Hands-On: the Bravur Team Heritage Collection

I didn’t learn how to drive a car until I was 25 years old. This was partially motivated by the same frugality that draws me to budget watches, but mostly because bikes offered fun and freedom that cars simply couldn’t compete with. Whether running a quick errand as fast as my legs could carry me without fear of a speeding ticket or riding 100 miles in a single day just for the hell of it, bikes took me everywhere I needed to go. Representing simpler years filled with adventure, cycling was the only hobby that truly captured my heart in the same way watches do today.

Though bikes are worth obsessing over and have their own enthusiast community not unlike watches, they have their limitations and mine went into the garage (which I suddenly needed for an old beat-up Volvo) when my daughter was born. It gathered dust, fell victim to tire rot, and was eventually forgotten all together due to its inability to house a growing number of car seats. It was around this same time I was bit by the watch bug, which in retrospect is no coincidence. Last year, cycling made an unexpected re-emergence in my life. I binge watched Tour de France: Unchained on Netflix, learning about different teams, seeing the colorful jerseys they wear, and getting a crash course in how much cycling has changed since I last checked in. Coincidentally, it was at this same time that my friends started pestering me to join them on the trail. Fun fact, did you know you can buy an entire bike for the price of a Baltic? Now I spend my lunch breaks hitting the rail trail near my house watching miles of gravel fly under my tires as I nostalgically sweat away the morning’s stress.

Since falling back into cycling, my two hobbies have happily coexisted. Beyond reading the exact time to know when my two-wheeled freedom was over, watches and bikes didn’t overlap… until I had the opportunity to spend time with Swedish brand Bravur’s Team Heritage collection, which suddenly brought these two worlds crashing together.

The Collection

Bravur’s three handed Team Heritage collection adds versatility to their growing catalog by differentiating itself from their four handed Geography series with no-nonsense practicability, and serving as a fitting follow-up to last year’s Grand Tour chronographs. Like the Grand Tour, the Team Heritage collection continues Bravur’s signature dedication to cycling and color by paying homage to three different iconic French cycling teams from decades past with three unique watches. This is achieved through classic colors mimicking the iconic hues of the Mercier jersey on the MER and the checkered patterns on the PEU, evoking team Peugeot’s trademarked jersey worn from 1963 to 1986. An equally enticing addition to the Team Heritage Collection is the REN which features the easily recognizable (at least for cycling fans) yellow and black stripes of the Renault team jersey.

Each of these three variants is powered by the 41-hour power reserve Sellita SW200. For $1195, every 8 beats per second of this Swiss movement is protected by a sapphire crystal and a screw down crown enabling 100 meters of water resistance- specs that are completely sufficient for a sports watch, but not unlike other fan-favorite brands sharing the exact same specs and comparable pricing with Christopher Ward, Formex and Doxa, just to name a few. With company like this, it takes a lot more than a Swiss movement and a screw down crown to stand out… which is no concern to Bravur – they clearly aren’t interested in blending in with the crowd.

The secret weapon of the Team Heritage collection lies within its complex yet surprisingly subtle 37mm case featuring a modest lug to lug of only 44.6mm. The case finishing on the stainless-steel options represents the most complex undertaking I have personally experienced in this price range and finds a balance of sporty elegance that leans on some common sports watch tricks including a broad brushed bezel and semi-rounded lug featuring flat tops, all while being original enough to create a complex profile that is completely unique. Using polished bevels for natural feeling transitions, the case steps down from the brushed bezel to a satin finished flat surface before an additional polished break leads to my favorite aspect of the entire case: the lugs.

Sharing the same satin finish as the case, the slope of the lugs are dual purpose. First, they are designed to conform naturally to the wrist during any activity. They also prevent an unnecessarily long lug to lug distance that would be counterproductive to comfort, something too many otherwise well-executed sports watches fall victim to. After test driving the comfort-forward and strikingly colorful MER for a few days, nothing else in my collection has managed to wear and look quite as nice. Between the tactfully polished surfaces and a bold purple dial that demands attention, the MER offers a unique combination of a strong aesthetic presence while remaining physically unobtrusive. If a bright purple dial isn’t your thing, the REN and PEU are equally capable of checking those same boxes.

Beyond specs and a superb wearing experience, the cycling inspired design feels sincere. Catering to a niche audience without alienating a more general market is a tough line to walk, but Bravur performs the balancing act masterfully. References to cycling culture and history such as the jersey themed colorways and the miniature cycling cap at 6:00 are universally attractive enough that a non-cycler won’t feel like an imposter for being drawn to them. Cycling fans aren’t the only ones with details to drool over. The trained eyes of watch enthusiasts are sure to notice that the rhodium plated hour and minute hands are split vertically to offer dual finishing, with both a polished and brushed side.

Final Thoughts

In every review I’ve previously written, I had at least one suggested improvement to share ranging from crowns that lack grip, designs that would benefit from a dose of originality or something as simple as missed opportunities to increase legibility. But for the first time ever, I’m passing on the opportunity to offer suggestions. I’m not saying changes couldn’t be made. Look at the photos and you’re likely to have suggestions of your own. Maybe you’ll decide that the almost impossibly small numerals on the MER lack practicality. Or you’ll wish the yellow chamfered chapter ring was a different shade of yellow so that it clashed less with the equally prominent purple. Perhaps you’ll be caught off guard by subtle green accents on the otherwise monochromatic dial of the PEU and wonder why it is available in a black PVD case that trades stand-out mixed finishing for a simplified uniform finish.  And while these would be fair concerns to voice, my hope would be that the design team at Bravur completely disregards them. Playing it safe would merely make the Team Heritage collection blend in with countless watches with normal sized numerals, predictable colorways and true monochromatic dials. Without revisions, the entire collection is a masterclass in ignoring conventional design and consumer expectations in favor of vision.

Discovering a watch that feels truly inspired is a rare treat for a watch collector. Even more rare is the opportunity to experience a watch capable of doing some inspiring of its own. Bravur’s new collection had me racking my brain to remember the colors of my childhood bike and goading me to leave my car in the garage and put my legs to the test just as I used to do years ago. With a case that raises the bar for what collectors should expect for just over $1000 and designs that cater to bike and watch enthusiasts alike, this collection is a refreshing reminder that true passion and the willingness to take some risks are essential elements to creating an outstanding watch. Even if the Team Heritage collection doesn’t suddenly make you feel motivated to hit the road on two wheels, its passion rich design makes it a choice worth considering for anyone looking for a comfortable watch built for adventure. Bravur