Even though I often wear much larger watches, 38mm is my sweet spot. Tapered lugs with a 20mm opening keep things tight and tidy. On my 6.75″ wrist, the Royal Guard wears beautifully. Personally, I’d have liked to see more sculpting and polish on the case sides, either by curving and polishing them or by shaving more off the upper edge and doing the same along the bottom to create the illusion of a thinner case however, I suspect many will prefer the tool watch look present here, particularly those who might otherwise consider this watch to be on the small side. A sliver of a polished chamfer on the upper edge lends a bit of flash that ties to the similarly finished bezel edge and the signed crown. Straight case sides and that gloriously tall sapphire crystal give it more presence than its compact footprint might otherwise suggest. A slimmer and smoother (28.6k bph) Miyota 9000 series movement would have thinned that case a touch, but it would have cost more too. I love these workhorse 21.6k bph automatics for both their durability and their low price. I’d attribute some of the thickness to its Seiko NH35 movement. It’s fatter than the original but still in the ballpark. Like the best vintage revivals, the Royal Guard has kept its proportions in check: 38mm wide, 47mm long, and 14mm thick with the dome. As you can see, daytime legibility is not a problem that creamy SuperLuminova filling the large markers and hands glows brightly at night.

Bezel action through its 120-click rotation is crisp and wobble-free. That big crown (7.5mm) screws down and extends miles from the case, so operation is a breeze. True to its name, it’s rated for 200m water resistance. Pretty as it is, the Royal Guard 200 is equipped to be a practical diving watch. If the watch in question does not misrepresent itself as an original and is a quality piece in its own right, I’m good. Recycled designs are endemic in the watch world. I, however, try not to get too wrapped up in that. This is not a new design and not even a dormant model, as Eberhard will gladly sell you any of several new Scafograf variants. I understand that close homages turn some people off, and I get it. It’s not perfect, but Imperial has produced a fabulous watch with uncommon style and period-correct details that you can order for just $350.

As the Scafograf 200 is one of my favorite designs, and I am unlikely ever to shell out the several thousand dollars required to own a vintage original, I was curious to try the Imperial prototype in hand ahead of its October launch. Let’s just get this out of the way: the Imperial Royal Guard 200 is an homage to the Eberhard Scafograf 200.

Queens guard playing the imperial march