Every couple of years, it seems like the entire watch world descends on what is to be a new, several-month-long obsession with a cool, affordable watch, driving prices up significantly before it all eventually settles back down. Recently, that mania centred around ring watches, and more specifically, Casio’s release celebrating their 50th anniversary. Even now, when they’re more readily available through local retailers, the sour taste of bloated eBay prices and scummy scalpers remains, not made any better by the fact that they’re still priced at A$250, at a minimum. Alright, I’ve taken enough shots at Casio (a brand that I admittedly hold very dear), especially considering much of the annoyance around their ring watch is to be blamed on hype. But this is where the hero of our story comes in, courtesy of those same irreverent, design-driven folk from Vostra, the offshoot of Singaporean microbrand RZE, who tend to be a little more serious and tooltastic. Their ring watch, the Vostra Vesta, is not only a lot more affordable, but offers some improved daily-wear specs, and introduces an all-new facet to the collecting game, making them all the more fun.
Like a watch, but it’s a ring!
Novelty aside, what does this thing actually do? The two buttons on either side of the case, as well as the small text on the dial’s periphery reveal its simple mechanism. The left-hand side pusher alternates the display between the hours and minutes, seconds, and the date, while the one opposite to it puts the module into setting mode. And that’s it. I appreciate it’s a whole lot less complicated than its aforementioned Casio counterpart (maybe that’s where some of your savings go?), but it’s all you really need, especially on a display so small.
Unlike most other ring watches, the Vesta is water-resistant to 50 metres, which means you don’t have to worry about taking it off while washing your hands or doing the dishes, though I’d advise you to think about that twice, simply from an ickiness perspective. Aside from the likelihood of scratching the mineral crystal being increased if you’re handling something like a Scrub Daddy and a cutlery pile, the tendency for water to creep into the crevices of the stretch bracelet will leave you with a perma-wet-feeling finger. Not a fan of that one.
On the… finger?
I could tell you that the Vesta measures 20mm wide and 23mm lug-to-lug, though with very little context and helpful comparisons, I’d say it wears as its dimensions suggest – a large ring. As someone who does wear several rings on a daily basis (though none quite as prominent), I didn’t have too much trouble getting used to it, though I envision it may take some acclimatisation for those who tend to go free-fingered.
Accompanied by a tiny stretch bracelet, a mini version of the one your grandpa got for his vintage watch once the original kicked the bucket, the Vesta is also friendly to a wide gamut of finger diameters. I normally wore it on my left pointer as most of the pictures suggest, which fit right into the middle of the range Vostra outlines on their website, which is between 54mm to 64mm (US sizes 7 to 11). For the daintily-digited among you, they also sell a replacement for sizes between 50mm to 60mm (US 5 to 9), making it a much more comfortable solution than Casio’s plastic spacers.
Marketing blinder or novelty item?
Where the Vesta really differs from anything else on the market is how you buy one. Whether you buy it from Vostra’s website or one of the brand’s authorised dealers (shameless plug for us at WatchPoint), you don’t get to choose the colourway you like best. Instead, you get to pick a random box, just like all those collectible figurines and Gachapon, and the rest is up to the luck of the draw. Instead of a cute bit of cat-shaped landfill, you get a working watch!
Depending on the model, you also have different chances of uncovering one. The all-steel examples with a black or silver dial are the most common at 32% each, the teal-dialled more than halves that to 15%, and the two gilded variants are the rarest with a 10% chance of getting either. If you want the all-black Cosmic Eclipse, you’ll have to pick up Vostra’s Formation six-pack, which guarantees you one of them alongside one of all five regular colours. For the most dedicated, there are two golden tickets hiding amongst the Vestas, though diamond ticket may be more appropriate. With a 0.2% chance from a blind box or 2% chance from a Formation Pack, the Astral Nexus model features a bezel set with 36 diamonds.
I think the format works really well with the semi-novelty nature of a ring watch, though I also wouldn’t mind seeing it expanded to traditional wristwatches. Naturally, most collectors will have a firm price ceiling for purchasing a blind box, but I see no reason why brands like Swatch or Timex (especially with their hypey Noah collabs) couldn’t adapt a similar approach below the US$100 price point.
Vostra Vesta pricing and full specifications
The Vostra Vesta is available in three different formats. The Vesta Blind Box and Vesta Triple Blind give you the same odds of obtaining each of the five regular colourways. The Vesta Formation pack includes all five base models, a Formation Pack-exclusive all-black variant, and increased odds of winning a diamond-bezelled Legendary Chase Astral Nexus. Prices: US$69.99 (single blind box), US$159.99 (triple blind box), US$299 (Formation Pack of six unique colours). Find Vostra in the WP Melbourne Showroom and WatchPoint Webstore
