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Reservoir Launches ‘Black Sparrow’ Pilot Tribute

Reservoir pays tribute to Eugene Bullard, an African-American pilot who fought for France during World War I, with the new Reservoir Black Sparrow, the latest model in the French watchmaker’s retrograde minute, jump hour collection.

The new Reservoir Black Sparrow, here in a black PVD case.

The U.S.-born Bullard carried out around twenty aerial combat missions during WW1 and was described as a “true French hero” by Général de Gaulle, earning the nickname “The Black Sparrow of Death”.

Eugene Jacques Bullard, the first African American combat pilot, who fought for France in WWI.

Reservoir designed the Black Sparrow’s dials to recall the colors and styles of WWI cockpits, which collectors may also recognize from early 20th century pilot watches.

 

All maintain the Reservoir jump hour dial layout, which indicates minutes via a large hand sweeping 240-degrees across the dial and jumping back to restart each hour. Hours are shown digitally in the aperture at the 6 o’clock position.

The launch encompasses a new 42mm steel or black PVD case and black or sand-colored dials with Art Nouveau-inspired luminescent numerals. Reservoir mounts these on a black or brown Barenia leather strap.

All the debuts picture a propeller and wings laser-printed onto the watch’s clear sapphire caseback.  Reservoir explains that the propeller and wings is a popular military insignia used to identify various aviation-related military units especially the French Aeronautique Militaire.

Through that back you’ll see the Reservoir Caliber RSV-240, the watchmaker’s latest update of its signature jump-hour movement.

Introduced last year, the caliber is made in association with the Swiss engine manufacture TELOS. The automatic caliber makes use of a La Joux-Perret LJP-G100 base with a proprietary 113-piece module. With the new Caliber RSV-240, power reserve jumps to an impressive fifty-six hours

Price: $3,800.

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Reservoir Updates Kanister 

Reservoir enhances its vintage-auto-themed Kanister collection with the new Kanister 316, now supplied with a new retro five-link bracelet and newly powered by Reservoir’s recently updated proprietary Caliber RSV-240.

The new Reservoir Kanister 316. A silver dial model is also available.

With its dial inspired by the dashboard instruments of the legendary Porsche 356 Speedster, Kanister is the Paris-based independent watchmaker’s translation of that car’s RPM display onto a watch dial.

Offered with either a black or silver dial, the new Kanister 316 displays the time as indicated via Reservoir’s distinctive jump-hour function. This indicates minutes via a large hand sweeping 240-degrees across the dial and jumping back to restart each hour. Hours are shown digitally in the aperture at the 6 o’clock position, just above a power reserve display.

The dashboard of a 1956 Porsche 365 Speedster, the inspiration for the Kanister dial.

Reservoir recreates a 1950s feel with colorful dial treatment on the otherwise black dial model. Pastel green minute indexes and a swirl of the same green hue dominate, with red accents.

The silver dial edition is more classical, with a silver minute hand and only a hint of color reserved for the power reserve display. The watchmaker brush-finishes the watch’s 41.5mm steel case.

Reservoir fits the Kanister 316 with Caliber RSV-240, the watchmaker’s latest update of its signature jump-hour movement. Introduced last year, the caliber is made in association with the Swiss engine manufacture TELOS.

The automatic caliber makes use of a La Joux-Perret LJP-G100 base with a proprietary 113-piece module. With the new Caliber RSV-240, power reserve jumps to an impressive fifty-six hours. 

Reservoir plans to deploy the new caliber to all its jump-hour collections in the next few months.

Price: $4,600. 

 

Specifications: Reservoir Kanister 316  

Case: 41.5 mm, 316L stainless steel with brushed finish, screw-down crown, water-resistant to 50 meters. clear sapphire caseback.

Dial: Black or silver color. Retrograde minute, jumping hour and power reserve displays. 

Movement: Calibre RSV-240, manufacture automatic with patented proprietary 113-pieces module (LJP G100 base), 56-hour power reserve.

Bracelet: Stainless steel with butterfly folding clasp, additional black leather or Ostrich taupe leather strap. 

Price: $4,600. 

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Reservoir and LabelNoir Celebrate Popeye

Reservoir introduces the Reservoir x LabelNoir x Popeye watch, the latest in the Franco-Swiss watchmaker’s lively series of partnership watches and the second with a cartoon character theme.

The Reservoir x LabelNoir Popeye watch.

In keeping with Reservoir’s specialized jump-hour displays, Popeye’s powerful right arm doubles as the watch’s minute hand, sweeping from “00” to “60” and then snapping back again at the start of each hour. The dial displays the hour digitally at the 6 o’clock position.

As the name implies, Reservoir teamed with Swiss-based watch customizer LabelNoir to created the limited-edition 41.5mm titanium watch. With its slightly curved lugs and knurled crown, the watch echoes Reservoir’s existing models, but here displays a new satin-finished grey DLC case courtesy of LabelNoir.

Reservoir’s dial features a 240° retrograde configuration, with the minutes displayed around three-fourths of the face. Reservoir artists create Popeye’s image with bright coloring on a grey background, accented by comic-style indices and a prominent hour window, all of which make for a fun, easy-to-read dial.

Reservoir fits the watch with Caliber RSV-240, the watchmaker’s latest update of its signature jump-hour movement. Introduced last year, the caliber is made in association with the Swiss manufacture TELOS.

The automatic caliber makes use of a La Joux-Perret LJP-G100 base with a proprietary 113-piece module. 

Reservoir signs the rotor and finishes it with Geneva stripes and radial style brushing. All this is visible through the sapphire caseback additionally adorned with a winking Popeye. Reservoir then protects the movement with fifty meters of water resistance.

The new Reservoir x LabelNoir x Popeye watch is available in a limited series of 200 pieces.

Each numbered model is presented in a decorated white wooden box and a special embroidery in honor of Popeye. A certificate of authenticity accompanies the box. 

Price: $4,450.

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Reservoir Sonomaster Thunders in Black

Reservoir darkens its Sonomaster to create the Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder, a rock-n-roll-inspired black PVD edition of the Paris-based watchmaker’s unusual bi-retrograde design.

 

The new Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder.

Like the existing Sonomaster models, the new Chronograph Black Thunder takes its dial design cues from the retro look of VU meters on analog stereo amplifiers. Rather than showing volume levels, Reservoir displays seconds (left side) and the date (right side) on the dial.

With its all-black dress, the new watch is meant to echo the prevailing color of rock concerts, where the needle on a VU meter might just reach 11. Reservoir extends the high-volume inspiration with the design of the watch’s pushers and crown, which are made to look like the treble and bass buttons on rock amplifiers.

The bi-retrograde dial retains the Sonomaster’s existing 120° date and seconds displays, which also shows chronograph timing via central second, the 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock position and the hour counter at 6 o’clock.

Reservoir teams with Swiss custom movement maker La Joux-Perret to create the 43mm steel watch’s movement, automatic caliber RSV-Bi120, a manufacture bi-retrograde chronograph with column wheel.

Well-known for its dashboard-inspired jump-hour watches, Reservoir earlier this year introduced the Sonomaster Chronograph. In addition to the debuting the unusual bi-retrograde display, the watch was the brand’s first with a traditional two-hand hour and minutes display. 

Price: $6,350.

Specifications: Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder

(Ref. RSV04.SN/136.BT)

Case: 43mm PVD black stainless steel with brushed finish, tachymeter bezel. Water-resistant to 50-meters, open back with domed sapphire crystal. 

Dial: Hands with Superluminova, chronograph (central second, 30-minute counter at 12, hour counter at 6), bi-retrograde date and seconds, at 120°, hour, minute.

Movement: Caliber RSV-Bi120, a manufacture bi-retrograde chronograph movement, automatic mechanical winding and column wheel (LJP-LC01 base), 60-hour power reserve, 28,800 alt./h.

Strap: Black leather with black stitching, steel butterfly folding clasp.

Price: $6,350. 

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Reservoir Hydrosphere Reflects Mayan Beauty

Reservoir’s unusual Hydrosphere dive watch gets a new look this month as the Paris-based independent watchmaker launches the Hydrosphere Cenote, a lushly colored tribute to Mayan undersea caves.

The new Reservoir Hydrosphere Cenote.

Since its debut several years ago, the Hydrosphere’s unusual retrograde minute display and jumping hour module set it apart from traditional dive models while still upholding a diver’s need for highly legible dive timing, unidirectional bezel, helium valve and a strong 250 meters of water resistance.

Reservoir colors the Hydrosphere Cenote with a green dial with sun ray finishes that echo the shades of its namesake locale. Formed as calcareous rocks collapsed, the Cenote is lit as sunlight entering the caves create and reveal bright color variations ranging from turquoise to azure blue, green and yellow.

Framing the colors, the watch’s 45mm bronze case and a ceramic bezel offer double graduation for reading dive-stop times. Three functions are visible: the jumping hour, the retrograde minute and the power reserve, all powered by Caliber RSV-240, composed of a proprietary, patented module of 113 parts on a Swiss-made manufacture movement built from a La Joux-Perret G100 base.

Price: $4,600.

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