I take issue with some language used by the brand which I feel is, at the very least, misleading. The watch dial as well as the Dreyfuss & Co. website use the term “hand-made” to describe the watches. The term “hand-made” implies something about the construction of the parts, while what they are implying is that the watch is mostly “hand-assembled.” They sort of clarify this in the language on their website, but for a watch with parts that are entirely machined (not that there is anything wrong with that) and no hand-decoration, I find it inappropriate to have the term used on the website, let alone used on the actual dial of the watch (where “Hand-Made Switzerland” is written under the logo).

According to Dreyfuss & Co., each of their individually serialized watches is hand-assembled, and the serial number is placed on the rear of the case. Dreyfuss & Co. informed me that this timepiece is a limited edition of 250 pieces, but I suppose you’d just need to know that given the mere serial number designation on the back of the case. Also on the rear of the case – instead of indicating the water resistance – is the term “Seafarer.” At first, I had no idea what this meant until I looked it up on the brand’s website. Nerdy or not, what I saw shocked me. Dreyfuss & Co. suggests that all timepieces that bear the “Seafarer Standard” are “totally waterproof, impervious to water.” Of course, that doesn’t apply to 18k gold watches…

So why is this shocking? Well, first of all, not even the world’s most serious dive watches can claim to be literally “waterproof.” That is a serious claim that water will never enter the case. Watches thus tend to use the term “water resistant,” along with an indicator of how water-resistant they are (such as 50, 100, 300, 1000 meters, etc.). Though Dreyfuss & Co. seems to feel comfortable calling their watches “totally impervious to water… setting new standards for the watch industry.” Of course, this is impossible, and the Series 1924 isn’t even a dive watch – and my guess is that it has 100 meters of water resistance. I don’t know why the company thought it was a wise idea to draft such hyperbole on their website, which to me seems to merely invite controversy.

My guess is that despite the actual water resistance of the watches, Dreyfuss & Co. knows that few people actually take their watches into scenarios that will have water pressure damage them. Though with this particular watch there is a good chance someone will leave the crown unscrewed and dive into the pool. If such a thing were to happen, Dreyfuss & Co. might simply find that doing a warranty repair or offering a new watch is a good solution to the problem. That typically makes the consumer happy. This is one of those cost/benefit analysis situations where the potential reward of having unrealistic (putting it lightly) claims on your website outweighs the cost of remedying violations of that claim when consumers approach the brand with issues. I’ll let you make of that what you like.

Given some of the preposterous things I’ve seen from much more expensive watches and since it sounds like Dreyfuss & Co. is inviting people to receive free repairs, I take all of this with a good amount of humor. Yes, the brand is writing total bullshit on their website, but I see it as more funny than threatening. Though, I do highly suggest that the risk of misleading novice consumers who might get quite irritated should prompt the brand to remove this language from their website and rethink their marketing presentation as this to me feels like an invitation for problems that can be very easily avoided by simply being straightforward about the production techniques and durability of one’s timepieces.

When I was newer to mechanical watches, a timepiece like the Dreyfuss & Co. Series 1924 Calibre 39 would have likely appealed to me a lot. It feels like a decent amount of watch for the money, in an admittedly sexy style that is tough to find for this price. The Swiss Eterna caliber 39 movement (though I prefer automatics) would be a decent selling point, and who can beat a brand who is basically promising the world in a timepiece to consumers knowing that if they complain about repair needs – it is in the brand’s best interest to simply make them happy? Price for the Dreyfuss & Co. Series 1924 Calibre 39 reference ‎DGS00164/19 is £1,000 (which as of time of writing is about $1,250 USD). dreyfussandco.com

Necessary Data
>Brand: Dreyfuss & Co.
>Model: Series 1924 Calibre 39 reference ‎DGS00164/19
>Price: £1,000
>Size: 45mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Sure, as an early “nice watch” acquisition.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: More novice watch lover just getting into watches looking for this type of vintage pilot watch style and wanting a decent, albeit manually wound, movement.
>Best characteristic of watch: Manages to have a very decently composed, sexy look that feels very comfortable on the wrist. Very legible dial helps too.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Poor screw-down crown integration with case, and winding feels mushy. Language on dial and that used by the brand is misleading enough to make more than a few consumers feel uncomfortable.