When it comes to affordable titanium sports watches, RZE is consistently one of the brands that deliver the most value for the money, as it offers several different models with hardened titanium cases and bracelets, which can all be purchased for hundreds (rather than thousands) of dollars. Joining the lineup as the brand’s latest new release for 2023 is the RZE Aspirare dive watch, which claims the top spot as both the largest and most capable timepiece in the company’s current catalog. Along with a bigger case, an increased depth rating, and a movement that runs at a higher frequency, the RZE Aspirare also introduces a new bracelet style and an interchangeable bezel system that allows users to switch up the appearance of their watch.

Crafted entirely from grade 2 titanium, both the case and bracelet of the RZE Aspirare are covered in the brand’s proprietary UltraHex surface coating, which brings their hardness up to 1,200Hv (approximately 8 times that of traditional stainless steel), while also giving them a slightly pale finish. The case itself measures 44mm in diameter by 13mm-thick, with 22mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of approximately 53mm. While these dimensions make the Aspirare quite a bit larger than the brand’s original dive watch (the RZE Endeavour), a more sizable profile was one of the primary objectives of the Aspirare, as there were many people who had been asking RZE to make a bigger diver ever since the Endeavour made its inaugural debut. The shape of the Aspirare’s case offers an appearance that could best be described as a modern and futuristic version of a Seiko Marinemaster, and this is largely due to its slightly tonneau-shaped profile and its signed screw-down crown being placed at 4 o’clock, rather than at the 3 o’clock location as on the majority of RZE’s other models.

Fitted to the top of the RZE Aspirare’s case is a flat sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on the underside surface, while the reverse side of the watch receives a solid screw-down titanium caseback. Although the RZE Aspirare was specifically designed to offer a larger profile, the thickness of the watch was kept to a minimum, and despite measuring just half a millimeter taller than the Endeavour, the new RZE Aspirare offers 50% more water resistance with an increased depth rating of 300 meters. Due to its short curved lugs and flat caseback profile, the RZE Aspirare is able to sit relatively low against the wrist, and while its sizable dimensions make it objectively a rather large watch, its lightweight titanium construction and considered proportions give it a fairly manageable overall presence. Additionally, while previous RZE models have featured entirely matte sandblasted cases, the two vertical sides of the Aspirare’s case are given a lightly brushed finish, which provides the watch with a more dynamic overall appearance and further helps to reduce the visual perception of its height.

Surrounding the crystal on the RZE Aspirare is a 120-click rotating bezel that features a user-removable design that allows owners to switch up the style of their watch. At the time of launch, the standard bezel options include inserts in either matte black ceramic or sandblasted titanium, and both styles feature a luminous 60-minute timing scale with wide rounded grooves along the outer titanium ring to assist with grip. Located along the side of the bezel are three small screws, and removing these will allow you to lift off the external section of the bezel assembly, which consists of both the grooved outer ring and the insert. With that in mind, swapping the bezel does require the use of a screwdriver, and a certain degree of care must be taken when handling the retaining screws due to their fairly small size, so this really is a process that shouldn’t be attempted on the fly or after having a few too many drinks.

At the time of launch, the RZE Aspirare is available with three different dial options, including two standard-production models and one limited-edition version. Alongside “Basalt Black” and “Diamond White” is a 100-piece limited-edition “Blue Meteorite” option that has a blue-finished meteorite dial and a bezel that has a matching dark blue ceramic insert. While the black and blue meteorite dials are paired with hands and hour markers that have a pale silver finish, the white dial model has black-finished hands and surrounds for its indexes to create greater contrast with the matte white surface of the dial. Additionally, unlike the RZE Endeavour, which features a completely flat surface under its crystal, the Aspirare has its minute track printed along an angled chapter ring surrounding the dial, and it also includes a trapezoid-shaped date window at the 6 o’clock location, which reveals a color-matched calendar disc (although the white dial model featured here is fitted with a black calendar disc to match the borders its hands and hour markers).

The angular shape of the handset and hour markers compliments the overall design of the RZE Aspirare quite well, although I would have personally preferred for the minute hand to be just a tiny bit longer so that its tip would reach the corresponding markers of the minute track. That said, this is really just a minor aesthetic pet peeve of mine, and it is something that I frequently critique on watches that have their minute tracks printed along angled chapter rings, rather than on the flat surfaces of their dials. Realistically speaking, the RZE Aspirare hardly suffers from any issues relating to legibility, and the angular shape of the hands and markers provides the watch with a unique appearance compared to the various other models in the brand’s current lineup. Additionally, while the Super-LumiNova applied to the hour hand and dial markers glows green, the lume used for the remaining two hands and bezel insert glows blue in order to provide better contrast and at-a-glance legibility in low-light conditions.

Powering the RZE Aspirare is the Miyota 9015 automatic movement, which represents a step up from the entry-level Seiko calibers that can be found inside the brand’s Endeavor collection of dive watches. Along with running at a higher frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 42 hours, the Miyota 9015 is also thinner than its Seiko-manufactured counterparts, which enables the RZE Aspirare to sit flatter on the wrist than if it were powered by the same movements that are used inside the Endeavour lineup. All things considered, the Miyota 9015 is very much a known quantity, and it is used by an incredibly wide assortment of different brands within the industry. While it may lack the prestige of a Swiss caliber, the Miyota 9015 is easily one of the top options for self-winding watches at this price point, and it promises to deliver a drama-free ownership experience, along with being easy and affordable to maintain down the road.

Fitted to the drilled lugs of the RZE Aspirare is the brand’s new Ultra-Link bracelet, which features an angular design that tapers from 22mm at the case down to 20mm where it meets the double push-button folding clasp. The shape of the links strikes a nice balance of being intricate without seeming delicate, and the bracelet offers an unusual appearance that combines aesthetic elements from a number of different styles, without being derivative of any one particular design. Crafted entirely from UltraHex-coated titanium to match the case, the new bracelet features an entirely solid-link construction with single-sided screws for the removable links and an integrated extension system built into the clasp. Releasing the extension is done by pulling down on the small lever inside the clasp, and this allows the inner section to slide out and offer five positions of tool-free incremental adjustment. Additionally, tightening the extension does not require you to operate the lever at all, and it can be done by simply squeezing the end of the bracelet back into the clasp, allowing you to close the extension while the watch is still on your wrist.

With a larger case, increased depth rating, higher-beat movement, and an interchangeable bezel system, the Aspirare is easily RZE’s most capable timepiece. That said, despite representing a step forward in multiple different categories, the RZE Aspirare is only slightly more expensive than the rest of its siblings, and the standard-production models are accompanied by an official retail price of $659 USD, while the 100-piece limited edition fitted with a blue meteorite dial costs $759 USD. Additionally, while the interchangeable bezels for the Aspirare will be sold separately for $50 USD, buyers who purchase the watch during its initial pre-order stage will receive the additional bezel included at no additional charge. As someone with smaller wrists, I naturally prefer the more compact case of the Endeavour; however, even I find the RZE Aspirare to be incredibly easy to wear for extended periods of time due to its lightweight titanium constriction and relatively flat overall profile. Given its ample water resistance and full-titanium design, I could easily see the RZE Aspirare being a budget-friendly alternative to something like the Tudor Pelagos or Rolex Yacht-Master, as it checks many of the same boxes, but comes with its own unique aesthetic for well under the thousand-dollar price point. For more information on the RZE Aspirare, please visit the brand’s website.