It’s an understatement to say that 2020 was an odd year. Covid-19 shut down most of the world – not least watch manufacturers – for the first half, but the world of independents and microbrands picked back up in the summer. By the end of the year, we had more watches to review than we had time to wear them! So, as is traditional as the year draws to a close, here are the top three watches in the WRUK Watch of the Year 2020.
WRUK Watch of the Year 2020
We’ve picked out our favourite three watches that were reviewed in 2020. In reverse order, they are…
Roebuck Watch Company Diviso
Marrying a motorsport-themed design with a compressor-style internal bezel, Roebuck made a watch that is so much more than the sum of its parts. That bezel may be more form than function in the absence of markers to line it up with, but the Roebuck Watch Company Diviso looks great and has a superb finish with lots of attention to detail.
Read the full review here: https://wristwatchreview.co.uk/roebuck-diviso-review
You can buy a Roebuck Diviso direct from the brand at roebuckwatchco.com.
NTH Thresher 2k1
If you’re thinking of buying a premium independent timepiece and have £700 burning a hole in your pocket then stop reading and head over to NTH Watches’ website. You won’t be disappointed with the Thresher 2K1 – unless you are a Swiss-movement snob: the watch is built like a tank, and despite its 44mm case it wears like a much smaller watch. The finishing of the Thresher is amongst the best we saw all year. A truly excellent watch.
Read the full review here: https://wristwatchreview.co.uk/nth-thresher-2k1-review
You can buy NTH watches direct from NTH or from Serious Watches in the Netherlands.
WRUK Watch of the year 2020: Rotary Super 7 Scuba
It was a tough call between the Rotary Super 7 Scuba and the NTH when it came to choosing WRUK Watch of the Year: the NTH is superb, but the Rotary is less than half the price and punches well above its weight. We’d have preferred either a Miyota 9-series or a Seiko NH35 movement, and the clasp could do with more adjustment points but these are minor niggles in a budget timepiece that we thought took the design language of the Seiko SKX007 and improved on almost all of its shortcomings. We think it’s the best watch released in 2020: it’s still in our regular wrist-rotation, and we think it could be the start of a renaissance for Rotary watches.
Read the full review here: https://wristwatchreview.co.uk/rotary-super-7-scuba-review
You can buy a Rotary 7 Super Scuba dive watch from WatchNation or Amazon.