Written by: Travis Farris

This is the Shine. And shine it does.

Reymond Weil is, in the field of luxury watches, a relatively new company. A mere forty years old, it nevertheless has an varied array of timepieces, spreads of elegant and well-crafted constructs visible with a visit to their site. And whatever else I may say about the Shine Diamonds 1500-ST2-00775, any product that causes me to exclaim aloud the first time I see it ( and I quote, “Woah!” ) has my attention.

First thing that strikes my attention about this watch is, of course, the interesting rectangular design. While this isn’t exactly unheard of, it’s used very tastefully here, the dial and case together not much wider than the strap itself, and being steel matches with it perfectly. This makes the watch feel like one cohesive instrument, enhancing its function as a luxury item. I have to admit the effect is appealing, and probably is one of the primary reasons that its shape is so striking.

Probably more striking, though, are the diamonds. As diamonds usually are. This particular model boasts 76 of the glittering, colorless crystals. I’m very impressed with the layout of the diamonds in this timepiece; 48 line the rectangular case with 24 on either side, effectively framing the dial in crystal, with 18 set in squares above and below the face. Set in steel, they provide decoration without standing out too blatantly; this may be less than ideal for some, but it does support the visually uniform feel of the combination of strap and face, which I again find the primary draw of this model.

The dial is, like many such watches, designed more for style than function, but for what it is, it excels. Only two roman numerals mark the time, at twelve and six hours, supporting the overwhelmingly horizontal orientation of the design. The rest of the hours are indicated as well, not with silver tick-marks but with the remaining 10 diamonds, adding some flash to the dial itself. I like the small, diamond-shaped hands, and with the hour-markers it shouldn’t be too difficult to read the time within an error margin of a minute or two. Numberless and oddly-shaped watch faces personally make me nervous, but the Shine is more about visual appeal than extreme accuracy, and I can appreciate the tradeoff here, however slight it is.

The dial on this particular version is brown, but as with all luxury products, other versions are available. A silver-faced and dark-blue faced Shine are available for consideration with a glance to Reymond Weil’s website, and while I think both look slightly superior to the brown-dialed version, it’s all up to buyer preference.

With a list price of $3,650, and many retailers offering for much less, the Reymond Weil Shine Diamonds is a striking, carefully designed piece of art that may not suit everyone, but would likely be perfect for some. For a diamond-studded luxury timepiece, the price is right. Take a look at the pictures and the specifics, and consider a purchase.