 30ATM/300 Meters/1000 Feet

DIAL
• Swiss Tritec Super Luminova Diamond Markers & Hands

WEIGHT
• 168 Grams

Scorpion, makers of the Reef Diver, is now called Serket. Why? Who knows, but I think the name is much cooler.

In Egyptian mythology a Serket was originally the deification of the scorpion. With our new name and new website, we are unveiling our next model, The Serket Reef Diver 2.0.

Roar!

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Forum has two threads: show us your fave Scorpion wrist shots and your overall favorite wrist shot.

If you need someplace to upload your images, try Flickr or Photobucket (my personal fave).

Just a quick note to tell you all that we’re now the official Scorpion Watch Company Forum moderator. This means we’ll be able take your questions and concerns directly to the team at SWC and we’ll be able to talk all about the brand with knowing winks and grins as we follow their bright, blazing future.

Official SWC Forum

I’m excited about small companies building their own watches. Making a watch is difficult. It requires design, logistics, and negotiating experience as well as an appreciation of risk and the ability to sell something that the world thinks it doesn’t need to picky, picky watch nuts.

That’s why I was so excited to see Scorpion Watch Company, really a pair of guys out in Denver, were creating a watch brand. This is sort of like a pair of roommates creating a microbrew beer or building a bar together — it’s fun, it’s cool, and it’s potentially lucrative.

So how does the Reef Diver fare? Extremely well, I’m pleased to report.

What the guys at Scorpion did was outsource the manufacture of their watches to a Swiss company and used an automatic ETA 2824 date movement. Fair enough. It’s been done before and will be done again. But they definitely didn’t skimp on style or build-quality. The Reef Diver is a solid watch with a great aesthetic and an attractive weight and wrist-feel.

Let’s begin with the fancy box it comes in. SWC sends the Reef Diver in a heavy-duty case with an extra band and a set of information and warranty cards. The entire case and watch is signed – the SWC logo is on the case, the crown, the face, the rubber bracelet buckle as well as on the clasp of the leather strap. This is quite a feat and shows great attention to detail.

The watch itself is water resistant to 30 ATM and features a hacking date mechanism. It has a uni-directional bezel with a solid click and no play in the chapter ring. Overall, this is a serious hunk of metal.

While the Reef Diver isn’t as “heavy” as some would like, I think the size and weight are quite handsome. The Godfather-esque Scorpion logo looks badass and there’s a big monstrous scorpion brushed into the back of the case along with each watch’s individual number – I got 96 out of 100 made. The model I received was featured red highlights and they’re planning orange and black models.

What’s there not to like? Not much. The price is fair for a swiss made ETA timepiece – compare it to a Tissot Sea Star and you’re in the general price ballpark with considerably less charm – and the watch is great. But John, you’re saying, I can get a Seiko for $200. Sure, but do you know that your Seiko will be one of only 100 ever made and that you’re supporting the renaissance of American watchmaking? I didn’t think so.

The Reef Diver isn’t a “me too” watch. Sure, it’s a beefy, three-handed diver with date window, but the styling makes it stand out. The black face contrasts wonderfully with the huge white hands and pips. The rubber diving strap is quite nice and the leather strap – made in the US of A – is edged in red stitching to match the face. The minutes hand is edged in red as is the seconds hand and all of the pips. The engraved bezel is easily readable and the pip at the top of the ring – noon, essentially, is lumed with a generous dab of paint.

The finish is impeccable. There were no misaligned parts and the face was well painted and the case solid and well-made. The movement is seemingly unadjusted, but it kept perfect time for the few weeks I wore it.

The lume on the pips and the hands, hover, leaves something to be desired. It’s readable in the dark, but a little more lume would have helped matters. After wearing the watch for about two weeks I was able to tell the time in daylight and in the dark with no trouble, a testament to its staying power. Finally, the screw down crown is at 2 o’clock, a clever twist on the Seiko 4 o’clock crowns.

The watch is 52mm from lug to lug and has a diameter of 43mm. It’s a big watch without being obnoxious. It costs $799 on Scorpion’s website and it will soon be joined by a number of other models. I’ve seen lots of watches in my day and lots of ridiculous attempts at creating “just another dive watch.” The Reef Diver isn’t just another dive watch: it’s a testament to ingenuity and creativity that is sorely missing in an industry that stifles the little guy and makes do with a few boutique brands that simply jumble movements, cases, and straps and call it a new line. The Reef Diver is easy to love and the company, run on a shoestring, is worth loving. I, for one, welcome this breath of fresh air.

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Quality: 4/5
Style: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
— John

Excellent video review of the Oceanus 5 Motor by Christian at WatchReport… hmmm… maybe the Scorpion will get similar treatment.

Review of the Oceanus 5 Motor (OCW600TDA-1AV) [WatchReport]

This just in! The new automatic Reef Diver by Scorpion Watch Company. It’s a beefy diver with great lume and styling along with a nice hacking ETA movement. I’ll be reviewing it shortly, but check it out if you’ve got some holiday cash burning a hole in your pocketses.

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We received this product launch e-missive from the Scorpion Watch Company announcing their new Reef Diver. head on over to their site where you can catch a glimpse of it before they drop in December of this year. You can pre-orders yours right now for $799, and the forward thinking folks at Scorpion will let you use PayPal or GoogleCheckout.

Head on over here for more views

Greetings Dive Watch Enthusiasts,

Please visit www.scorpionwatch.com to see the actual debut photos of the SWC Reef Diver!

The Reef Diver is in the final stages of production and should be shipping the first week of December. If you are on the pre-order list, we will contact you separately.

Please contact us with any questions/inquiries.

Thanks for your interest.

S.W.C.
Denver, Colorado
USA