By Vincent Deschamps
Visual vocabulary
The best case scenario when it comes to micro horology is when a brand has created its own design language and found ways to spread it throughout various genres of timepieces. As in it doesn’t make the same type of watch over and over again by simply adding new dial colours or textures to create a fabricated sense of novelty. But rather adapt said visual vocabulary to new types of timekeeping devices.
This is rare as far as I can tell looking at the global micro and independent watch market, especially when it comes to brands created in the past decade, and not those who have been around for half a century or were recently revived. And speaking of this type of microbrand, we can list RZE, Beaubleu, and Brew amongst the few that have steadfastly preserved their particular aesthetics all the while exploring different specimens of watches, thus creating variety within their own catalogue while maintaining a beautiful sense of continuity. Doing this cannot be easy and most microbrands eventually fail.
Beaucroft is another rare bird that manages to push a design concept to new limits, through the interplay of organic and curved handsets, arched cases, and playful symphonies of vibrant colours, all supported by generous specifications and reasonable price tags—in other words, Beaucroft hits all the marks that make microbrands standout and be successful.
The brand’s evolution and adherence to its own philosophy can be seen in the Element Marc looked at last year (a comprehensive GADA-style timepiece) and the Arc Brent dissected at the beginning of the summer (a sporty everyday companion.) Immediately we can see that both collections were crafted by the same hands even though they each constitute something much of their own. And the same observations can be made looking at one of Beaucroft’s latest releases, the Contour GMT Tropical Teal, which is the brand’s most ambitious release to date (according to yours truly) and one that brings an actual sense of novelty within an overdone genre: GMTs.
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Hands on with the Solios Sunseeker
Key features of the Contour GMT Tropical Teal
Flyer GMT
Ah, GMTs, a type of timekeeping device many of us adore and yearn to have regardless of how much traveling we actually do, because there is something special about seeing a fourth hand indicating time in a part of the world we are not currently inhabiting. And the following argument is not one meant to be a “us vs them” type of horological conversation, although maybe it will become just that: there are two types of traveler’s timepieces in this world, the ones called “caller GMTs” powered by Seiko’s NH34, Sellita’s SW330-2, and Soprod’s C125, and “flyer” or “true GMTs” mostly powered by Miyota’s 9075 when it comes to micro and independent creations. Though some folks define watches with a 12-hour bezel as being GMTs as well, for the sake of the argument. The Beaucroft Contour GMT is of the true-type as it is powered by the now extremely popular and sought-after Miyota 9075 movement, which ticks at 4Hz, comes with 42 hours of power reserve, and is regulated in-house to run at ± 10 seconds per day.
With the 9075, one first sets the GMT time before setting the local time, and typically has to work on his or her patience to move the local hour hand forward or backward multiple times in order to set the correct date. (It’s much simpler and less annoying that most people make it out to be.) However, to simplify your life and ensure the most symmetrical of dial layout, Beaucroft did without a date aperture on the Contour GMT thus removing a sliver of this type of timekeeping device’s traditional intended purpose.
Case
With that said, Beaucroft didn’t skimp on everything else that traditionally make a traveler’s watch a reliable tool: the stainless steel case measures 39.5 x 46.5 x 12.6mm and is hardened to 1,200-1,300Hv on Vicker’s scale so that it will endure daily activities as well as sportive ones without damaging its pretty face. The crystal is a boxed-style sapphire complete with three layers of inner anti-reflective coating to ensure easy readability of time in two different time zones.
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Details
In the same vein, Beaucroft opted to equip the Contour GMT with a slightly onion-shaped crown 5.8mm in diameter which is easy to grip and operate, and paired it with a screw-down case-back for a more-than-necessary 100 meters of water resistance. (As a point of reference, recreational divers generally hover 15 to 20 meters below the surface.) And imagining that you would need (or desire) to read the time half-way through a red-eye to the Caribbean or inside a movie theater, Beaucroft added boat-loads of SuperLuminova X1 BL C1 lume on the hands, hour markers, minute track and GMT scale, in other words, on all time-telling elements. The nighttime show is quite remarkable. And the proverbial icing on the cake that make the Contour GMT a complete adventure watch comes in the form of a superb bracelet made of fully articulated links held together by screws, a quick-release spring-bar, a 20-16mm taper, and a clasp equipped with a tool-less micro-adjustment mechanism offering about 8mm of travel.
Of Interest
Even though the introduction was aimed at discussing Beaucroft’s unique design language and talent for spreading it throughout all of its collections, a lot had to be said about how technically comprehensive the Contour is. And both the specs and design go hand-in-hand here: this model references earth’s outline as seen from 37,000 feet, and the Tropical Teal colour scheme connects the wearer to the the exotic colours of the Caribbean Sea, thus inviting him or her (or you and I) to hop on a plane to go discover a new place on earth and swing by a beach for a quick swim. After all, the raison d’être of this collection is in the name: it is a traveler’s watch spec’ed out accordingly and endowed with Beaucroft’s design signature. And the latter can be seen in its case and dial, starting with the former: as we saw with the Arc and Element, Beaucroft’s singular visual vocabulary translates into the arched mid-case decorated with prominent polished chamfers and micro-blasted recessed lower sections.
Since Marc and Brent have already discussed the brand’s case profile before, we will focus on the dial. Here again we find Beaucroft’s visual signature in full display: elongated teardrop-shaped hour and minute hands, fully polished and endowed with large applications of lume, working symbiotically with similarly shaped applied and polished hour markers that are composed of tails that flare out akin to a peanut. (Or something else I cannot put my finger on.) The combined roundness of the hand and markers is delightful to look at and make for an easy time-reading experience in whatever lighting conditions and viewing angles. A bonus point goes to the lumed seconds hand counter-balance which reprises the organic nature of the hands and markers, the blacked-out GMT equipped with a lumed rounded trapezoidal element, and the GMT scale printed in a brighter shade of teal on a ring made of concentric grooved lines. But to me the cherry-on-top is the raised angled rehaut which adds tremendous depth.
Hands-On with the Buci Nouvelle: A Short Story Worth Sharing
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Specs
| Case | 316L Hardened Stainless Steel 39.5mm Diameter 46.5mm Lug to Lug 12.6mm Thickness 20mm Lug Width Screw-down Caseback & Crown 100m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Sapphire Crystal Sector Sunray Dial Custom Leaf Hands applied Markers Super-LumiNova X1 BL C1 |
| Movement | Miyota 9075 ±10 seconds per day 24 Jewels 28,800vph 41-Hour Power Reserve |
| Strap | Stainless Steel Bracelet /w On-the-Fly Microadjust |
Beaucroft Contour GMT
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Final thoughts
If reading this article is your first encounter with British brand Beaucroft, the Contour GMT Tropical Teal in a way summarizes all the design work the brand has been churning out since its inception in 2020, and encapsulates what makes its collections so popular amongst enthusiasts and collectors: they not only come with their own visual traits that can be found on all models, but they are also solid, reliable, and finely manufactured and finished (the latter can hopefully be observed through the photographs present in this review.)
And more importantly perhaps, Beaucroft prices its horological creations reasonably with all things considered: the Contour GMT retails for $1,275 CAD. It is currently sold out but a new batch is coming out soon, so I suggest signing up to get restock notifications. In the meantime, you have the time to further study this spectacular collection.
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About the author
Vincent Deschamps is a museum professional, originally from France, with more than 10 years experience as a researcher, producing visitor experiences for national and international organizations. He is also the founder of mainspring.watch. You can follow Vincent on Instagram.
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