Hands-On: The Minimalist Peren Regia Dive Watch
Peren is a microbrand that came onto people’s radar with the release of the Nera. While not the brand’s first watch, its minimalist design and great attention to detail stood out immediately. Sometime later, Thomas and Nacho were impressed by the Nera Rogue models that they reviewed. So I was curious to learn more about the new Peren Regia dive watch. This model is part of a two-watch launch alongside the Regia X. These two watches are the next step for the brand, cementing the distinct design style that its founder Andy Bica created. It’s time to find out more.
It’s funny how the brain works sometimes. As watch enthusiasts, it seems we love nothing more than finding hints and aesthetic references to other watches’ designs. Just think back to every time you saw a new watch and immediately thought, “Oh, that looks like model X from brand Y.” It’s what we do, and I am guilty as charged. These visual clues often determine whether we like a watch because they create context, but they can also be a case of plain and simple fun.
The typical minimalist Peren design style
With the Peren Nera models, the references were less readily apparent. As Nacho explained in his review, the Nera Rogue was inspired by Tornek-Rayville dive watches, a fantastic historical reference for a minimalist modern diver. I would add Ming to that as well. In particular, the brand’s 18.01 H41 with its DLC-coated bezel came to mind. It is not a bad reference as that is one of Ming’s best watches. My feeling was confirmed when I saw the Peren Nera Rogue BW that Thomas reviewed in late 2022.
But the visual references were also rather subtle because the Nera series showed plenty of character of its own. Thomas and Nacho were also impressed by the level of detail in the Nera Rogue models. It’s proof that Peren’s Andy Bica understands that a minimalist design needs details to make it interesting. With the new Peren Regia series, we get further proof of that. The overall minimalist style of Regia and Regia X makes for an attractive duo of watches. But after wearing the Regia for two weeks, I can say that the details make these two watches even more compelling.
The two new Peren Regia models
We received the new Peren Regia for review, which, as I mentioned, is debuting alongside the Regia X. The regular Regia is the brand’s new dive watch, whereas the Regia X combines the functionality of a diver and a dual-time watch. To do this, the Regia X uses a different bezel, but other than that, both models are similar. The Sarmizegetusa Regia calendar influences the design of both watches. It is an ancient calendar system used by the Dacians in Transylvania, where the brand has its roots.
The Peren Regia X with the 12-hour/60-minute bezel
The Sarmizegetusa Regia calendar was believed to have been used from the first century BCE until the first century CE. Carefully designed to align with the earth’s and sky’s natural rhythms, the calendar was based on a lunar-solar cycle, combining the Moon’s phases with the Sun’s movement. The Regia’s design has little details that playfully hint at the ancient calendar, but we’ll get to those in a minute.
The specs of the Peren Regia
Let’s start with some basic specs. The Regia models have a 200m-water-resistant stainless steel case that measures 39mm wide, 12.8mm thick, and 45.3mm from lug to lug. The case houses the Sellita SW200-1 movement and features a bead-blasted finish with small hand-polished parts. A great example is the chamfers on the lugs, which give that little extra detail to make the case more visually striking. The stainless steel 120-click unidirectional bezel has a conical shape, features an aluminum insert, and is nicely designed and executed. It consists of three intricate parts that give the watch a lot of character.
The upper part of the bezel holds the insert and transitions into the middle part, which has five steps that flow effortlessly into the vertically knurled bottom part. The screw-down crown follows the design of the bezel. Its conical design features a knurled pattern for grip, and the same horizontal grooves that grace the bezel can also be found on the crown. Both watches have a matte black dial with eight circular indices and oval ones at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. What’s cool is that all of the hour markers are made from 3D Super-LumiNova.
A date window at 12 o’clock
The Sarmizegetusa Regia calendar influenced the style of the dial. It’s also what inspired the date window at 12 o’clock. It blends in nicely with a black date disc with white printing. But a date at 12 o’clock will always get quite a few comments, and I expect nothing different this time. Having a date window there will lead to the hands covering the date change at midnight. However, it fits the concept inspired by the Sarmizegetusa Regia calendar, and therefore, it is an example of form over function. Thankfully, it didn’t bother me at all when wearing the watch.
The long pencil-style hands are white and filled with white Super-LumiNova that lights up blue, just like the hour markers. The long minute hand points to a laser-engraved 60-minute scale on the dial’s periphery with white markers for every five minutes. All the details are well thought out and give the dial a lot more depth than it might suggest from afar.
Two bezels that each create a distinct presence
As mentioned, the Regia we had in for review comes with a dive bezel. However, it is far from your traditional dive bezel with a 60-minute scale. The bezel consists of black and silver-colored halves, making it look like the day/night division of a GMT bezel. As you can see, the two halves are mirror images. The only difference is the luminous triangle on the black part, but both are the same design. The design is inspired by what Peren calls the “diver’s trinity” of bezel markers — circle, square, and triangle.
It’s a rather abstract bezel design, but it works well with the watch’s overall look. If you choose the Regia X, you will get a bezel that’s somewhat reminiscent of the original Omega Seamaster 300 bezel. It features a silver outer ring with black 12-hour markers to use for the dual-time function. Additionally, the inner black ring has a traditional silver 60-minute scale. I like that design better as it gives the Regia X a slightly more conventional presence.
Wearing the Peren Regia
Both watches have their charm with many well-thought-out details. That’s why it was nice to take the Regia for a spin. What immediately stood out was that the case dimensions make for a modestly sized watch that will fit well on a variety of wrists. The watch is available with an FKM rubber strap, a NATO-style fabric strap, or a stainless steel bracelet. We had the Regia on the black fabric strap, and I have to say that I would have loved to try it on the two other options as well.
The reason is simple. Thomas also explained in his review that the fabric strap is rather thin. While it carries the weight of the watch well, there are options out there that would be even better. On top of that, the FKM strap is different from the Nera Rogue strap, so I would have loved to see that up close. The wearing experience, however, was very nice. It allowed me to see the great attention to detail that went into designing and creating this watch. On top of that, the different concepts behind it give the Regia a distinct visual presence without feeling overpowering.
Great attention to detail
A good example is the bezel. I wore the watch mostly with the silver part on top, as shown in most of the pictures. It just gave it a nice overall look. But as pictured in the lume shot and the photos on Peren’s website, the black part with the luminous triangle would traditionally be on top. Since I didn’t have plans to go diving and didn’t use the watch much in the dark, I simply found it enjoyable to play around with what looked best.
Overall, I found the very evident attention to detail in the Peren Regia quite impressive. From the lugs’ polished chamfers to the intricate details of the bezel and the well-executed, easy-to-use crown, the Regia shows a great dedication to creating something special, making it fun to wear. At a pre-order price of CHF 693 on the FKM or fabric strap and CHF 793 on the Oyster-style bracelet, I think it’s a great option if you like a stylish diver.
Final thoughts on the Peren Regia
Peren will produce 300 pieces of both the Regia and Regia X. Each of the 300 pieces of the two models will have a unique number on the case back. After the pre-order period, the price will bump to CHF 963 for the watch on a strap and CHF 999 on the bracelet. I am sure that plenty of watch enthusiasts will jump at the chance to buy one of the two Peren Regia models. With a little over two weeks to go for the pre-order, it will be interesting to see if they sell out before the price increases.
The two Regia models are great additions to the Peren lineup. They show a nice consistency in design while presenting a distinctly different aesthetic compared to the Nera range. If you like a watch that is refreshing in its design and surprising in all its details, I can recommend the Peren Regia. With a combination of standout design, good specs, great attention to detail, and a decent price, this is another winner from the brand.
For more information, check out Peren’s official website.
