What are the odds that a French watchmaking company headquartered in Paris that has its watches made in La Chaux-de Fonds, Switzerland (hence the “Swiss Made” label on the dial) are run by a trio of François’s: CEO François Moreau who founded Reservoir in 2015 after 25 years in the banking industry, aided by François Nakkachdji (Business Development Director), François-Marie Neycensas (Chief Marketing Officer).

Going into its seventh year, the company has built up a pretty broad catalog, all based around the same idea: watches that feature a jumping hour at 6 o’clock, retrograde minutes in a 240-degree sweep and a power reserve indicator at the base below the hour. This formula has been built into collections intended for air, land and sea, being themed around aviation, military field watches, naval operations and motorsport.

Part of the motorsport-inspired line, the Kanister collection has its design roots in the Porsche 356 Speedster from the 1950s. Indeed, to a large extent, it has practically ripped the tachometer off the 356 and added straps to it. Black dial, green markings and red accents are faithfully reproduced on the Kanister, down to the striped sector between 25 and 45, and the redline zone from 45 to 50. It’s all there on the 356 dash! On the Porsche, the very same numbers in what looks to be a very similar typeface report the engine rpm in x00s; on the watch, they tell the minutes. The minute hand too looks similar in both. It sweeps from 00 to 60 then flits back to zero as the hour counter at ‘6’ simultaneously advances by 1. Just below the hour, the power reserve indicator is fashioned in a very familiar style of a fuel gauge. Naturally.

Reservoir achieves this by using a bog standard ETA 2824-2, fitted with its own proprietary module to execute the trio of complications here, namely the jump hour, retrograde minutes and power reserve indicator. The watch is cased in polished Grade 5 titanium, and water resistant to 50 meters. Collectors can choose the basic package which contains an extra NATO-style strap in the box, or pay a couple hundred dollars more for three additional leather straps in black, red, and brown.

In the battle for consumer acceptance, one need not create the “best watch” but one certainly needs to be clever about strategy, making the most of what lies within reach. In this regard, Reservoir has made a pretty clever pick in basing its entire catalog on a trio of complications that we don’t see enough of. A three-hand format is the firmly entrenched orthodoxy, and we see a fair number of regulators as this appeals to the pinnacle of reference timekeeping in an era before atomic clocks. In comparison, jumping hours with retrograde minutes is a combination that brings great clarity to the dial with a touch of playfulness. It’s intuitive, and dynamic; not staid but eminently sensible. Slap on a power reserve indicator and that’s about pretty much what most people need from a watch.

Tech Specs

Movement: Self-winding ETA 2824-2 with proprietary module, 37 hours power reserve
Functions: Jumping hours, retrograde minutes, power reserve
Case: 41.5mm Grade 5 titanium case, polished finish, domed sapphire crystal, display caseback, screw-down crown, water resistant to 50 meters
Strap: Black leather strap with stainless steel folding clasp
Price: USD 4,150 (additional NATO-style strap); USD 4,350 (three additional leather straps)