REVIEW: The Scuba by Roebuck Watch Co.

I have been fortunate enough to meet many awesome people in the watch community over the past few years, and Guy Roebuck can be counted amongst them. Guy founded Roebuck Watch Company in 2015 with the goal of crafting watches that stand out from the pack. Roebuck Watch Co.’s first release, a versatile sport watch dubbed the Divisio, was a solid debut and confirmation of what Guy is trying to accomplish with his brand.

One of the things I enjoy most about the watch community is the constant release of new watch designs that come about because of microbrands. Even amid a global pandemic, these microbrands are able to churn out designs and bring their concepts to life for the enjoyment of others. So, when Guy reached out a few weeks ago and asked if I’d like to spend some time with one of his prototypes for his upcoming release, I was more than happy to oblige and see what he’d been working on.

The Scuba draws direct inspiration from the 1970’s era of diver watches with an octagonal case machined out of 316L stainless steel and a brushed finish. The case finishing on Roebuck’s first watch was fantastic, so I was not surprised at all by their second offering; the case finishing is extremely well executed for a watch at this price point. Sharp edges abound but the brushed finishing fine tunes these edges and produce something that is very visually pleasing to look at.

The case back is adorned with a very handsome sea turtle that my 20-month-old son literally could not get enough of (fact: to this day when my son sees a watch he says “watch” and then points at the back and says “turtle” expecting to see the Scuba case back)! The integrated two-tone rubber strap with deployant clasp was quite comfortable and enhanced the clean lines of the watch. The Scuba is certainly a larger watch as it comes in at 42mm in diameter, a thickness of 11.75mm, and a lug to lug of just over 47mm; however, these specs put it right in the sweet spot for most functional dive watches. I will admit that personally it wore a tad thicker on my 7.25” wrist despite its minimal thickness and 120g weight, but I believe this could be due to some of the aforementioned design features (such as the octagonal case and integrated strap). It was not uncomfortable to wear by any means and the heft made it feel more substantial on the wrist. My only complaint would be attributed to the sharp edges on the signed screw-down crown as they dug into my wrist slightly.

The watch comes with a 120 click uni-directional sapphire bezel that has knurled finishes on the sides (a must for dive watches in my opinion) and is housed under a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating applied to the underside. Guy chose to utilize automatic Miyota movements for both the no-date version (90S5) and the date version (9015). Both are great choices, as the movements are reliable and allow the watches to come in thin at 12mm. I have mentioned it before, but I have previously owned watches equipped with Miyota movements and honestly prefer their smooth sweep as compared to the typical NH35 movements one finds in most microbrands.

These are all great features in an entry level dive watch, but let’s cut to the real star of the show: the dial. The sandwich cut, sunburst gradient dial evokes the glory days of dive watches in the 1970s, yet is undeniably unique to Roebuck. It’s expertly executed and only highlighted by the colorways that Guy chose for the Scuba launch. The Scuba will be offered in 3 colorways and I was lucky enough to review the pink version, which is the stand out in the bunch if you ask me. The hands are machined and brushed with C1 lume on the hour hand and BGW9 lume to the minute and second hands. When you combine this with the C1 lume on the cut out hour indices, you have a flashlight on your wrist. 

The 300m Scuba from Roebuck will be launched via Kickstarter on July 6 at 8am EST. Early bird pricing is set at $400 and will increase to $600 at full retail. At $400, you get a lot of watch that packs functionality and oozes vintage diver style – a combination that you can’t go wrong with in my opinion, especially at this price point. Setting aside my minor complaints, you simply cannot deny that this is a great watch if you’re in the market for a vintage-style dive watch that will turn heads with its fantastic styling.

Specifications:

• Bezel: 120 click uni-directional sapphire with BG  W9 lume, knurled finish to the sides.
• Glass: Flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating to the underside.  
• Hands: Brushed with C1 lume to hour hand, BG W9 lume to the minute and second hands. 
• Dial: Sandwich dial with cut out stick markers with C1 lume, gradient with sunburst finish.
• Movement: Miyota automatics, 90S5 non date version, 9015 date version.
• Case: 316L stainless steel  octagonal with brushed finish  
• Crown: Signed screw down crown with knurled finish and lumed ring.  
• Case back: Features a 3D artwork.  
• Band: Integrated two tone rubber strap.  
• Dimensions: 42mm width minus lugs, 47.3mm lug to lug, 11.75mm thick, 20mm lug width. 
• Weight: 120g.