Another recurring idea we debate here on Mainspring (we have many of those!) is whether or not watch collecting was as much of a thing fifty years ago as it is now. We have this idea that people owned and wore one watch because they needed to (before computers and the internet) as it was an actual tool and not an accessory. They needed a watch, for example, to catch the right train to the office or to pick-up the kids when the bell rang. Just like we now “need” smartphones to lead productive lives—we don’t yet collect them. People glanced at their watches multiple times each day because they needed to, not because they wanted to gaze at the cloisonné dial of their Patek Philippe. So it appears that watch collecting is more of a recent phenomemon—and one day we will figure out when people started amassing timekeeping devices—whilst philatelists, for example, have been collecting stamps from at least the 19th century, making us watch enthusiasts kind of late bloomers in our own domain. 

And we have the idea that people owned one watch they could wear to do most things in life. To work, socialize, cook BBQs on Sundays during the Super Bowl, travel to far-flung places, hike in the Yellowstone National Park, help a friend move, and such things. Which is why many stories of contemporary watch enthusiasts and collectors—folks in their 40s and older—include that one watch a grandfather or mother wore as daily driver and which accumulated a cluster of scratches onto every single one of its facets. Well, because that was the only watch they had. The idea therefore of wearing just one watch to do everything and everywhere is still appealing to some of us even though we own more than one timepiece at this very moment. But we still hope one day to reach that point in our life where we could be satisfied owning just one. So we look for candidates which could fulfill that role. If you’re a snob and have a large purchasing budget you’ll aim at a Rolex Explorer 1 or Omega Aqua Terra. 

But if you’re down-to-earth and have a reasonable budget, you’ll look at the RZE Resolute 36. 

Specifications 

Our good friends at RZE categorize the Resolute 36 as being a field watch because they have pushed the limits of the Resolute’s collection to new frontiers and for this model is built like a small, modern, and dapper tank. And maybe they did so as the everyday watches people wore before were simply categorized as being “gentlemen watches” or “ladies watches.” Now we slide watches into one of many categories because it helps us speak about and search for them more easily within the millions of watches that exist on the market. But before our time, a man would have gone to a boutique and said to the salesman “I’m looking for a watch” and not “I’m looking for a field watch” in that it was perhaps understood that this or that model would do the job equally well and that the only differences between them was their design and price. Upon first opening the box, I saw the RZE Resolute 36 Waypoint as being the same kind of watch my grandfather wore in the 1950s and my father in the 1990s: an everyday timepiece. 

What sets RZE apart from most micro and mainstream brands is the use of hardened titanium for the case, bracelet, and clasp, which the brand has been doing since its inception in 2020, and which gives the Resolute 36 a different edge over most everyday watches. It makes it look purposeful and robust, as well as modern and technologically advanced, whilst keeping its price tag reasonable as we’re about to see. RZE uses grade 2 titanium which it coats with a proprietary hardening compound raising its scratch resistance to 1,200 Hv or eight times that of naked titanium. The scratch resistance coating actually works by the way, which is not always a given in our small world of microbrands, which is a big plus for a watch destined to be worn all the damn time. The Resolute 36 is also nimble on the wrist—it measures 36mm in diameter, 42.3mm lug-to-lug, 9.5mm thick—and is lightweight—91g on the bracelet adjusted to my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist. Moreover, the lugs are drilled and the lug width is 20mm for you know what. 

And you might agree on the following: an everyday watch to do everything and everywhere (therefore a GADA) should come with decent water resistance, for example 100 meters by way of a screw-down crown and case-back, good lume by way of generous applications of green-glowing SuperLuminova on the hands and hour markers (and sector frame and every single minute hash-marks which the Resolute has,) a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and a reliable caliber, for example a Miyota 9039 (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve.) The Miyota 9000 series calibers are said to be reliable and easy to service, and the exceptional scratch resistance of hardened titanium and of the sapphire crystal means the Resolute 36 will continue to look dapper after many boring or exciting adventures. And such a timepiece should have a good bracelet and the Resolute 36 is equipped with one many folks in the 50s could only have dreamed of: male end-links, screwed links, quick-release spring-bars, and a built-in tool-less micro-adjustment mechanism. 

And you can have all of the above for $690 USD which is a fair price to ask for a small tank.

Design 

Speaking of price, I would further argue, as I often do in the echochamber that Mainspring is to me, that we shouldn’t pay more than $1,000 for a good daily wearer. There is no need to pay a couple extra thousand grands to get a better movement or precious metal case as neither of those things will actually improve the quality of the wearing experience. (If anything, it would increase your stress level should anything happen to your darling watch.) What RZE offers by way of the Resolute 36 is more than enough for this type of timekeeping device. And so we agree that from a technical standpoint this model checks all of the boxes and qualifies to be anyone’s future everyday driver, for both gentleman and the ladies, as 36mm is a size that literally fits any adult wrist. And thus we must speak about the aesthetics of the Resolute 36 starting with the color options the Singaporean brand offers: Waypoint (black) as we’re looking at right this moment, Halcyon (light blue,) Mojito (green,) and Tempo (red.) 

As I often do, I opted for the black version because it makes it easier to describe the dial and to compare it to other watches by being able to more objectively dissect its layout. A bit like it is easier to highlight the shape of bodies and structures, and the contrasts of various shadows and lights, by shooting photography in black and white instead of color. What caught me off-guard is the fact that the dial of the Waypoint comes with fauxtina tones on account of the tremendous applications of lume on the hands, applied hour markers, minute hash-marks, and the sector frame. Within the dual-finished and faceted hands and hour markers we find cream-tinted lume which do endow the dial with a vintage, fauxtina look which creates an interesting—and unexpected—contrast with the otherwise modern dial and case. As if two epochs of watchmaking were colliding in the most elegant of manners. (The contrast between the lume and the dial color appears to be less prominent on the other versions of the Resolute 36.) 

The dial is however very complex: the central disc and outer ring received a sunburst treatment whilst the recessed portion of the dial, above which the hour markers cross to link the two sunburst-treated sections, is made of a melted-plastic-like texture which has a semi-glossy appearance. It is hard to tell on photos—or I don’t have the right technical skills to show you—but seeing the faceted hour markers cross the dial moat in this way is rather spectacular. And looking closely in we can see an intricate play of finishes on the elevated elements which create dynamic light plays in a smaller format of a watch: for example the hour markers are polished on all four sides whilst the hour and minute hands are half polished and half brushed, and the seconds hand fully polished. All the while the circle framing the center disc and all triangles, as well as the minute track, are crisply printed and entirely made of luminescent compound. Thus the dial and hands are easy to see during the day as they are at night. 

The Heart of the Matter

The case of the RZE Resolute 36 Waypoint is exceptional too, so is the bracelet, but they are standard heavy-hitters for the brand and thus we didn’t discuss them today. (You can check out any RZE reviews on Mainspring to learn more about these guys.) Everyday watches in the past came in many shapes and forms, many were more elegant in the traditional definition of the word than the Resolute 36 is—the use of the darker hardened grade 2 titanium defies the norm for dapper horology, so is the abundance of lume everywhere on the dial to name a couple of reasons why. But technically, this model is more capable than many of them were back then, and definitely more so than many elegant timekeeping devices are today in the luxury market. Visually, if the Resolute 36 works for you then you’ve indeed found a very good candidate for a watch for the everything and everywhere which will only set you back $690 USD when all things are honestly considered. You won’t get this kind of value from many places today, I personally reckon. 

Conclusion 

At the time of publishing this review, all four versions of the RZE Resolute 36 are readily available for purchase on the brand’s website which is a nice detail as most micro and small independent brands rarely have stock. This means that since you’ve found your next everyday timepiece you can right away go and purchase one and as your quest for it will be over. (Though this sounds a bit sad, don’t be, as this means you can now go about your life knowing that you have the right watch on your wrist.) I can’t wait to tell you about more RZE models in the near future as the brand crafted a singular recipe for different, resolutely modern, and high-value tool and everyday watches only a few other brands can claim to offer as well. RZE has created its own niche and is thriving in it. 

Thanks for reading.