As a car guy first and a watch enthusiast second, I’ve always had a soft spot for Danish independent brand REC. Its central conceit of using reclaimed materials from classic cars, aircraft, and motorcycles has rarely failed to produce interesting timepieces. Still, it’s also made a compelling case for why automotive-inspired watch design is so challenging (see the literalist touches like the “taillights” in the Ford Mustang-themed REC P-51). For its most ambitious project to date, though, REC truly elevates its concept to new heights, delivering its first in-house designed movement alongside a refined, mature new design concept and a piece of Ayrton Senna’s legendary 1986 Lotus 98T Formula One car. The limited edition REC 98T/4 is a massive step forward for the young Danish marque, delivering a design that captivates apart from its inspiration and markedly increases quality throughout.
Although the REC 98T/4’s 39.7mm wide, 13mm thick stainless steel case feels Heuer Camaro-esque at first glance, the cushion form here is larger, softer, and filled with clever detailing. Take the case side profile, for example. The flowing, double-tapered silhouette here aims to emulate the outline of the 1986 Lotus 98T’s cockpit and nosecone, but stands on its own as a smooth, organic base to build upon. Unlike many previous offerings from the brand, this is about as literal as the design inspiration gets for the 98T/4, which, given the rarity and historic importance of the car in question, shows some mature restraint on the part of REC. The finishing across the 98T/4’s case is also impressively crisp, with attractively grained radial brushing for the upper case surface, smoother linear brushing for the case sides, and diminutive tapering lugs, and a narrow, sloping mirror-polished bezel. Even the trapezoidal pushers sport slim polished chamfers for an added sense of depth and refinement. Due to the squarish case design, the 98T/4 wears larger than the numbers might suggest (closer to a 41mm or 42mm round case), but the relatively trim case thickness and short lugs keep this presence very manageable on my 6.75-inch wrist. The caseback is also an impressive step forward, with a broad, domed sapphire window that offers a fully unimpeded view of the bespoke movement within. A solid 100-meter water resistance rating helps to ensure the 98T/4 is as sporty as it looks.
Of course, the central attraction behind REC as a brand is its use of reclaimed materials, but the inclusion of these materials in the 98T/4’s dial is surprisingly subdued. The outer tachymeter ring (outboard of the gold-tone chronograph seconds scale) is made from an aluminum intake plenum tube used in Ayrton Senna’s Lotus 98T chassis number 4, used during the closing races of the 1986 Formula One World Championship. Fast but fragile, Chassis 4 was the final example of the immensely powerful 98T built, and would be the last car to carry both the black and gold John Player Special livery in Formula One and the final car to use the legendary Renault EF15B turbo engine, which produced over 1,300 horsepower in qualifying trim. In Senna’s hands, the car would go on to secure five pole positions, but reliability issues hampered its results, leaving Lotus third in that year’s constructors’ standings and Senna fourth in the driver’s championship. Rather than making the aluminum ring a visual centerpiece, REC instead allows it to play a supporting role in the John Player Special-inspired black and gold dial colorway. The overall presentation here is bold, but handsomely balanced, with enough gold elements to feel impactful and striking on the wrist without overwhelming the layout. The relatively rare 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock subdial layout also makes for a poised, well-weighted look, and the low-contrast shift between black-on-gray and gray-on-black markings for parts of the subdial scales both implies depth at a glance and rewards close inspection. REC’s use of texture is also impressively nuanced here, ranging from the grainy matte black of the main dial surface to the satin texture of the hours ring and subdial rings, the vivid white-metal polish of the pointed baton hands, and the high-shine radial brushing of the raised central chronograph seconds scale. While the always-punchy black and gold colorway certainly elevates the presentation here, it’s a unique, slightly retro chronograph design that could conceivably present well in any number of color combinations.
The RC-98T/4 automatic chronograph movement inside the REC 98T/4 is the brand’s first movement developed in-house, but given that it’s a Swiss Made caliber and the brand itself is based in Denmark, there’s likely a third-party manufacturing partner. Apart from this, the RC-98T/4 is an impressively capable modern chronograph (especially at this price point), boasting a beefy 62-hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate alongside a prominently displayed column wheel chronograph actuation system. Chronograph operation on the wrist is light and precise, with heavier, sharper feedback for the reset. The RC-98T/4’s finishing might be its most impressive asset, though. The upper bridges sport a brushed and black-coated look inspired by the Lotus 98T’s valve covers, while the lower bridges and balance cock offer tight, small-scale perlage. Add in a polished, prominently framed column wheel and a custom brushed black-and-gold cutout rotor featuring Ayrton Senna’s iconic number 12, and this movement offers a wealth of spectacle rarely seen at this price. To complete the design, REC pairs the 98T/4 with a black leather deployant strap. Padded and featuring faux perforations, this strap adds a bit more texture to the overall look, but keeps visual focus squarely on the watch itself. The two-button deployant clasp itself is also solidly built, with just enough heft to give the watch a nicely balanced feel for long-term wear.
No matter where its classic vehicle inspiration takes it, independent Danish brand REC has never been truly boring. With the new REC 98T/4, though, the brand takes a step forward from being simply fun to genuinely excellent throughout, with a sense of refinement, quality, and maturity resonating from the case, dial, and movement. Only 989 examples of the REC 98T/4 will be made, and the watch is available now through the brand’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for this watch stands at $4,195 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.