Under the hood is a Seiko NH35 – reliable, easy to maintain, and sturdy as a tank. The lumed dial lights up brightly behind them, which is also aesthetically pleasing. I love the way the indices catches light. I wish the rectangular hands could be slightly thicker to match the indices proportionately but they are considered a good complement to the angular form of the case. The knurled bezel makes it easy to grip and turn the bezel and works in tandem with the knurled crown. The engraved markings are filled with Super-LumiNova Lume and easy to read – wider at the 3, 6, and 9 markers with 12 being a triangle. Unfortunately, since I borrowed this watch for review purposes, I won’t witness it on this exact model firsthand. While the insert won’t survive the lifetime of the watch, the two-tone effect that results will be interesting to look at. Moving on to the bezel, it’s been intentionally made with aluminum so that it will take on a faded look over time. When I was changing out the bracelet to a rubber strap, I realised there were no quick-release spring bars, so the changeover won’t be as instant, but since this is a diver-inspired watch, I think the old-school spring bars give me more confidence in how secure the bracelet is as quick release pins are more likely to fail than regular spring bars (I don’t dive by the way). The case design and rectangular lugs make it extremely versatile, so your Rogue will still look great with many alternatives. If the rice bracelet isn’t your thing, not to worry. I’m not a fan of bracelets because I like my watches on the lighter side but the weight of the watch and bracelet feels balanced. The brushed top and sides merge well with the brushing on the bracelet, and while there is a contrast, it feels very balanced and flowed very well around my wrist. They definitely add a bit of a vintage feel to the style of the watch. The bracelet also has little play when held sideways, and the solid end links match snugly with the case and have no play at all, but just the right amount of brush and polish to shine through. In a step up from the usual specs, the links are screw connected, making it extremely easy to size. The bracelet consists of links with a row of fused beads (three polished in the middle flanked by two brushed exterior beads) and tapers from 20mm at the lugs to 18mm at the clasp. These are longer, flatter, sportier, unlike the stock beads of rice bracelets found in the market. One thing new owners of Rogue will notice right out of the box is that they’ve gone with a rice bracelet instead of traditional rounded beads. While the crown is easy to screw and grip, I do personally wish it was slightly bigger, and it is an element that gives the watch even more character. This, to me, also gives the Rogue Type 1 a slight field watch look. ![]() It’s nice to see this bit of innovation in the design. It’s very rare to find a crown guard on a skin diver, and if they’re there they’re usually very sharp (Think YEMA or Rolex). ![]() Another thing that stood out to me was the pared-down crown guard of the case which protects the knurled screw-down crown. These, together with the polished chamfers, give the watch an even more sophisticated look, and some additional details for collectors to admire. ![]() ![]() However, unlike skin divers, the Rogue sports bent lugs. For those who don’t know, skin divers are lighter versions of the heavy-duty swimmer watches that preserve the style while minimizing that high-pressure functionality that lets them take their timepieces underwater. Of all the colors, Type 1A was immediately my favorite.Īt 46mm lug to lug and 41mm wide, the angular watch case resembles the 60s skin divers. Wanting to get a firsthand look at the formula for their secret sauce, I chatted with YK to arrange for a meetup with Qi Feng to review the Type 1 which sadly didn't happen but Qi Feng kindly loaned me one of his watch for review. By the end of their campaign, Rogue Type 1 had surpassed their funding goal. However, it seemed to be the right one, as that additional investment in the quality of the product over promotion paid off. Lack of reach is one of the biggest reasons crowdfunding campaigns can fail, so I thought it was a risky move. I followed its progress on Kickstarter and was surprised at the very small media spend that seemed to be taking place. The design immediately caught my eye, and through a quick follow-up, I found out that Rogue’s owner, Qi Feng, is the cousin of fellow watchmaker Yong Keong (YK) from Feynman. I first encountered the Rogue Type 1 when Min Xiang (MX) from Chrono Design posted about the timepiece, which was to make an appearance on Kickstarter, in a microbrand Facebook group.
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