Hands-On Debut: Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar Watch

Chronographs may be the go-to style of timepiece for brands that draw their inspiration from the world of racing, but for its latest release of 2025, Depancel has created a versatile everyday sports watch that celebrates the glory days of powerboat racing from the 1970s and 1980s. At a quick glance, the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar offers much of the appearance of a diver or GMT watch, although it is actually a triple calendar with a rotating 12-hour bezel, and it is ideally suited to be a person’s daily timekeeping companion.

At the time of launch, Depancel offers the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar in two different colorways, and alongside a deep blue model punctuated by bright orange accents is the version featured here, which embraces a black and red color profile with a split-color bezel. Watch enthusiasts will likely associate this particular colorway with the “Coke” version of the Rolex GMT-Master II; however, it actually serves as a nod to the livery of the famous Cigarette Racing Team, which helped pioneer the vibrant powerboat racing era that serves as the inspiration for Depancel’s Allure D[R]IVER Calendar watch.

Rather than having anything to do with a tobacco-industry sponsor, the name of the Cigarette Racing Team is actually rooted in the shape of its competition powerboats. Back when Donald Aronow founded the Cigarette Racing Team in 1970, he chose the “Cigarette” name due to the long and sleek profile of its boats, and you will sometimes hear the term “cigarette boat” used to describe the greater category of high-performance powerboats. As for the name of the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar, the “D[R]IVER” part is clearly intended to highlight the fact that Depancel has taken the core blueprint of a dive watch and transformed it into a different style of timepiece that is inspired by the world of racing.

Crafted from brushed and polished stainless steel, the case of the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar features somewhat of a cushion-shaped profile, and it measures 39mm in diameter by 13.5mm thick, including the additional height of the gently domed sapphire crystal that extends above the rim of its bezel. Despite having the appearance of an integrated bracelet watch, the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar actually features short angular lugs that are set 17mm apart and extend to create a compact lug-to-lug profile of 44mm. The semi-integrated lugs help to visually separate the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar from the myriad of other sports watches with rotating bezels, and I appreciate that Depancel hasn’t opted for a true integrated lug design, as this would limit the compatibility of third-party straps.

Surrounding the crystal on the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar is a rotating bezel that moves bidirectionally with a 60-click action, and it is fitted with an anodized aluminum insert that has a 12-hour scale engraved into its surface. Meanwhile, the reverse side of the watch is furnished by a display-style caseback, and water resistance for the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar comes in at a rather respectable 100 meters. Similar to the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ, the 9 o’clock side of the case is furnished by a polished plate that is engraved with the watch’s model/serial number, and accessing the movement is achieved by using the screw-down crown at 3 o’clock (which sets the time, date, and day), while a small button sits recessed into the side of the case at 2 o’clock and is used to adjust the month indicator.

The dial of the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar almost has the appearance of what you’d typically expect to find on a chronograph, with two recessed registers on either side of its display and a date window at the 6 o’clock location. On the black and red version featured here, the majority of the printing is rendered in a pale yellow/gold color, which creates a subtle visual contrast against the white-finished calendar hands and the crisp white Super-LumiNova that appears on the applied hour markers. Small red accents visually complement the red highlights on the bezel and winding crown, and while the majority of lume glows blue, the tip of the seconds hand emits a green-colored glow to help increase legibility when referencing the time in the dark.

Powering the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar is the Miyota Caliber 9122 automatic movement, which is essentially the triple calendar version of the popular Cal. 9xxx series that is used by a variety of different brands throughout the greater watch industry. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 40 hours, the Miyota 9122 expands upon the design of its time-and-date sibling with a day display at 9 o’clock and a month indicator sitting opposite it the 3 o’clock location. Miyota’s Caliber 9xxx platform offers a familiar and proven design, and the Cal. 9122 movements that Depancel uses inside the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar feature rotors that are decorated with the brand’s logo.

Both colorways of the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar are available with the option of either a stainless steel bracelet or a black rubber strap. The bracelet is largely the same is what can be found on the brand’s Allure Chronograph MecaQ, although it features a slightly more significant taper that flares out to 22.5mm at the lugs to create an integrated appearance with the case, before quickly tapering back down to 18mm where it connects to a butterfly-style folding clasp. Meanwhile, the black rubber strap offers a similar taper to the bracelet; however, rather than being fitted with a deployant-style folding clasp, the strap secures on the underside of the wrist with a thick tang-style buckle.

The bracelet fitted to the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar doesn’t offer the greatest degree of flexibility, although I personally find it to be rather comfortable, and I appreciate that Depancel has opted for a single-link design instead of defaulting to one of the more conventional link styles that are ubiquitous within the industry. That said, the removable links are secured by friction-fit pins (rather than the more premium approach of single-sided screws), and the butterfly-style clasp is a fairly standard offering that does not include any type of extension system. While a pair of half-links would have been a welcome addition, the bracelet should still make most folks happy, and if a lack of an extension system happens to be a deal-breaker, buyers can always opt for the strap-equipped version of the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar.

Well-considered proportions make the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar an enjoyable presence on the wrist, but what I appreciate most about its design is that it manages to reimagine the blueprint of the classic diver to be a versatile everyday sport watch that fits into Depancel’s racing-inspired world. While none of its individual design elements are all that unique on their own, seldom do you see them combined on a single watch, and the Allure D[R]IVER Calendar ultimately represents a fresh expression of a familiar and highly popular aesthetic. Priced at €895 EUR (approximately $1,035 USD, at the time of writing), the Depancel Allure D[R]IVER Calendar is positioned right in line with the brand’s other triple calendar models, and it represents a tangibly different offering than anything else in the French brand’s current lineup. For more information, please visit the Depancel watches website.