Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder
The Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder features hands inspired by the VU meters typical of analog stereo amplifiers of yesteryear. With its distinctive dial and incorporating a column-wheel chronograph from movement specialist La Joux-Perret, this watch proves an interesting proposition. Indeed, according to Mark McArthur-Christie it’s an example of ‘proper, but far from pompous, watchmaking.
Black Thunder – a new version of the Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph
Douglas Adams was a genius. His Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books not only created their own universe and language (you do know where your towel is, right?), but his writing was the sort that makes other scribblers think about pulling the cover over their typewriters and slinking off to take up an easier line of work.
If you’ve read The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (the second book in the series), you’ll remember Disaster Area’s stuntship and you can skip the next few lines if you haven’t. Disaster Area was a rock band so loud that their act was banned ‘…sometimes for artistic reasons, but most commonly because the band’s public address system contravened local strategic arms limitations treaties’. As part of it, they would crash a completely black stuntship (‘so black your eyes just slide off it’) into the nearest sun.
See the link with Reservoir’s latest Sonomaster, the ‘Black Thunder’? The Paris-based firm describes it as ‘A new story of time and rock legends painted black!’ Your eyes don’t quite slide off it – the reverse in fact – but the link just about holds. And, after all, Reservoir may be all about serious watchmaking but they don’t take themselves too seriously.
Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph
The Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph has been around since early last year. The ‘standard’ edition arrived in plain, brushed 316L stainless steel and with a tachymeter scale around the bezel, Cosmograph-style. The firm has made a name for taking themes from instruments of measurement and integrating them into watches. So far, there have been single handed rev counter and speedometer style watches (even one bravely called the ‘Longbridge’ – fortunately, Reservoir avoided the ‘Allegro’ and ‘Marina’ tags), aviation instruments and diving depth gauges. The Sonomaster, appropriately for the name, uses two retrograde scales to echo a traditional analogue VU meter, the sort you’d find on a vintage HiFi amplifier.
That’s all very well – and very cool too – but how does it work on a watch? Actually rather well.
Retrograde dial indications
Looking at the dial, you’ll see the two retrograde scales, one on either side of the dial. The one on the right features a running 30 seconds scale, while its mirror scale, positioned to the left, looks after the date. As the seconds tick by, the needle – it’s more of a needle than a hand – snicks upwards second by second, falling back once it reaches 30 seconds to start again. The date needle does the same thing, but jumps back at the end of the month.
Chronograph registers and other dial details
More conventionally, at 12 o’clock there’s a 30 minute chronograph subdial, while at 6 there is a chrono hour counter. The chrono seconds runs from the centre of the dial and you start and stop it, as you’d expect, with the pushers on the right flank of the case. More on those later…
Although it’s harder to spot on this all-black model (the contrasting cream retro dials on earlier models made it easier to see), the retro scales are recessed, almost like a sandwich dial. The minute and hour totaliser sub-dials are recessed too, with circular graining, so there’s plenty of depth to the dial. There’s also a lot going on, both in terms of information and the way it’s displayed.
Despite all this on-dial activity, the Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph is a cinch to read and use. That’s helped partly by the contrast between the lumed and brushed stainless steel hands against the black dial as well as Reservoir’s use of simple white numerals and markings. Things aren’t exclusively black and white though. The lower part of each retrograde scale is picked out in red – the first six seconds and seven days – as are the tip and logo base of the chrono seconds hands. The colour doesn’t add significantly to the watch’s usability but it lifts the whole thing away from being monochrome.
The Calibre RSV-Bi120 movement – based on a La Joux-Perret L-series calibre
All this retrograde cleverness is possible thanks to the Calibre RSV-Bi120 movement. Reservoir is quite happy to explain this is based on a La Joux-Perret L-series movement. Some other makers should follow Reservoir’s decision to be transparent. The movement is appointed with blued screws, perlage and Geneva striping. It’s already turning up behind Fortis and Frederique Constant casebacks and it’s a thing of beauty, both aesthetically and from an engineering angle. It’s also a change from the usual ETA7750 derivatives we’re so used to seeing at this price. The big difference is that the 28,800 vph L-series all feature a column-wheel rather than the 7750’s cam and lever system. We could debate the advantages and disadvantages of each but that’s one for another day. Suffice it to say that it’s good to see something new, different and high quality. There’s 60 hours of power reserve too, so quite the step-up from the ETA 7750, tried and tested as it is.
Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder – the inspiration for the dial
The all-black stainless steel PVD case on the Black Thunder comes in at 43mm in diameter and, fittingly, devotes most of that area to the dial. The tachymeter bezel is useful, but thin enough to blend into the background when you’re not using it. François Moreau – Reservoir’s CEO and founder – may not have a traditional watchmaking background (he was HSBC’s COO and has a career in banking behind him) but he’s pulled off a neat trick with the Sonomaster; it’s a heavyweight bit of kit but it avoids the hockey puck feel that so many larger watches have. That’s helped by the way the 22mm lug profiles taper away from the case, that thin bezel and the relative lightness of the dial marking. The domed sapphire crystal helps too. And, should you want to spend some time enjoying the movement, you can see it through the sapphire caseback. Practically, you get a useful 50m of water resistance.
The watch’s controls are worth a mention, too. Although he says the movement of his car’s tachometer as he blipped the throttle at the lights was the inspiration behind the Sonomaster, Moreau has carried the vintage hifi idea a little further. As well as the VU meter retrogrades, he’s designed the crown to look like a volume pot with its raised indicator and the start/stop while the reset pushers are intended to mimic bass and treble controls.
Keeping the Sonomaster on your wrist is an appropriately black leather strap, black stitched to match the dial, with a stainless steel butterfly clasp.
Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder
The Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder (what a name!) comes in at £5,300, so it’s pitched straight into a pretty tough part of the market, competition-wise. It stands out though; the LJP-base movement with its two retrograde scales makes sure of that. Proper, but far from pompous, watchmaking.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder
- Reference: RSV04.SN/136.BT
- Case: PVD black stainless steel; diameter 43 mm; water resistance 5ATM (50m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, moonphase
- Movement: Calibre RSV-Bi120; self-winding movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz); power reserve 60 hours.
- Strap: black leather strap with black stitching paired with a stainless steel folding clasp
- Price: £5300 including taxes (RRP as of 7.11.2022)