RZE’s debut digital watch, the titanium-cased UTD-8000, is a fun move
Nina Scally- Singaporean microbrand RZE, known for its tough, outdoorsy watches, introduces its first digital timepiece.
- The UTD-8000 shares a similarly robust, angular and titanium case to its mechanical watches, with a distinctly retro-futuristic flair.
- It utilises a custom digital module that’s guaranteed for life.
Cast your mind back to your science lessons at school, cooped up in hot, stuffy classrooms covering topics like tessellation. I bet you thought you’d never need to know what a tessellation was (unless you aspired to be a tiler or a roofer). But RZE’s latest watch offers a slap on the wrists to those who never took note – because it’s this idea of a repeated pattern that leaves no gaps or spaces that inspired the brand to create a unique hard coating for its largely-bevelled and harshly-angled titanium watches like the Aspirare and Resolute. The common hexagon is the easiest shape to use as an example of tessellation. Think honeycombs. The clever bee knows that creating this repeated formation of hexagonal structures requires less wax but gains strength when subjected to unexpected force or compression. Similarly, RZE’s titanium watch cases promise improved hardness and resistance to force or compression with its UltraHex technology.
The Singaporean microbrand decided to develop this proprietary titanium hard coating for its sporty designs, strengthening the case without adding any extra weight or bulk. The technology was aimed at hardy, outdoor goers – those who needed a watch that could go from scaling a mountain to dirt track racing without having to give their wrist a second thought. The titanium coating was also used in last year’s collaborative effort between Fratello and RZE with the Resolute Pro Contour and now features in the brand’s debut digital offering – the UTD-8000 – which stands for UltraHex Titanium Digital, its very name putting this surface hardening process front and centre.
If you were to ask me to pick RZE’s best GADA watch, my mind would automatically go to something like the Ascentus GMT. The watch borrows from Seiko’s accuracy with its choice of movement, comes in a neat 40mm package, and combines rugged dive tool qualities with easy time zone-tracking capabilities. Would I ever have imagined that a sub-US$300 digital watch could trump it? Probably not, and that much may still be true. But this is the first time RZE is dipping its toes into digital waters, and while the electronic components of a battery watch are going to prove beneficial in preventing damage from shock and impact, the titanium case and bracelet give the UTD-8000 the look of a real adventure watch that is sure to appeal to another corner of the sports watch-collecting sphere.
Case-wise, the new grade 2 titanium UTD-8000 watches measure 42mm in diameter, with a thickness of 13.4mm, and has been tested in the harsh environments of Northern Canada. Here, the winters are long and the summers short, and whether your coat is stuffed with the plumage of 1000 geese or not, temperatures are going to affect much more than just your extremities.
The company’s UltraHex coating, of course, helps with this, providing an additional shield against dust, scratching, shock, vibrations, and, above all, extreme temperatures. RZE claims its cases have a hardness of up to 12,000 Hv, and while Casio G-Shocks are thought to have a hardness closer to that of a diamond, the toughness of the UTD-8000, for its price, is nothing to be scoffed at. It’s worth mentioning G-Shocks as there’s something very G-Shock about the UTD-8000’s design, but that’s no bad thing. That said, Casio don’t offer a G-Shock quite like this – with a microblasted titanium case, normal lugs, and truthfully, such a competitive price.
Hints of the RZE’s angular design language are present in the new UTD-8000 watches. Each model is topped with a sapphire crystal and features a Torx screw-fastened caseback, with a piece of aluminium positioned between the bezel and case. These new digi watches are manufactured from titanium and will undoubtedly mirror the same quality construction you’d expect to experience in RZE’s mechanical offerings. The case protects the oscillating crystal that sits within a 200-metre water-resistant housing, while the watch’s custom multi-function module delivers alarm, auto-calendar and stopwatch functions while protected from temperature fluctuations.
Combined with a legible LCD screen is an Ultra-Glow aqua marine backlight that you can activate using the pushers to illuminate the time-telling numerals at night. Speaking of colour, if the Medallion Yellow Endeavour was too in-your-face-yellow, you’ll certainly prefer the more restrained twists of colour in the new UTD-8000 models. It’s the aluminium inserts and the elasticized fabric straps that bring the fun to these RZE digital watches. Released alongside a full-black dial variant are two silver dial options, trimmed in yellow or blue aluminium to match their corresponding fabric straps. Alternatively, you can opt for the models on titanium bracelets, which RZE accompanies with its QUIKCLIQ buckle with four adjustment locking positions.
As alluded to above, the UTD-8000 is very competitively priced, both within RZE’s own range (which is all fairly affordable) as well as generally speaking. The RZE Urbanist solar-powered field watch retails in the sub-US$300 category, and the Miyota-powered Resolute in the plus-$600. The UTD-8000 is very reasonably priced for its case material and features, sitting at the lower end of the brand’s pricing scale.
RZE UTD-8000 pricing and availability
The RZE UTD-8000 will be available for pre-order on RZE’s website in its three launch colorways on elasticized fabric straps from March 20, 2025 until March 31, 2025, expected to deliver in June 2025. Price: US$169 (launch price), US$199 (regular pre-order price), US$219 (MSRP on fabric strap), US$369 (MSRP on titanium bracelet)
| Brand | RZE |
| Model | UTD-8000 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 13.4mm (T) x 50.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Grade 2 titanium with UltraHex coating |
| Water Resistance | 200 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Digital display with blue, black or yellow surround |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Elasticized fabric strap, optional titanium bracelet |
| Movement | Custom digital quartz module |
| Battery Life | ~3 years (CR2032 battery) |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, day, month, week, 12/24 hour format, 1/100-second stopwatch, multi-function alarm, hourly chime, full auto-calendar to 2099 |
| Availability | From March 2025 |
| Price | US$169 (launch price) US$199 (regular pre-order price) US$219 (MSRP on fabric strap) US$369 (MSRP on titanium bracelet) |