We watch nerds can sometimes declare ourselves as being X brand fan boy or fan girl because we like or love and support every model it releases. I have no problem calling myself such a thing as I sometimes feel fully dedicated to acquiring and wearing all models from one brand. And it is fun to do so: I get to witness the stylistic and technical evolutions of the company over numerous years and collections, either how it sticks to its guns or swaps them along the way, adapt to new trends and technologies, and, ideally, remain trailblazers every time they bring a new watch to market. But there is a price to pay to a brand’s fanboy (in my case), a financial one as it is hard to resist sliding each new model into my personal collection box, and an emotional one, that of tossing and turning in my bed wondering when and what my friends over X brand are going to release next. More importantly: why is it taking them so darn long? As you know, it is indeed painful to be a proper watch nerd.

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews of RZE timepieces—this one, this other one, that one, that other one, then this, that, this again and finally this one—you will already know that the brand is special to me: it was the first one to loan me a watch when I got started photographing these addictive machines even before I created the magazine. It was the debut version of the Resolute, RZE’s very first collection when the brand was called Reise, and it is amazing to see that six years later, RZE still has a Resolute collection and that it is the bedrock of its catalog. The brand has created many watches from this family—a GADA sports watch, a more dressy one, and several professional-grade tool watches—and now a pilot not-so-pilot watch called the Resolute Type A. I am playfully giving the brand a hard time for calling this masterpiece of utilitarian horology a pilot watch, therefore the name, because it designed it to be a limitless tool watch and that is how I’ve decided to see it. 

It will be released on RZE’s website on March 20, 2026, for $499 USD on a rubber strap and $699 USD on a bracelet. 

Specifications 

A lot of what we’re about to chat about right now won’t come as a surprise to you if indeed you have read any of my eight reviews of RZE watches before (plus a couple from Sophie.) The Singaporean brand is known for having pioneered hardened titanium cases which it has always sold at reasonable prices considering the consistent rise of the cost of watches (and of everything else in life) which is a commendable accomplishment, because unlike many other watch companies, RZE worked very hard to remain financially attainable whilst constantly improving upon the technology and design of its timepieces. Across the board therefore we find hardened grade 2 titanium cases and often bracelets, which is what the Resolute Type A is made out of obviously. The prototype I got in for this article came on a black TecTuff strap which is RZE’s take on the do-it-all two-piece fastening system made of coated leather and leather backing which is supple and durable. Or you can dish out an extra $200 for their state-of-the-art bracelet. 

Unsurprisingly therefore the Resolute Type A comes with the brand’s legendary alloy mix hardened to 1,200Hv on Vicker’s hardening scale which is known to be eight times more scratch resistant than naked titanium. The body of the Type A also measures 39.5mm in diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, 11.5mm thick and comes with a 20mm lug width. On the strap this watch weighs 46g which is stupidly light for such a tough case material and allegedly 99g on the full titanium bracelet (which is also good if true.) Though it should be said that the Type A appears larger than its dimensions might suggest because the fixed bezel is thin and the dial opening generous. Which is a good thing for me as it endows this model with a purposeful wrist presence. But we will get back to this later on. RZE watches are also always water resistant to a good and sufficient level, here 100 meters thanks to a 7.3mm screw-down crown and screwed-in case-back, the latter being partially see-through which is a first for the brand. The crown by the way has superb knurling. 

What I’ve come to understand about this brand is that it makes all of its models tough and the perfect candidate for adventuring near and far, high above the ground or deep below sea level. Any RZE is a proper tool watch through and through which is why they are always made of lightweight and comfortable grade 2 titanium, a sapphire crystal with several layers of inner anti-reflective coating, good water resistance as we know, and also very good—if not excellent—lume. Thus the Resolute Type A is endowed with multiple layers of quick-charging and intensely-glowing green-glowing SuperLuminova on the hands and baton hour markers, whilst the printed numerals are made of blue-glowing luminescent material. The combination is superb and effective, as indeed it shines brightly for a long period of time. Moreover, RZE always opts for Japanese made Miyota calibers and this model is equipped with a 82S0 which ticks at 3Hz and comes with 42 hours of power reserve. Unlike what you might believe, this 8000 series movement does hack. 

Design

Evidently at its core, the Resolute Type A is a pilot’s watch as it comes with all the classic visual traits of these particular utilitarian timekeeping devices. A design code which was established right around World War II across many brands and countries as it seems that all pilots needed the exact same thing at the exact same time. Back then, flying a plane meant sitting in a non-air conditioned, non-heated cockpit on rudimentary seats, wearing large goggles and thick jackets, tumbling around like inside a drier for hours at-a-time. Therefore pilots needed extremely legible watches to not only read the time at-a-Flash-glance but also to coordinate operations to the precise minute. Which is why these watches come with hands larger than on any other type of timekeeping device, large and legible hour markers, thickly printed minute tracks and easily readable seconds hands. For pilots, reading the time had indeed to be quick and precise like it couldn't be done on any other genre of utilitarian device which is why we like them so much. 

So the magic of RZE was to start from a highly codified and immensely effective design schematic to build their own version of the Type A pilot watch. The latter refers to the most classic of these timekeeping devices which comes with 11 Arabic numerals for the hours whilst the Type B, which is a bit less common, has a small and centered 12-hour track paired with a short hour hand and a substantial 60-minute track on the periphery of the dial paired with a massive minute hand. I prefer the Type A as they feel more familiar and are easier on the eyes on a daily basis. Therefore, RZE began with 11 Arabic numerals printed in white in a small bespoke typeface indicating the hours from 1 to 11 and completed by the classic triangle + two dots at the twelve which indicates “north” or “up.” Sandwiched between this marker and the pinion there is the brand’s logo applied and brushed and below the pinion the depth reference printed in white and the word “Automatic” in orange. (I don’t know why enthusiasts’ brands bother to indicate that honestly.) 

Then the printed markers are paired with large batons printed on an elevated rehaut on narrow angled sections which fly over the main dial. (In other words, each baton marker is printed on a dedicated narrow path of the chapter ring.) I love the way RZE went about this piece of design as it brings the baton markers close to the Arabic numerals to make them easy to read whilst adding a bit of depth to an otherwise flat dial. Actually, the dial is not that flat as it is decorated with a matte texture and the Arabic numerals are slightly raised from it (althouth hard to see on photos,) as if they were embossed. Which means that the two sets of hour markers are elevated from the dial main which helps in making them more legible and visually dynamic, and they are paired with large sword-style hour and minute hands which received a sandblasted treatment. These two hands are endowed with large real estate of lume which is printed in equal measures to the hour markers. Lastly, the seconds hand was printed 70% orange whilst the remaining 30% is luminescent material. 

The Heart of the Matter

If you’ve read any or all of the eight previous reviews on RZE then you already know I’m a big fan of the Resolute case. It has been a staple in the brand’s catalog ever since it got started and is, in actuality, a bespoke case shape and we should speak about it in the same way we speak about cushion and barrel cases. Therefore, we should say the Type A is equipped with a classic RZE Resolute case. The latter makes for the perfect chassis for any models from the Singaporean brand not only on account of its hardened grade 2 titanium alloy but also its singular angular and muscular profile. I feel that this case and dial are the perfect match because the large hands also come with sharp angles which match the case’s visual DNA, and that the two sets of hour markers and legible minute track perfectly fit in. So this model is, first and foremost, a traditional Type A pilot’s watch but also indeed a multipurpose tool watch on account of the versatility of its dial layout and legibility, its good all-rounder specifications, and on-wrist comfort.

Again, this is RZE’s best release to date in my humble opinion. 

Conclusion 

Watches from all corners of the earth do creep up in price every year. Whatever we can put (blame) this on is a matter of life and it affects the brands which sell the watches we so enthusiastically seek to acquire and us humans whatever we do and wherever we live. (Perhaps with a few exceptions?) With all of that said, the RZE Resolute Type A only retails for $499 USD on the TecTuff strap and $699 USD on the full titanium bracelet, which I know can seem like a lot of extra dough to dish out on a fastening system but RZE’s bracelet is a real piece of beautiful industrialist art and of exceptional engineering. I believe good products cost more and this will be an integral part of the wearing experience and I can tell you it is well worth it. (I own many RZE watches which come on this bracelet and oh damn isn’t it nice.) So put yourself a reminder to check out the brand’s website on March 20, 2026, when the Resolute Type A will become available in three colors—Black, Yellow, and White. 

Thanks for reading.