I love to experience new style of watches because it really helps keep me from becoming set in a personal preference holding pattern. Like many of you, I find myself feeling that gravitational pull towards diver watches. Which is fine to know what you like and prefer, but for me it is about needed growth. When I was a fresh faced kid to this industry, I barely knew my ass from a hole in the ground when it came to the vastness of the watch world. I stuck with what I knew and likked and what I considered my safe place. It really kept me from experiencing it all, missing out on some really great watches. Fast forward to the present and I find myself finding the beauty is so many different style of watches. One style that has been particularly growing on me are “racing” themed watches and that is the style of watch that we will be looking at together today.

 

”Throughout time, the best design is a beautiful blend of form and function. Whether it’s the rush of a 1960 Alfa Romeo, the sleek creations of Dieter Rams or a simple pair of well-worn Levis. At ROUE (French for “wheel”), we firmly believe in a well-crafted product that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also versatile. A design that will take you from that important business meeting to celebrate at the pub with friends. A design that never goes out of style.”

The SSD 3 arrived on my doorstep in a clever little package which I enjoyed the function and the simplicity of what the watch was packed in. When I opened the box and moved the manual/paper I was greated by the dial, the watch was seemingly smiling at me through a round window. I removed the soft foam window to get a closer look at what this watch was about. The watch was strapless which I thought was really cool because it came with 2 strap options. I liked that Roue gave me the opportunity to pick what strap I wanted to try out first, either the soft genuine leather rallye style strap or the nylon front/leather back strap. Both are great options, and another option that I think this watch would look great on is a nato strap.

The straps are easily placed on the 22mm spaced lugs via spring bars. The lugs have a curve to them and are relatively short which cuts down on wrist overhang for those with smaller wrists. As for the stainless steel case itself it is beautiful brushed that has a blasted finish. The lines of this case definitely remind me of the curves that are found on some classic cars. “The 60s were a special time for car design. Sports cars were pure elegance: think Series 1 Jaguar E-Type, Ferraris 250GTO and LM, Aston Martin DB4 and Alfa romeo TZ1. A decade of legendary​ drivers Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart. The SSD Sub-Seconds brings back the decade that best describes sporty-elegance.” I captured what I mean by this in the picture below, pay attention to the lines that follow the curves of the case itself. For a watch that costs $190 USD the finishing on the case impressed me.

The push pull crown is left unsigned which is a bit disappointing but the function of the crown does not disappoint. It’s small, but still can be gripped and operated without difficulty. The screw down caseback has a nice engraved rallye flag design which dresses the back of the watch in a theme complimenting manner. I like how the case has that carved out from one block of stainless steel look which flows beautifully up to the sapphire crystal which gives the perfect window to the dial on the SSD 3.

The graphite dial is what attracted me to this watch in the first place when I first saw it on Instagram. That caused me to research the watch and brand further. I had a nice conversation with the brand owner who was easily approachable and was happy to answer all my questions. That always makes the experience that much more personal and individualized. Getting back to the dial, like the case, the dial has that classic car look and feel to it. The small seconds dial located at the 6 o’clock position has a cool speedometer look to it. The white printed numerals, white hand and yellow circle all look great, complimenting each other and allowing for legibility is the black background. Adding a touch of depth to the dial is the style of how the small seconds is set sunken to the rest of the dial.

Roue kept the dial classy by only adding in small yellow printed text “ROUE”, nothing more, nothing less. Bold white printed numerals with bold white hands allow you to tell the time on the SSD 3 easy in most lighting variations. The minute hand has a small black tip, a detail that I absolutely appreciate and love. It allows you to see where exactly the hand is pointing to on the applied minute track. The minute track is one of my favorite details on this dial, it just adds the perfect amount of detail without creating a cluttered mess. I like the slide rule style numbers and markers which adds to the vintage feel of this piece.

The SDD 3 is a cool and a very affordable piece. Yes it has a quartz movement but that should not steer you away from giving this piece a second look. The case design and finish is nicely done, same can be said for the complimenting dial(even has nice lume). It is a charming little watch with nice appeal. I like the different option that this watch offers from my typical comfort zone watches that I gravitate to. I would have liked to see a screw down signed crown on this watch to really complete the overall finish. But that comes down to preference over something that Roue missed or did wrong. It a fun and comfortable watch to wear. Check out the different options on their website:

Home

Thanks for reading and as always your comments and questions are welcome below.