For nearly a century, the small city of Le Mans in the northwestern French countryside has been the heart and soul of global endurance racing. The 24 Hours of Le Mans attracts some of the finest drivers and automakers from around the world to compete across four classes in a grueling test of performance, reliability, and both human and automotive stamina. The event has attracted more than its share of watch brands as well over the years, and for 2021 offbeat independent brand Reservoir is joining the fray with the IDEC Sport team in the LMP2 prototype class. Not only does the resulting limited edition model take on a sporty, prototype-inspired look, but the entire production run will be carried aboard the number 48 IDEC Sport LMP2 car for the entire 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans on August 21st and 22nd alongside drivers Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin, and Patrick Pilet. The limited edition Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 combines the brand’s signature retrograde complications with both an aggressive new look and an impressive set of included perks that provide a tangible connection to the world’s most famous endurance race.
At 43mm, the matte forged carbon case of the Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 should likely wear on the larger side with its simple and athletic design. The overall form is a clean take on classic sports watch cues, with wide set tapering lugs and a broad sloping fixed bezel. The case sides are vertical and elemental, without any embellishing chamfers or variations in finishing. Compared to many other modern carbon case designs, the forged carbon used here is remarkably subtle in images, with muted highlights above the charcoal gray base tone. The sapphire display caseback, on the other hand, appears to take a much more dynamic approach to its forged carbon than the front with a dynamic striated oval pattern shot through the surrounding caseback material. For such a sporty modern design, however, water resistance is a potential weak point with Reservoir rating the watch for only 50 meters.
Like the case, the dial of the Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 plays mostly with matte textures and subtle color variations, but here the use of bold highlights and sleek graphic design gives the package a charismatic racing charm in images. The black main dial surface uses a heavily grained matte texture that calls to mind asphalt in initial images, deftly tying into the automotive theme while keeping the serious modernist personality of the design intact. Reservoir’s signature retrograde central minutes display takes on the look of a modern sports car tachometer here, with a deep red needle-style hand and a raised minutes track sweeping from 8 o’clock to 4 o’clock. The applied Arabic minutes numerals reinforce the theme here, with a rounded and aggressive modern typeface and a pale gray lume fill. IDEC Sport’s vibrant white and red logo forms a natural visual highlight at 8 o’clock, but the positioning here may prove controversial among enthusiasts as it disrupts the overall dial symmetry. The jumping hour window at 6 o’clock takes a clean, squared-off approach, with a dial matching hour wheel featuring slim, lightly printed Arabic numerals. Sweeping from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock below the hours window is the GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021’s power reserve indicator, which keeps the automotive cues intact with a retrograde fuel gauge motif.
Reservoir powers the GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 with a heavily modified ETA 2824-2 automatic movement featuring a proprietary module for Reservoir’s unique complications. The visible decoration through the caseback is decidedly light, with a cutout rotor sporting Côtes de Genève atop cleanly matte finished bridges. Reservoir’s unique blend of complications is likely significantly torque-hungry, as the power reserve is lower than the standard 2824-2. Reservoir rates the performance at 37 hours of power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate. The Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 is packaged with a pair of straps. The first of these is a classic black leather big hole rally strap with racing red accent stitching. For a more modern sporty look, a black NATO strap is also included. The GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition’s box also features an exclusive scale model of IDEC Sport’s 2021 LMP2 Le Mans challenger, along with a plaque certifying the watch was inside the cockpit during the 2021 race. Lastly, each Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 includes a one-day VIP pass to the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans, although transport and accommodations are not included.
With the limited edition GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021, Reservoir offers enthusiasts both a handsomely sporty racing-inspired riff on its signature formula and a chance to connect directly with one of the world’s great sporting events. Only 24 examples of the Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 will be made. The Reservoir GT Tour Carbon IDEC Sport Edition 2021 is available for preorder now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of $8,600, with expected delivery in October 2021. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
