“Brushed gold and blue in silver” is how Belmoto refers to this particular version of the Belmoto Tourer, of which there are three in total. The dial here is a very pale gold; the inner rotating bezel must be what they mean by “blue,” though it looks gray to me; and the case is 316L (what else?) stainless steel. The case is all brushed, but the bezel, hands, and some elements on the crowns are polished for that little bit of sparkle. A black date wheel for a light-colored dial was an interesting choice, but I think it matches well with the sweeping black seconds hand. With appropriately sized hands, decent antireflective coating, and a nice “lume experience,” legibility has been essentially perfect at all times – though I admit to missing individual minute markers.
The styling here has a retro charm, but is restrained so it doesn’t look unmodern, either – and I hope to see more design like that across the watch industry as the vintage craze matures. The Belmoto Tourer is also going for a gentlemanly but masculine presence – as its PR photos of, say, guys in muddy three-piece suits riding dirt bikes pretty aptly captures. Don’t let the slick “lifestyle” marketing approach distract you too much from looking closely at the watches themselves. I mostly wear pretty simple and relatively casual attire, and I found the Belmoto Tourer could happily be considered just a welcome a touch of machismo for the wrist.
The back of the watch greets you with some color. There is the bright red lining of the Belmoto strap and the yellow-tinted glass of the display caseback. There is further visual interest in the black steering wheel-shaped frame that at first glance looks like it’s the rotor. While this succeeds in preventing the caseback view from being boring, and I appreciate that Belmoto is trying to do something different, what’s going on back here is all a little confusing.
A display caseback is to show the movement, but tinted glass always just makes it harder to see. And the completely raw rotor that looks like it is straight out of a factory bin, adorned with only “Japan” and “Miyota Co.,” also seems at odds with a goal of showing the movement – not that anyone is buying a watch at this price for its movement decoration. Further, I am not sure of the purpose of this frame, aside from possibly tricking you momentarily into thinking that it’s a cool skeletonized rotor. Perhaps it provides some structural support? Maybe the yellow glass is a nod to old-timey racing goggles? It seems like they wanted the display caseback, but to then distract you from the movement itself and its untouched rotor – but then again, maybe I’m overthinking it. Anyhow, it’s got a display caseback with a little bit of visual pop, and at least it’s sufficient to show your friends what you mean that it doesn’t use a battery…
What you may or may not attempt to explain to those friends is that the Miyota 9015 automatic movement you see through that tinted glass is regarded as a budget competitor to the more “prestigious” Swiss ETA 2824-2 – in the sense that it shares a lot of the same specs and features, along with fitting in the same places. Running at 4Hz, with a 42-hour power reserve, and a -10/+30-seconds-per-day accuracy, the Miyota 9015 is widely considered reliable and robust. In my totally unscientific tests and the short time I’ve had the watch, I observed generally much better performance than the specs suggest – which, remarkably, is apparently normal for Japanese movements.
“Pioneers in value” is how I like to think of some of these independent brands that, through a curated global supply network, are able to offer quality, a personal touch, and what often feels like transparent pricing. That is quite an achievement. There is a lot of competition for Belmoto, and therefore, one or two hundred dollars at this price point can make a big difference to the target consumers. Specifically car-themed brands are fewer, however, and if you choose the Belmoto Tourer, its quality will not disappoint. All versions of the Belmoto Tourer are priced at $700, and until June 15, 2016, readers can get a 20% discount by entering the promotion code DRIVER20 at checkout when ordering from the Belmoto website. belmoto.gt
Necessary Data
>Brand: Belmoto
>Model: Tourer
>Price: $700
>Size: 42mm wide
>Movement: Miyota 9015 automatic
>Materials: Stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, calf leather strap
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to: Watch enthusiasts with an eye for value and attracted to the microbrand story and experience; Guy who likes the Panerai aesthetic but wants something inexpensive and distinct; Vintage race car guy; Hipsters are also going to like this.
>Best characteristic of watch: Solid build and original design resulting in a stylish and unique, bold-wearing watch.
>Worst characteristic of watch: The rotor looks very raw, and the yellow-tinted glass lacks the rest of the watch’s classy and refined feel. Hard to line the rotating inner bezel up with the dial’s indices.
