Peren aims for timeless style (with a hint of Gothic attitude) with its stealthy new Regia Eclipse collection
Jamie WeissWhen talking about watches, both us enthusiasts and the brands we obsess over often indulge in romantic national stereotypes. Passionate Italian design. Exacting German engineering. That sort of thing. It’s something that Transylvanian brand Peren has been more than happy to do, too – its watches previously sporting vampire fang-shaped logos and appropriately Gothic designs. Peren’s latest watch collection, the Regia Eclipse, reflects its Transylvanian origins more philosophically, ditching the fang logo and instead drawing inspiration from the Sarmizegetusa Regia calendar, an ancient calendar system used by the Dacians in Transylvania. The result is a watch that aims for perennial appeal that nevertheless retains a hint of monochromatic, spooky quirkiness.
The case
The Peren Regia Eclipse collection encompasses three variants: the Solar Eclipse, which features a bare marine-grade stainless steel case; the Lunar Eclipse, which has a matte black DLC bezel insert; and the latest addition to the range, the Lunar Eclipse Dark, which is totally DLC treated. All three are hand-assembled in Switzerland: the brand might be Transylvanian, but it’s nothing but 100% Swiss watchmaking here.
The two exposed steel variants show off a pleasant array of brushed, bead-blasted and hand-polished finishes, with the case flanks featuring vertical brushing and the bezel featuring radial brushing. However, the fully murdered-out Lunar Eclipse Dark is the most striking (and most vampiric) of the three, with matte DLC taking over the case surfaces, with a single radially brushed lip on the bezel.
It’s an extremely minimalist, function-forward case design. The slightly cone-shaped bezel has prominent serrations for grip, making it easy to manipulate – although the bezel sports only a single lumed dot and no other timing markings, unlike previous versions of the Regia, which had somewhat more conventional timing bezels. The Regia Eclipse is a bona fide dive watch, with a large screw-down crown and 200-metre water-resistance rating, but this stripped-back bezel isn’t the most effective dive timer you’ll find in watchmaking! Whatever. It looks very cool and suits the restrained aesthetic of the watch. It’s somewhat evocative of Unimatic’s dive watch designs (a real compliment, I might add), albeit with a more refined case form and less prominent bezel/crown.
The dial
An ancient Transylvanian calendar might inspire the Regia Eclipse, but its dial is extremely modern. Rather than using applied lume or filled lume plots, this Peren has 3D blocks of Super-LumiNova for its indices – a feature we only occasionally see on significantly more expensive timepieces and a rarity in the microbrand space. Not only does this provide a tantalising dimensionality to this watch’s dial, but it also makes it feel premium and futuristic.
Otherwise, the dial is pleasantly detail-free, sporting perforations in the dial for a minute track, a robust lume-filled pencil handset, and a revised Peren logo and minimal dial text. Idiosyncratically, its date window can be found at 12 o’clock – a design cue that some might find disarming but one I’m personally a big fan of, as it’s more visually interesting than a 3 or 6 o’clock location while maintaining dial symmetry. All in all, it’s a legible and aesthetically pleasing watch to tell time with.
The strap
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The Regia Eclipse comes mounted on a thick FKM rubber strap, which has a ribbed outer texture and a smooth inner surface. A chunky steel pin buckle keeps it fastened to the wearer’s wrist. Not much to complain about here: it’s a modern, minimal strap design that’s very comfy and suits a tool watch such as this. Peren also offers the Regia Eclipse on a fabric strap (although no images exist of this strap online as of publishing).
The movement
Under the hood of the Peren Regia Eclipse is the tried-and-true Sellita SW200-1, which in this instance has been regulated in-house by Peren. Sellita’s version of the ubiquitous ETA 2824-2, the SW200-1 is a no-brainer for a watch like this, offering a 38-hour power reserve, 4 Hz beat rate and hacking seconds. A screw-down caseback covers this movement, as you’d expect from a watch with aquatic intentions – although, fun fact, both Transylvania and Switzerland are landlocked. Go figure.
Peren Regia Eclipse pricing and availability
The Peren Regia Eclipse collection is available now directly from Peren’s online store. Price: CHF 750 (Solar Eclipse, Lunar Eclipse), CHF 777 (Lunar Eclipse Dark)
| Brand | Peren |
| Model | Regia Eclipse |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 12.8mm (T) x 45.3mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel (Regia Solar Eclipse) Stainless steel w/ black DLC bezel insert (Regia Lunar Eclipse) Black DLC stainless steel (Regia Lunar Eclipse Dark) |
| Water Resistance | 200 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Matte black, 3D Super-LumiNova block indices, date at 12 o’clock |
| Strap | FKM rubber strap, stainless steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Sellita SW200-1, regulated in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 38 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, unidirectional timing bezel |
| Availability | Available now |
| Price | CHF 750 (Solar Eclipse, Lunar Eclipse) CHF 777 (Lunar Eclipse Dark) |
Made in partnership with Peren. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.