Hands-On The RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS Australia Edition

Today, RZE has pulled the covers off its first-ever retailer collaboration watch with the RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS – a tough-as-nails digital tool watch with just the right amount of Aussie charm. In addition to it being RZE’s first retailer collaboration, it’s also the debut limited edition from WatchPoint, the Melbourne enthusiast-run showroom and editorial outfit that has set up shop in the Manchester Unity Building. WatchPoint is also the second home of our tireless contributor Borna Bošnjak, who runs WatchPoint's editorial arm, so it was very cool to spend some time with a watch designed by a good mate, and one of the friendliest faces in the Australian watch scene.

If you’ve not come across RZE before, this is a good time to start. You can check out a longer read on the brand by Thor here, but as a quick bio, the brand was founded in 2020 with the intent of creating digital tool watches that were as – if not more – capable and reliable as those made by the Japanese giants of Casio and Seiko. As a result, toughness has always been the main priority, and the brand’s signature is titanium cases that have been treated with a proprietary coating called UltraHex, which improves the hardness rating by a factor of ten compared to regular titanium, all the way up to 1,200 Vickers. That’s about as hard as natural quartz crystals, ceramic, and high-end stainless steel tools.

Beyond the case treatment, RZE watches are also ruthlessly tested by the team to ensure the digital display isn’t prone to fading or dimming over the years, and that they can handle just about any conditions you might find yourself in. The brand’s Canadian-based co-founder, Huiy Tang, gave Hodinkee a peek behind the curtain as to how they do some of the cold testing, explaining, “I waited until it was minus thirty or minus forty in Edmonton and left the watch out for twenty-four hours to check the fade-out. I zip-tied it to my vehicle and drove at highway speeds for over an hour, in 100 kilometre per hour winds on a minus twenty day, to check the fade-out again."

In short, RZE takes the reliability of its watches pretty seriously. So seriously that they offer a lifetime guarantee on the functionality of the digital modules used in the watches.

Getting to the RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS itself, we have a grade 2 titanium case (complete with the UltraHex hardness treatment) that measures 43mm in diameter, 49.5mm lug-to-lug, and 13.4mm thick. That might sound solid for those who (like myself) prefer their diameters on the smaller side, but thanks to the titanium case it tips the scales at just 52g without the strap (for context, the titanium Tudor Pelagos 39 weighs 89g without the bracelet). Its construction is solid, as you’d probably expect, but it’s light enough you could almost forget you were wearing it. The closed caseback features the same engravings you’ll find on other UTD-8000 references, including the guarantee of 200m of water resistance. 

The case is also where you find a few Aussie design details, and thankfully, they’ve been kept subtle. The ring that frames the dial – where you’ll find indications for button functions – has been executed in a light green, and sandwiched between the case and the bezel is a flash of warm colour thanks to a golden anodised aluminium ring. If you didn’t know it was a WatchPoint limited edition, you probably wouldn’t guess it had a touch of Aussie inspiration.

On the wrist, it’s one of the more comfortable watches I've had the pleasure of wearing, which – beyond the lightness of the case – is mostly thanks to the GP elasticised fabric strap that it arrives with. The strap has a simple hook-and-loop closure that offers basically infinite adjustment as the day progresses, but another detail I enjoyed was the narrow 20mm lug width, which (in proportion alone) reminded me of the oversized IWC Portugieser ref. 325 from the 1930s. There’s something about watches with a larger gap between their case diameter and lug width that, far from looking unbalanced, feel purpose-built, with a bigger case making for a more legible dial and the narrower strap allowing a better range of motion in the wrist. In addition to the GP elasticised fabric strap, the RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS is also available with a TecTuff leather strap, a HexaFlex rubber strap, and even a full UltraHex titanium H-link bracelet.

As far as the display, it’s powered by the aforementioned custom-built digital module that promises around three years of battery life, which is the industry standard for battery-powered watches. The display itself is crisp, split across three segments that read different information depending on the function you’re using, while the functions include the tried and true combination of hours (in both 12 or 24-hour format), minutes, running seconds, a perpetual calendar, a chronograph, and an alarm. It’s also got an aquamarine "UltraGlow" backlight, which is plenty bright enough in low light (while doubling as a reliable source of entertainment for my toddler).

Even the packaging gets into the spirit, with the watch arriving in RZE's bright yellow steel Toyo box, which has a similar look of a vintage mess tin or storage box, along with a custom sticker designed by WatchPoint's Jeremy Rowe for the occasion. It's not something that’ll be front of mind once you’ve got the watch on your wrist, but it sets the tone that you’re getting the platonic ideal of a digital watch, not a semi-smartwatch drenched in nostalgia.

Arriving at the price (which is where RZE has really made a name for itself), the RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS has an RRP of A$450 (the regular UTD-8000 is priced at A$435). If you’re keen on the additional straps, the Australian Adventure Bundle comes with all three straps for A$630, while the option with the full titanium bracelet costs A$720. For context, Casio’s Wave Ceptor WVA-M650TD-1A is about the cheapest full titanium watch on the market, and it has an RRP of around US$230 (~A$335), while the most affordable locally available G-Shock is the MRG-B2000, which will set you back A$3,999.

All considered, this WatchPoint limited edition does exactly what the RZE team originally set out to do back in 2020 – it’s a robust, solidly built digital tool watch that you can confidently take anywhere. It’s function over form in the best possible way, and as much as we love G-Shock here at Hodinkee ANZ, there’s no app to download or account to create, and there’s no Bluetooth-enabled timekeeping or health tracking. It’s a no-fuss digital watch, and I can confirm after having spent a  non-stop week with the prototype on my wrist, it’s a pretty great one.

The RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS is limited to just 50 pieces, available from 3 October at WatchPoint's Melbourne showroom and online store.

Brand: RZE
Model: RZE x WatchPoint UTD-8000-AUS Australia Edition
Reference Number: UTD-8000-AUS
Diameter: 42mm (43mm at bezel)
Lug-To-Lug: 49.5mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Thickness: 13.4mm
Case Material: Grade 2 titanium with UltraHex™ hardness coating, anodised aluminium case ring in gold
Glass: Sapphire front with inside anti-reflective coating
Dial: Green dial ring, positive LED display, aquamarine UltraGlow LED backlight
Water Resistance: 200 metres
Strap: Black GP elastic fabric strap with hook-and-loop closure; Australian Adventure Bundle with GP elastic strap, TecTuff® leather strap, and HexaFlex 2.0 rubber strap; RZE grade 2 titanium UltraHex™ H-link bracelet with toolless micro-adjustment clasp

Calibre: UTD-8000 Multi-Function Digital Module, custom-built for RZE
Functions: Hours (12-hour or 24-hour format), minutes, seconds, chronograph, alarm, perpetual calendar
Battery Life: 3 years

Price: A$450 (GP elasticised fabric strap), A$630 (Australian Adventure Bundle with GP elastic strap, TecTuff® leather strap, and HexaFlex 2.0 rubber strap), A$720 (UltraHex™ grade 2 titanium bracelet)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 50 pieces

For more, click here.