Geoffrey Roth is an American watch company from Scottsdale, Arizona, that is decidedly more high-end with an interesting personality that combines Swiss movements with US-based engineering. Geoffrey Roth himself is an engineer, watch lover, and claims to be a self-taught watchmaker. That’s actually very possible as many of the best watchmakers today – despite typically having formal watchmaker education – are largely autodidactic in their skills. The newest watch by Geoffrey Roth is the HHS/D Diver.
Based on his larger HH collection of watches, the Geoffrey Roth HHS/D Diver focused on adopting the brand’s style with the functional requirements of diving watches. While the Geoffrey Roth HHS/D Diver is rated for 1000 meters of water resistance, the brand claims that the watch survived 270 ATM in a pressure chamber. That would be 2,700 meters – which is pretty impressive for the brand’s first diving watch.
The Geoffrey Roth HHS/D Diver is 46mm wide and 17.3mm thick. That’s a big watch, but HH collection timepieces range in size and there are smaller options. The case has some nice detailing to it, and I think it is the type of design that will look better in person versus in marketing images. According to the brand, the Geoffrey Roth HHS/D Diver case is available in steel or marine bronze. There is also the option of coating it in black. This appears to be a two-tone model with a bronze bezel and a steel case.
Apparently, the rotating bezel is worth paying attention to for a few reasons. According to Geoffrey Roth, the bezel is “silent.” This means it could feel like any standard rotating diver’s bezel, but make no sound when turning. Ironically enough, many watch lovers thoroughly enjoy the sound a rotating bezel makes when turning – so not everyone will appreciate this feature. The bezel has ceramic polymer inlay material for the markers, and a small oval-shaped sapphire crystal over the lume pip at 12 o’clock in order to protect it – a nice touch.
If you notice the crown, you’ll see a synthetic ruby, similar to those which are used in the movement. That is an intentional design decision. The screw-down crown apparently has a triple-seal protection system to keep water and dirt out of the case. I find the lug design to be interesting, and like the side details a lot. The overall look of the watch is a bit more on the avant-garde side, but I’d like to reserve a final opinion about it until I get one on my wrist.
The dial design is clearly the brand’s take on a traditional diver. Whimsical decorative elements such as the blued-steel hands have been turned into diver-style hands as best as possible. The middle of the dial has a spiraling nautilus motif, while the applied hour markers are also blue and filled with lume. Personally, I would have opted for the 12 o’clock hour marker to be distinct from the rest of the hour markers. How do you feel about the tapering Geoffrey Roth logo as it is designed to go with the direction of the nautilus? Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA 2892-2 automatic movement.
In my opinion, marketing conditions in the US are ripe for independent watch brands like Geoffrey Roth. Though, at these luxury prices, the fight is with the more established Swiss brands that typically get consumer attention before those consumers get a bit more experimental with their tastes and purchases. For those who like to see what happens when an engineer watch lover puts his mind to creating a brand blending American character with traditional ideas, what you get is something just like the HH collection by Geoffrey Roth. The brand will have to deliver a solid product with a lot of attention to detail given that this price point is extremely competitive.
It might be an amusing coincidence that the Geoffrey Roth HHS/D Diver is priced within $50 of the Rolex Submariner Date. So I suppose he is saying that once you’ve had your Rolex diver experience, come check out what he has to offer. Prices for the Geoffrey Roth HHS/D Diver are $8,500 in any combination of steel and bronze, and $8,950 with the AlTiN black coating. geoffreyrothwatchengineering.com