Reservoir Revs up Nostalgia with the New 390 Fastback

Launched in 2017, Reservoir has gained a firm footing on the indie scene with its fascination for measuring instruments found on the dashboards of cars, planes, and even submarines. Old-school manometers, altimeters, speedometers, tachometers and gauges of all sorts are a constant source of inspiration for the brand that displays time with jumping hours and retrograde minutes. Reservoir’s instrument-driven universe welcomes the 390 Fastback collection inspired by the golden age of American car culture and, specifically, the speedometer of a 1967 Pony Car.

The cult of American Pony Cars was sparked by a 1964 Ford Mustang, a compact, affordable, sporty coupé. Reservoir’s muse for the 390 Fastback is the later 1967 model known as the Mustang Fastback, immortalised by Steve McQueen in Bullit. The number ‘390’ refers to the V8 engine of the original Fastback Pony Car, boasting a displacement of 6.4 litres (390 cubic inches) and generating 320 horsepower.

The star of the show is the speedometer-inspired dial. Arranged in an arc of 240º, the minutes are displayed by a single hand. The font used for the minutes is inspired by the font used on the counters of the original Pony Car. The single, red-tipped minutes hand moves in a semicircle from 0 to the 60-minute marker and then performs a retrograde jump back to 0.

Like the original speedometer of the Pony Car with its red warning area indicating speeds superior to 70mph, the watch features a red area from 45 to 60 on the minutes track. Enhancing precision readings, the minutes can be read off two white railway tracks, one on the periphery and another encircling the central steel disc with its circular-brushed surface.

Completing the speedometer, the jumping hours complete the circle and are displayed in an aperture at 6 o’clock with a white background and a red arrow. Available with green, blue or black dials and matching colour leather straps with white topstitching, the three 390 Fastback models share a stainless steel chassis with a diameter of 41.5mm.

The engine of the 390 Fastback – the calibre RSV-240 – relies on a powerful La Joux-Perret G100 automatic base with a 4Hz frequency and 56h power reserve. The base movement is fitted with a proprietary display module tailor-made for Reservoir by Swiss manufacture Telos.

Availability & Price

The new Reservoir 390 Fastback references are presented in a luxury wooden box and can be ordered online or bought at Reservoir’s luxury retailers in over 20 countries. Deliveries start in May 2024. The price is CHF 3,800 (incl. tax). For more details, please consult www.reservoir-watch.com.