Dreyfuss & Co Seafarer Dual Time Watch Review

Dreyfuss and Co is a brand that doesn’t pop up too often. The company was established in 1924, and all their watches are “Hand Made in Switzerland”. On the dial, rather than the usual “Swiss Made”, they print “Fabriqué en Swisse” – I think it’s nice and different and a suitable nod to the traditional Swiss French language.

The Seafarer Dual Time will cost you £525. At first glance, it seems a pleasant watch – it’s well designed and appears well built. Let’s have a closer look to see if it’s a good buy.

The packaging

First off, it’s definitely worth noting the beautiful large wooden presentation box the Dreyfuss comes in. I definitely haven’t received a box like it before.

The wood is polished, and a delicious dark colour, and within you’ll find 5 watch spaces. Shucks, that means you’ll have to find 4 more watches to fit in it. A nice little extra is the addition of a small blank bronze sheet for you to engrave your name or anything you want on it and stick it on the box. You’ll also get a smart Dreyfuss tab attached to the watch, which is always the sign of a watch manufacturer who put a lot of effort into the packaging.

This box will definitely look right at home on the side in your bedroom – in fact, it’ll look great no matter where you put it. 

The case

The case is fully polished with a spotless mirror-like finish. The shape is a slightly unusual take on the standard barrel – with a gentle bulge around the sides, softening it to the eye.

It measures 39mm diameter, with a 12mm height. In my opinion, it fits my 7 1/4 inch wrist very well, and although a little taller than some would like, it slips under a shirt cuff just fine. 

The push-pull crown is a rather dumpy onion shape, with soft but effective grip. The end is a lovely feature – the logo is set within a plastic disc with a black base, and is very well made considering the size.

On the same side as the crown, located at 4, is the button to adjust the second time zone. It’s very smartly and precisely built into the case, and doesn’t cause any problems in terms of being an eye-sore.

The Seafarer sports a highly domed sapphire crystal, which is obviously thick and good quality from the look and feel of it. Tapping it provides a deep thud.

The case back is reasonably plain, being completely polished with the logo lightly etched in the centre being the focus. I do like how it is shaped in the corners to match the rear of the case, with the screws located in 4 “bulges”.

The case is made very well indeed, and is obviously high quality from the look and feel of it.

The dial

The Seafarer Dual Time comes in two colours: white and blue.

The model I have here is a deep blue colour, which is shown off well by the spiral rosette texture. The pattern is subtle, as in you can only see it when you look closely – but I like that, as it doesn’t complicate things whilst looking at the watch as normal but is there when you want to appreciate it and inspect it a bit closer.

There are two subdials – the second time zone is located at 9, and the running seconds is at 3. Both are inset into the dial, and are flat with no texture. The second time zone has Roman numerals and a minute track located on the inside edge. The running second hand subdial also has a minute track, which is split up by a small set of digits at every quarter. They’re both a pleasant size: large enough to be the main features of the dial, but not completely overbearing.

Within the seconds subdial we also have the logo, with precise white printing and a delicate applied icon. It’s also interesting to note that there’s a tiny concentric pattern on the subdials – and I mean really tiny, so gentle you can barely see it. But the macro shot below displays this.

Another feature that is slightly outbid the ordinary is the Big Date window. You don’t see them too often, and I think it works quite well on the Dreyfuss Seafarer. The two numbers aren’t two separate discs either side of the window, but rather the second digit is a wheel behind the first digit – so you have a bit of a difference in depth on the date. It’s not massively noticeable when viewing the watch normally, but you do notice it when looking a little closer. The frame around the date window is smart, well executed, and as it’s polished metal it reflects the light along with the hands.

The hands are all elegant in design and are lance type. The main thing that stands out are the hands of the second time zone are a more bronze colour. This is obviously to differentiate between the two time zones easily but I’m not too convinced it looks right. Anyway, the hands are all perfectly manufactured and have a spotless mirror finishing to them. In addition to this, the hands are all pitched too – which delivers varying reflections based on the angle of the light.

The printing on the dial is all white, and is accurate and easy to read despite being fine and light. 

The dial is exactly as you’d expect, perfectly made and well designed. It certainly suits the watch well and works well with the case to deliver a well- rounded out wearing experience.

The strap

The strap is impressive: instantly comfortable, it’s not stiff at all and fits the wrist so well right away. It’s black patent leather with an embossed alligator pattern, and matching black stitching.

It has a very soft underside with Dreyfuss & Co and the logo stamped either side, which is a nice touch.

The butterfly clasp is very well built. It’s fully polished and smooth to operate. I find butterfly clasps fairly easy to use, and they’re often pretty sturdy and reliable. This is no exception. I like how there’s a minimal amount of the top of the clasp visible, just a bar with a disc holding the logo. It’s also a nice detail to see the logo etched in one of the butterfly wings as per the picture above. A little feature that may go overlooked but is evidence of extra thought that’s gone into the clasp.

Let’s be honest, with a watch costing this much, you’d expect a decent strap. Im very pleased to say that Dreyfuss have not let us down.

Final comments

Dreyfuss and Co wasn’t really a brand that I had kept an eye on. I’m pleased that they approached me in regard to this particular model, though, as I feel it’s a real gem. Exquisitely made with a snappy design, it proves to tick all the right boxes – lest we forget the stunning box it actually comes it. Mix that with it being Swiss Made, and we have a splendid recipe for a very good watch for £525.