Titanium has quickly become one of the most popular materials in watchmaking, and when it comes to affordable titanium sports watches, no list of value-packed brands should be complete without mentioning RZE. Hardened titanium cases and Japanese automatic movements are standard across all of RZE’s modern catalog, yet even its most expensive models are priced significantly below the thousand-dollar mark. For its latest new release of 2023, RZE has created a premium rendition of its debut model that takes the collection in a more refined overall direction, and the new RZE Resolute Pro offers a case and bracelet made entirely from hardened titanium, along with a genuine enamel dial in the choice of three different colors.
Technically speaking, the RZE Resolute Pro isn’t a completely new watch, as the Resolute itself is the brand’s inaugural model from 2020, and the Resolute Pro is simply a further refinement of this original fan-favorite concept. Additionally, RZE first debuted the Resolute Pro earlier this year in October 2023 as a 30-piece limited edition with a black enamel dial, and while that model immediately sold out the day that it was first announced, RZE promised that the Resolute Pro would make a return later in the year as a standard-production offering with additional colors for its glossy enamel dial. Now, just a couple months later, the RZE Resolute Pro has been formally added to the brand’s lineup, and the new model is available with the option of either Jet Black, White, or Medallion Yellow enamel dials.
Like all of RZE’s watches, the new Resolute Pro is crafted entirely from grade 2 titanium, which has been given the brand’s proprietary UltraHex surface coating to make it approximately eight times harder than traditional stainless steel. However, rather than having a matte sandblasted finish like most of RZE’s models, the Resolute series features entirely brushed surfaces, which gives it a slightly more elevated appearance, while still maintaining its tool watch design ethos. Fitted with a simple fixed bezel, the case showcases a similar angular design language that can be found among other models in the brand’s current catalog, and it measures 40mm in diameter by 10.5mm thick, with 20mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 46mm. A flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial side of the watch, while a solid screw-down caseback closes up the reverse side, and at the 3 o’clock location is a signed screw-down winding crown that helps ensure the model’s 100 meters of water resistance.
While the case of the RZE Resolute Pro offers a similar overall profile to other watches in the brand’s modern lineup, it is noticeably thinner than models such as the Endeavour dive watch or Ascentus GMT, which have rotating bezels, greater depth ratings, and are powered by Seiko movements, which are inherently a bit thicker than the Miyota 9xxx calibers that RZE uses for its more premium models like the Aspirare or Resolute that is featured here. The downward curvature of the thick angular lugs (with drilled holes) allows the case of the Resolute Pro to sit flat against the top of the wrist, and since the entirety of its external components is made from titanium, it is also fairly lightweight at 60 grams for the watch itself, or a total of just 120 grams if you also include the bracelet with all of its removable links.
As for the bracelet, it features an angular H-link design and is crafted entirely from brushed titanium with the same hardened UltraHex coating that appears on the case. The bracelet consists of completely solid components with single-sided screws for the removable links, and it tapers from 20mm at the case down to 16mm where it meets its machined folding clasp. The bracelet connects to the lugs with integrated quick-release spring bars, while the signed clasp operates with a double push-button release, and it features an excellent built-in extension system that offers five positions of tool-free incremental adjustment. Releasing the extension is achieved by pressing the small rectangular tab located on the inside of the clasp, while tightening it can be done by simply squeezing the end of the bracelet back into the clasp’s outer structure, and despite housing a very competent extension mechanism, the overall size of the clasp remains extremely manageable.
Since the case proportions of the RZE Resolute Pro are inherently rather compact, it is not a model that you expect to be all that heavy in the first place, which means that picking it up doesn’t offer quite the same “shockingly lightweight” initial perception that you get from something like a large and chunky diver that is also made from titanium. One of the most common criticisms of titanium watches is that some collectors simply can’t help but (incorrectly) associate weight with quality, and while the RZE Resolute Pro is hardly a heavy timepiece, not being quite as deceptively lightweight as other models actually helps to provide it with a slightly more traditional overall feel. Even still, the weight difference between titanium and stainless steel is always going to be immediately apparent, and I personally find the Resolute Pro to be lightweight on the wrist and incredibly comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
The real highlight of the RZE Resolute Pro is its enamel dial, which is a feature rarely seen on watches at this price point, let alone fitted to rather utilitarian models like a titanium field watch. While the Resolute Pro’s enamel dial is fundamentally different compared to the intricate creations that are produced entirely by hand over the course of dozens of hours (such as those that come out of the historic Donzé Cadrans enamel workshop), the simple fact that RZE is even offering a proper heated-enamel dial at all is something that should be commended. The extreme temperatures used to create enamel result in an inherently high rejection rate during the manufacturing process, and even creating a specific color of enamel isn’t always a straightforward task. Producing the glassy material requires pigments that change color during the firing process, and this makes it even more impressive that RZE is able to offer the Resolute Pro with an enamel dial in its signature Medallion Yellow color, along with the traditional options like black and white.
The enamel surface of the dial offers a symmetrical and glossy appearance, although the actual style of the Resolute Pro’s dial also slightly differs from what can be found on the standard RZE Resolute models. Rather than having Arabic numeral hour markers at the cardinal points in a traditional 3-6-9 field watch layout, the dial fitted to the Resolute Pro has additional baton indexes at its cardinal points, and it also features the RZE logo applied to its surface, rather than being printed like on the regular models. Along with the text on the dial, the hands and surrounds for the hour markers on the Medallion Yellow version all appear in black for maximum contrast, and while the vast majority of the Super-LumiNova used on the watch glow blue, the three-hour markers at the cardinal points have small green-glowing segments at their tips to further help provide a clear orientation of the time in low-light settings.
Powering the RZE Resolute Pro is the familiar Miyota Cal. 90S5 automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. As the Miyota 90S5 is a member of the Japanese movement manufacturer’s premium range of mechanical calibers, it benefits from a higher operating frequency and a thinner structure compared to the Seiko-based movements that RZE uses inside of its entry-level models. The thin architecture of the Miyota 90S5 is the key factor that enables the RZE Resolute series to offer its slim case profile, and since the Cal. 90S5 is naturally a no-date variation of this popular self-winding movement series, it only features two crown positions (winding and setting), which perfectly corresponds with the Resolute Pro’s symmetrical time-only display.
Titanium and enamel are two materials that are frequently accompanied by rather significant price premiums, although RZE seems to consistently deliver strong value for the money, and the new RZE Resolute Pro is accompanied by an official retail price of $629 USD. While this does make it slightly more expensive than the standard strap-equipped models from the current Resolute series, the actual premium works out to only about $150 above the collection’s absolute least expensive offerings, and this ultimately seems extremely reasonable considering that it gets you both an enamel dial and a matching titanium bracelet. Since RZE only produces sport and tool watches, the new Resolute Pro easily claims the top spot as its most refined and elevated model, although it is still very much a function-forward timepiece and therefore adheres to the brand’s distinctly modern and utility-focused design language. For more information on the RZE Resolute Pro, please visit the brand’s website.
