The Reactor Poseidon LE is a watch that enters the room like an 800 pound gorilla in a tuxedo with the sleeves ripped off. We recently tried to tame this beast ourselves. Check out photos and the full review after the jump.
Reactor’s mission since 2003 has been to up the ante in robust watchmaking and it certainly achieves the goal. The Poseidon LE is actually the second iteration of this diver, following the original orange version with a color change-up to bright yellow, which happens to be great for diving visibility. The forged 316L stainless steel case measures 48mm in diameter, which is not uncommon among divers today, along with a steroidal 17mm thickness.
With the included stainless steel solid link bracelet and natural rubber diving strap, the Poseidon LE is surprisingly comfortable. Wearing the Poseidon LE all day and all night proved completely unchallenging to the wrist, but we wouldn’t advise this monster for those of you whose arms grow tired after stirring a small bowl of noodles. Sizing changes and strap changes are a breeze with the threaded screws (instead of springbars), which add exponentially increased strength to the set-up. A changing tool is nicely included in the nice presentation box.
Renae for GPThe depth rating is impressive–1000 meters, and it’s ISO Certified. Though we didn’t go nearly that deep, we can attest that it holds up extremely well on dives in the areas of visibility and practicality. A unique feature for this watch is the twin bezels The outer bezel ratchets firmly and can be gripped with gloves or wet hands without difficulty. The inner bezel ring is easily adjustable with the beefy corresponding crown. Thick anti-reflective K1 crystal is 400% more shatter resistant than sapphire while maintaining solid scratch protection should you be really aggressive with the abalone.
The Never Dark® technology combines Tritium self-charging gas with Superluminova paint, resulting in impressive night and underwater visibility. The movement is a highly reliable Seiko Kinetic movement with a 30+ day power reserve. The exhibition caseback shows off the black rotor nicely and the surrounding stainless steel surrounding the window looks like it was ripped off a submarine hatch.