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FeelingTheBlues · 31 March 2012, 06:06 AM

Greetings TRF,

After owning a couple of different watches over the past months I thought a review of one of them would be interesting. I know a lot of you guys like to read a lot about different movements and calibers but since the model I chose has a quartz movement I will not elaborate too much on its mechanism and will rather concentrate on doing a review of the watch by giving my opinion on this question: do I like wearing this timepiece?

As stated in the title, the watch I've decided to analyze is my Dreyfuss DGS10001/32. The reason is quite simple: I've never been able to see another model of this watch around the net and I actually had to write to the company itself in order to obtain information about my particular model. I hope you will enjoy it.

The brand and model

As far as I'm concerned the brand itself is rather unknown in the world of watchmaking, it was founded by René Dreyfuss in 1925 and seems to concentrate in making dress watches (although they have chronographs as well) with both quartz and mechanical movements. Established in Switzerland, it seems like this country, along with United Kingdom and Ireland, are the only ones who actually have stockists for the brand.

The watches they offer mostly come in stainless steel but they also offer a selection of rose gold and yellow gold plated timepieces for those who prefer a fancier style.

For those who would like to read more about the brand, here is the official Dreyfuss and Co. website.

The model I am reviewing is the DGS10001/32 which is a variation of the DGS00004/06. It comes from the 1890 Series (René Dreyfuss's birth year) and is what I'd like to describe as a simple and plain dress watch, nothing too fancy or complicated but I find it rather elegant.

Here is a picture of the watch currently available, it's in stainless steel:

The difference is that my watch is made in solid 18kt yellow gold and comes with a brown leather band. After sending a couple of e-mails to the company I had the information that my model has been discontinued 12 or 18 months ago and was not a limited edition but had a rare availability, therefore only a very few of those watches have actually been sold and they aren't made anymore.

The movement

This part of the review will be very short as there isn't a lot to say about it. The watch has a Rhonda 705 quartz movement which is very simple. From what I read this movement can be offered with or without a second hand but mine has it. It also has a date wheel but besides those it has nothing more complicated or very unusual, it remains very accurate and I would say that a good advantage of it is that the date changes within five or six minutes after midnight as opposed to my Omega Seamaster Professional who needs almost an hour and a half for the same duty.

Here are pictures of the movement, they aren't mine but they show both sides of it.

The boxes

I thought it would be nice to show you the boxes of the watch before getting into the real thing. Despite being a "simple quartz watch" I was rather amazed by the quality of the package it came in, I think it's a good change from the usual cardboard and more cheap boxes you get when you purchase a watch from a little jewelry store in a mall.

The watch

The watch itself has a 35 mm round case with a 19 mm space between the lugs. Of course a lot of people may think this is too small for a men's watch and the look of it in the big wooden box doesn't really help.

Still, I think it looks rather nice and well proportionned on my 7" wrist.

It also comes with a papillon style deployment clasp (which will be reviewed below).

Overall I'd say the watch looks very good, the round case remains a timeless classic shape and the leather band has a very fancy look but it is thick enough to give the watch a casual look, I wear it with dress outfits as well as a pair of jeans but I don't think it would fit baggys and shorts very well!

Now that the watch has been shown as a complete piece, I think it would be good to review the three different parts of it.

The leather band

As mentionned, it's fancy with a medium size "thick look" that makes it look simple and casual as well. The color of it is rather dark so it doesn't give the watch a funky look but the brown makes it look different. I find it to be great with blue jeans and a black or a colored shirt (I think it could fit a lot of outfits very well) but I'm not sure it would look that good with an all black and white suit. My guess is that one should wear at least one colored piece of clothing to avoid making the watch look a bit odd on him.

I find it nice to see that the Dreyfuss and Co. bands are "stamped" with their brand names and logos. I don't know if they're made in house but it gives you the feeling that the band really belongs to the timepiece (I changed it to another black band a couple of weeks ago but finally decided to put the original back, I think that purchase was a bit of a mistake!).

The only thing I dislike about the bracelet is that the end of the longest part is not rounded or "pointy" enough, I think it doesn't look that right and I would rather see a regular end to that part to avoid the rough end look.

The clasp

The best and worst part of the watch at the same time, the deployment clasp has been a must have in my collection of features on a watch ever since I discovered them. This one looks very good and also has those small details on it that gives you the feeling they put some time making their watches' parts.

Along with the above paragraph, it is obviously a great way to avoid your bracelet being damaged or too much used when you put the watch on and off.

When I had the watch I must say I was very excited about this feature (and still am) but I have to honestly say there are two things I don't like about it. The first one is the shape of it, although a papillon deployment clasp is as good as the other types I find this one to be a bit too round. With that problem it happens that the edges of the clasp rub your wrist skin and irritates it a little bit. I must say I got used to it over the months but I think it's a problem that shouldn't happen and that could have been avoided if they had decided to make it slightly more flat.

The other problem I see is this:

Please do believe me when I say I'm not a snob but I find it strange that a solid gold watch has a stainless steel gold plated clasp. Of course it may make the clasp much more tough but I don't really see it as necessary and I think it looks a little bit odd. Of course it doesn't make me dislike the whole watch but I personally would have paid a bit more to have a solid gold watch with all its parts made of the same precious metal.

The case

The best part of the review! As stated above, the case has a 35 mm round shape and wears pretty much the same so you cannot be really surprised by the look of it on your wrist when you know the width of it.

As for the case back, I think they had a good idea by putting a bit of decoration on it (the logo and the brand name, that is) and you can see right away the material it's made of as well as the collection it belongs to but those who wish to engrave a little message (should this watch be a gift) may be disappointed by the lack of free space on it. Still, I think it's a great idea for a watch without a clear case back to have those decorations (unless somebody is amazed by the beauty of a quartz movement).

Finally, the lugs look quite plain and I don't feel the need to have something too fancy or decorated because I think it would probably make the watch look too feminine, I believe they give the watch that sober look that enhances its masculine side. Still, I think they would have been able to make the watch look slightly bigger if they have made a more subtle transition from the case to the lugs. I'd be curious to see the same watch without the "rougher" cut of the lugs.

The dial and hands

There's no need to elaborate too much on those features as they remain very simple but I think that's what makes their charm. The champagne dial is as simple as it can get and makes the timepiece look much more elegant. With its stick hour markers surrounded by black second markers, small date window at three and centered hands you can easily read the time and date without having a too busy dial. I'm not sure if the hands and markers are 18kt gold or gold plated but after seeing the clasp I doubt they're made of any precious metal (still, I could be surprised and another e-mail to the company would probably give me the answer).

I think the only thing I would have found interesting on this dial is a second sub dial right above the six hour marker, something very simple that would give you the feeling the watch is somewhat a very little bit more complicated.

The small date window.

The brand name and logo, as always (almost), under the twelve hour marker. It seems like they are really proud to say their watches are hand made!

The lume

What can I say, they are great when fully charged but if I compare them to my Omega Seamaster Professional they aren't very amazing. The color is beautiful and they do shine but I had to bring a desk lamp as close as three inches from the watch and wait about thirty seconds to get the markers to be that bright. I'm not that disappointed though because I think a dress watch isn't something you want to glow in the dark everytime it has been near any small form of light.

Conclusion

I thought about selling this watch a couple of times when I bought my Rolex Datejust because I thought I wouldn't wear it anymore until I happened to closely admire it. At this very moment I knew I couldn't part with it and if I had to do it I would be very sad because it's a wonderful watch and it's as beautiful as it's useful and accurate. Mostly a dress timepiece, it can also be worn with more casual clothes and besides its small bad sides I would recommend anybody who come across one of those unique pieces to buy it and enjoy it to the fullest! As well, ever since I learned this particular model was rather rare and unavailable anymore I got even more interested by it and really had the confirmation I made a good choice when I decided to buy it.

Some people may believe it's a waste of money to get a gold watch with a quartz movement but I think the other aspects of this watch make it a great piece and makes you forget, should you be a movement enthusiast, that it ticks. Besides, if the movement dies someday for any reason and you don't wish to put a brand new one inside of it I'm sure a manual wound or automatic movement for a dress watch could fit easily in it.

Finally, I'll answer my principal question, do I like wearing this timepiece? A big yes is in order!

Thank you for reading, comments are, as always, welcome.

drockadam · 31 March 2012, 08:17 AM

Great review Carl! What a gorgeous watch! It reminds me a lot of my grandfather's Lanco. Great looking brown strap! Hopefully they aren't as expensive as TAG straps!!!

threemonkeys · 31 March 2012, 08:35 AM

That was a very fun read, Carl. Thanks for posting.

FeelingTheBlues · 31 March 2012, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drockadam

Great review Carl! What a gorgeous watch! It reminds me a lot of my grandfather's Lanco. Great looking brown strap! Hopefully they aren't as expensive as TAG straps!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by threemonkeys

That was a very fun read, Carl. Thanks for posting.

Thank you gentlemen, I had a lot of fun writing it!

cruvon · 31 March 2012, 05:58 PM

Great review, very nice, classic watch!

FeelingTheBlues · 2 April 2012, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruvon

Great review, very nice, classic watch!

Thank you for the kind words, I do love this watch a lot!

31 March 2012, 06:06 AM	#1
FeelingTheBlues "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Real Name: Carl Location: Always moving Watch: If you wish... Posts: 22,039	My first review: Dreyfuss DGS10001/32 Greetings TRF, After owning a couple of different watches over the past months I thought a review of one of them would be interesting. I know a lot of you guys like to read a lot about different movements and calibers but since the model I chose has a quartz movement I will not elaborate too much on its mechanism and will rather concentrate on doing a review of the watch by giving my opinion on this question: do I like wearing this timepiece? As stated in the title, the watch I've decided to analyze is my Dreyfuss DGS10001/32. The reason is quite simple: I've never been able to see another model of this watch around the net and I actually had to write to the company itself in order to obtain information about my particular model. I hope you will enjoy it. The brand and model As far as I'm concerned the brand itself is rather unknown in the world of watchmaking, it was founded by René Dreyfuss in 1925 and seems to concentrate in making dress watches (although they have chronographs as well) with both quartz and mechanical movements. Established in Switzerland, it seems like this country, along with United Kingdom and Ireland, are the only ones who actually have stockists for the brand. The watches they offer mostly come in stainless steel but they also offer a selection of rose gold and yellow gold plated timepieces for those who prefer a fancier style. For those who would like to read more about the brand, here is the official Dreyfuss and Co. website. The model I am reviewing is the DGS10001/32 which is a variation of the DGS00004/06. It comes from the 1890 Series (René Dreyfuss's birth year) and is what I'd like to describe as a simple and plain dress watch, nothing too fancy or complicated but I find it rather elegant. Here is a picture of the watch currently available, it's in stainless steel: The difference is that my watch is made in solid 18kt yellow gold and comes with a brown leather band. After sending a couple of e-mails to the company I had the information that my model has been discontinued 12 or 18 months ago and was not a limited edition but had a rare availability, therefore only a very few of those watches have actually been sold and they aren't made anymore. The movement This part of the review will be very short as there isn't a lot to say about it. The watch has a Rhonda 705 quartz movement which is very simple. From what I read this movement can be offered with or without a second hand but mine has it. It also has a date wheel but besides those it has nothing more complicated or very unusual, it remains very accurate and I would say that a good advantage of it is that the date changes within five or six minutes after midnight as opposed to my Omega Seamaster Professional who needs almost an hour and a half for the same duty. Here are pictures of the movement, they aren't mine but they show both sides of it. The boxes I thought it would be nice to show you the boxes of the watch before getting into the real thing. Despite being a "simple quartz watch" I was rather amazed by the quality of the package it came in, I think it's a good change from the usual cardboard and more cheap boxes you get when you purchase a watch from a little jewelry store in a mall. The watch The watch itself has a 35 mm round case with a 19 mm space between the lugs. Of course a lot of people may think this is too small for a men's watch and the look of it in the big wooden box doesn't really help. Still, I think it looks rather nice and well proportionned on my 7" wrist. It also comes with a papillon style deployment clasp (which will be reviewed below). Overall I'd say the watch looks very good, the round case remains a timeless classic shape and the leather band has a very fancy look but it is thick enough to give the watch a casual look, I wear it with dress outfits as well as a pair of jeans but I don't think it would fit baggys and shorts very well! Now that the watch has been shown as a complete piece, I think it would be good to review the three different parts of it. The leather band As mentionned, it's fancy with a medium size "thick look" that makes it look simple and casual as well. The color of it is rather dark so it doesn't give the watch a funky look but the brown makes it look different. I find it to be great with blue jeans and a black or a colored shirt (I think it could fit a lot of outfits very well) but I'm not sure it would look that good with an all black and white suit. My guess is that one should wear at least one colored piece of clothing to avoid making the watch look a bit odd on him. I find it nice to see that the Dreyfuss and Co. bands are "stamped" with their brand names and logos. I don't know if they're made in house but it gives you the feeling that the band really belongs to the timepiece (I changed it to another black band a couple of weeks ago but finally decided to put the original back, I think that purchase was a bit of a mistake!). The only thing I dislike about the bracelet is that the end of the longest part is not rounded or "pointy" enough, I think it doesn't look that right and I would rather see a regular end to that part to avoid the rough end look. The clasp The best and worst part of the watch at the same time, the deployment clasp has been a must have in my collection of features on a watch ever since I discovered them. This one looks very good and also has those small details on it that gives you the feeling they put some time making their watches' parts. Along with the above paragraph, it is obviously a great way to avoid your bracelet being damaged or too much used when you put the watch on and off. When I had the watch I must say I was very excited about this feature (and still am) but I have to honestly say there are two things I don't like about it. The first one is the shape of it, although a papillon deployment clasp is as good as the other types I find this one to be a bit too round. With that problem it happens that the edges of the clasp rub your wrist skin and irritates it a little bit. I must say I got used to it over the months but I think it's a problem that shouldn't happen and that could have been avoided if they had decided to make it slightly more flat. The other problem I see is this: Please do believe me when I say I'm not a snob but I find it strange that a solid gold watch has a stainless steel gold plated clasp. Of course it may make the clasp much more tough but I don't really see it as necessary and I think it looks a little bit odd. Of course it doesn't make me dislike the whole watch but I personally would have paid a bit more to have a solid gold watch with all its parts made of the same precious metal. The case The best part of the review! As stated above, the case has a 35 mm round shape and wears pretty much the same so you cannot be really surprised by the look of it on your wrist when you know the width of it. As for the case back, I think they had a good idea by putting a bit of decoration on it (the logo and the brand name, that is) and you can see right away the material it's made of as well as the collection it belongs to but those who wish to engrave a little message (should this watch be a gift) may be disappointed by the lack of free space on it. Still, I think it's a great idea for a watch without a clear case back to have those decorations (unless somebody is amazed by the beauty of a quartz movement). Finally, the lugs look quite plain and I don't feel the need to have something too fancy or decorated because I think it would probably make the watch look too feminine, I believe they give the watch that sober look that enhances its masculine side. Still, I think they would have been able to make the watch look slightly bigger if they have made a more subtle transition from the case to the lugs. I'd be curious to see the same watch without the "rougher" cut of the lugs. The dial and hands There's no need to elaborate too much on those features as they remain very simple but I think that's what makes their charm. The champagne dial is as simple as it can get and makes the timepiece look much more elegant. With its stick hour markers surrounded by black second markers, small date window at three and centered hands you can easily read the time and date without having a too busy dial. I'm not sure if the hands and markers are 18kt gold or gold plated but after seeing the clasp I doubt they're made of any precious metal (still, I could be surprised and another e-mail to the company would probably give me the answer). I think the only thing I would have found interesting on this dial is a second sub dial right above the six hour marker, something very simple that would give you the feeling the watch is somewhat a very little bit more complicated. The small date window. The brand name and logo, as always (almost), under the twelve hour marker. It seems like they are really proud to say their watches are hand made! The lume What can I say, they are great when fully charged but if I compare them to my Omega Seamaster Professional they aren't very amazing. The color is beautiful and they do shine but I had to bring a desk lamp as close as three inches from the watch and wait about thirty seconds to get the markers to be that bright. I'm not that disappointed though because I think a dress watch isn't something you want to glow in the dark everytime it has been near any small form of light. Conclusion I thought about selling this watch a couple of times when I bought my Rolex Datejust because I thought I wouldn't wear it anymore until I happened to closely admire it. At this very moment I knew I couldn't part with it and if I had to do it I would be very sad because it's a wonderful watch and it's as beautiful as it's useful and accurate. Mostly a dress timepiece, it can also be worn with more casual clothes and besides its small bad sides I would recommend anybody who come across one of those unique pieces to buy it and enjoy it to the fullest! As well, ever since I learned this particular model was rather rare and unavailable anymore I got even more interested by it and really had the confirmation I made a good choice when I decided to buy it. Some people may believe it's a waste of money to get a gold watch with a quartz movement but I think the other aspects of this watch make it a great piece and makes you forget, should you be a movement enthusiast, that it ticks. Besides, if the movement dies someday for any reason and you don't wish to put a brand new one inside of it I'm sure a manual wound or automatic movement for a dress watch could fit easily in it. Finally, I'll answer my principal question, do I like wearing this timepiece? A big yes is in order! Thank you for reading, comments are, as always, welcome. __________________ Mon corps c'est un pays en guerre sur l'point d'finir, Le général de l'armée de terre s'attend au pire, J'ai faim, j'ai frette, je suis trop faible pour me lever debout, On va hisser le drapeau blanc un point c'est tout. - André Fortin

31 March 2012, 05:58 PM	#5
cruvon "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 4,689	Great review, very nice, classic watch! __________________ Last thing I remember, I was Running outta sight I had to find the passage back,To the place I was before. ’Relax,’ said this Rolex place,We are programmed to receive. You can checkout any time you like, But you can never leave!

31 March 2012, 08:17 AM	#2
drockadam "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Real Name: Adam Location: Ontario, Canada Watch: Pepsi. Posts: 5,749	Great review Carl! What a gorgeous watch! It reminds me a lot of my grandfather's Lanco. Great looking brown strap! Hopefully they aren't as expensive as TAG straps!!!

31 March 2012, 08:35 AM	#3
threemonkeys "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Real Name: Craig Location: Seattle-ish, USA Watch: GMTIIc, AK, LVc Posts: 7,022	That was a very fun read, Carl. Thanks for posting.

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