Joshua Moritz: Bravur Watches BW001

Bravur BW001

Bravur Watches BW001

Case: Stainless steel 316 L, diameter 41 mm
48mm lug to lug
11mm thick
20mm lug width
Strap: Tan vegetable tanned Italian leather, with black contrast stitching
Strap buckle: Deployment buckle
Dial: Graphite grey, with light grey applied hour numbers and date at 6 H
Hands: Turquoise with Superluminova C1. Black second hand.
Movement: Swiss Made Ronda 715, 5 jewels, Gold plated, EOL, Quartz
Crystal: Domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Swiss made

Price $662

I am excited to share this review with everyone. You might think with all the watches I get to see, that statement is befuddling. Well, on paper, I might agree. In person, the BW001 with grey dial is just a striking watch.

Now, let’s get that bad word out of the way. QUARTZ. Yes, I said Quartz. Ill wait a minute….

Still there? Ok. With that said, yes this watches houses a Ronda 715 Swiss Quartz. And with a price tag of $662 it is not exactly “cheap”. But the watch is not cheap either in appearance, materials or build quality. What I like the most though is that the owners of Bravur watches are not trying to pass it off as something grand as far as movement goes with some silly type on their website. You know the ones I mean. “Using only the finest Swiss Quartz this watch will be more accurate than a mechanical and you will never have to wind it” Or something to that effect.

Bravur Watches BW001

No, Bravur admits that design was more important to them. They are appealing to men and women who are fashion forward, want a solid dependable watch, and are not concerned if the watch has a “soul”. (Never understood that term for watches, I mean, it’s a watch.)

Let’s get one thing straight here. I’m not selling watches for Bravur. I will always tell you what I like and don’t like. And I’ll be blunt about it. But as a reviewer I can’t look at every watch the same way. Some are meant to market towards a different demographic, some are special purpose, some are aimed at being nothing else but affordable. You get the point. So the biggest question, do I feel it’s worth $662? Yes I do. You may not, and that’s okay. We all have differing opinions.

Bravur Watches BW001

Bravur Watches are designed in Sweden and manufactured in Switzerland in small quantities. How much of the watch is made in Switzerland? I do not know that answer. Could be the whole watch is, or it could be just a few parts and assembled there. What I can say is this doesn’t feel like some of those quick to a buck Kickstarter brands. (Disclaimer, not all Kickstarter brands are created equal).

Let’s start off with the dial, one of my favorite aspects of the watch (at least in the daytime, but more on that later). An anthracite grey dial with dark turquoise hour and minute hands, 5 years ago if you said I would be digging this dial execution I would have said you are crazy. But here we are and I love it. Maybe because it just stands out but not in an obnoxious way. The applied Arabic numerals are big blocks of steel and almost look like they were cut out of the dial itself. An inner circle tracks your running seconds and setting off the date at the 6 o’clock position is a chrome ring. It’s subtle but yet still catches your eye. Topping it all off is a domed sapphire crystal with a pretty damn good AR coating.

Bravur Watches BW001

If you are old enough to remember cameras of the past (yes, many years ago when phones and cameras were separate and things were made of metal.) you might recognize the case of the BW001. Inspiration was taken from vintage cameras displayed in the ribbed or knurled case sides. If you take a look at the picture I borrowed a picture off the web below, you can also see where the hollow crown idea was born.

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Another unique aspect would be the accent ring that separates the bezel and bottom case. It feels like a type of plastic, but I could be wrong. Either way it seems very secure and does not initially give me worry that one day it will fall off. The lugs use a screw bar system to attach the strap and are sturdy but still easy to remove, at least in my attempt at taking them off. Looking at the case back, it is a relatively simple etching but I feel it goes along well with the overall aesthetic of the watch. As I said earlier, powering the Bravur BW001 is the Swiss Ronda 715 Quartz movement.

Bravur Watches BW001

When it comes to leather, Bravur does not disappoint. This variation comes with a tan vegetable tanned Italian leather strap that is of superb quality. I guess I can say I’m a leather afficiando and this strap is well done. Putting it on is also made easy by use of the deployant clasp. And the leather does not stop there. A custom made leather pouch is what your watch will arrive in, securely holding your watch and a microfiber cloth.

Bravur Watches BW001

The design element is definitely there, and the construction of the watch and strap is top notch in my opinion. My one issue; the lume on the hands, or should I say severe lack of. Let me be clear, this is not a watch I care if it has lume or not. And the effect is cool, the way the ends are dipped in the lume paint. But it is completely useless in the dark. It is not a large application and therefore does not glow. I like the look as it reminds me of a biscotti dipped in chocolate but if not going to lume the entire hand, just use a white enamel paint.

7 1/2 wrist for reference

Bravur Watches BW001

Beyond that, I can not find any issues and the fact is while writing the review with the watch sitting besides me, I can say I like it even more. Let’s be honest, there is more to a watch than just a movement, and design and style play an important role in most people’s buying decision, as if you don’t find it attractive do you really care what the movement is like. Whether or not you can wrap your head around the price with this movement I think many will agree it is damn nice watch, and a design that will most likely be timeless.

Bravur Watches BW001