If you’ve been following Pforzheim, Germany-based Circula for any length of time, there’s a good chance you have a sense of what the brand’s about: robust, high-quality tool watches that offer impressive value. With surface-hardened field watches, deep-water titanium divers, and classic pilot’s watches, Circula follows in the proud tool watch-producing tradition of other German stalwarts. The Circula Facet, however, offers something completely new and fresh from the brand in terms of design and intention. The price has crept up well north of the $1k mark the brand where the brand typically resides, but the value proposition hasn’t changed. With a new movement, intricately embossed dial, and superb finishing, Circula’s newest offering is truly something special from the brand.
I’ve had the opportunity to review a couple of Circula’s other watches, the ProTrail field watch and DiveSport Titanium, so when the brand’s owner, Cornelius Huber, reached out saying they’d soon be releasing a 38mm Go-Anywhere-Do-Anything watch that was more refined and technically challenging than anything they’d done before, I was more than a little intrigued. The casework and textured dials on the other Circula watches were quite impressive for the price point, but neither would be described as refined. They were watches designed for hard use outdoors and that’s exactly what they do well. So how would a brand like Circula approach a modern, refined sports watch? Would Circula still stay close to the tool watch aesthetic yet offer a touch more versatility, like Sinn with its 556i? Or would the brand do something completely unexpected? When the aptly named Facet, with its angular surfaces, semi-integrated bracelet, and intricate dial arrived, the answer was clear. Circula flexed its design and manufacturing muscles with the Facet and while it is unlike anything else in the brand’s lineup, enough of its design language remains to clearly integrate it into the lineup.
In developing the Facet, Circula partnered with Guy Bove, a Swiss designer and previous Creative Director for both IWC and TAG Heuer. Having recently collaborated on the ProFlight Pilot’s watch, Bove was a natural fit to help Circula bring a sophisticated sports watch to market. And sophisticated it most certainly is. With facet upon facet, there is nary a curve on the case and bracelet of the aptly named watch. Almost the entire case and bracelet is comprised of gentle angles and contrasting finishes. Despite the straight lines and sharp transitions, the watch is anything but aggressive, feeling nuanced and intentional. At 38mm in diameter, 44mm lug-to-lug, and a slim 10mm in height, the sizing is spot-on for an all-rounder that’s going to work on many wrists. It also features 100m of water resistance (but no screw-down crown). The Facet is crafted from 316L stainless steel, but sadly, no case-hardening here. Sure, I’d love to see this watch with a hardened case or crafted from titanium, just because I know Circula can do it, but most in the market for a stainless-steel all-rounder will be perfectly happy the brand stuck to the basics.
There are only so many ways to skin a cat (but honestly, who skins cats?), so you’re bound to see echoes of other designs within the Facet. Perhaps a bit of Zenith Defy Skyline with the bezel, Patek Philipe Nautilus with the bracelet and case, and maybe some Seiko Ginza on the dial. Yet, the Facet is far from a MadLibs of design elements — it’s a unified design. And the execution is stellar, especially given the sub-$2k price point. From a technical standpoint, the design is quite impressive, but that doesn’t mean it’s a design that will work for everyone (nor should it). The result of all those facets, along with the polished edges and center links of the bracelet, is a watch that will catch and reflect plenty of light. In other words, it’s got a lot of bling. The polished surfaces are eye-catching, and if that’s your style, you won’t be disappointed. Of course, the downside to all those polished surfaces is that they’re bound to pick up scratches.
The integrated bracelet sports watch craze likely hit its apogee a couple years ago but still seems to be going plenty strong. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the approach Circula took with the Facet. At a glance, this looks like an integrated bracelet. The bracelet seamlessly integrates into the case, with the polished lugs melding into the wide, polished links of the bracelet and the h-link folding precisely at the end of the lugs. Yet, the watch has a standard 20mm lug width and you can swap straps to your heart’s content. You get 90% of the aesthetic of an integrated bracelet watch with 100% of the practicality of standard lugs. It’s a compromise many will be happy to make.
The bracelet is an integral part of the design of this watch and the match is spot on. The flare at the lugs ties the bracelet into the watch head and makes for a cohesive design. The links themselves are a nice, balanced thickness and the articulation is great. Comfort-wise, no complaints about the bracelet. Circula took an interesting approach with the clasp, giving buyers the option of a butterfly clasp (reviewed here) or a push-button clasp with tool-free micro-adjust (see photo). I was lucky and I had a good fit with the butterfly clasp on y 6.75” wrist, but not all wrists will be so lucky. The butterfly clasp is low-profile and the most fitting option overall, but the push-button clasp will be the safer bet in terms of finding the right size for your wrist. The bracelet is a $300 upcharge from a color-matched suede leather strap, but if you generally prefer bracelets, it’s the way to go to complete the Facet.
Circula is offering the facet with three dial colors: brown, silver, and petrol. The embossed dial consists of a repeating pattern of concentric circles formed by the stylized wheel cogs found on the Circula logo. Circula describes the pattern as having “irregular symmetry” and that’s an apt description. Regardless of the inspiration, it’s a cool, deep texture that’s out of the ordinary and provides a lot of visual interest. The only thing obscuring the pattern is a restrained Circula wordmark at 12 o’clock and Made in Germany tucked away at 6 o’clock, below the date window. The six-sided hands and faceted indices are palladium-plated and filled with Swiss Supe-LumiNova BGW9 (at least on the petrol and brown dials — the silver dial features pvd-coated hands and indices with C7 lume). The indices are tucked into the minute track in a similar, but less extreme, manner as the Tudor Pelagos. It’s a nice look. One thing I’ve found, however, is that the handset (or at least the lume portion) seems narrow relative to the indices and dial. On the one hand, the narrow hands keep with the sophisticated, dressy vibe, but I’d have preferred just a bit more width and luminosity from the hands.
The dial colors are interesting choices from Circula, especially as they’re not offering a black dial for a self-described GADA watch. Hopefully, that’s something we see at some point in the future. The brown is rich and warm and a fun color to wear, especially if it works with your wardrobe and style. For my money, I’d pick up the petrol. It’s a luscious greenish teal (similar to the NOMOS Club Sport Neomatik 37 in petrol) and really sets off against the case.
In the $1-2k range, it’s typical to find a Sellita SW200 or similar movement, and indeed, that’s what Circula offers across much of their range. Here, however, the facet receives a La Joux-Perret G100 Swiss automatic movement in Soigné Grade. With a 68-hour power reserve beating at 28.8kbph and attractive decoration, this movement is a welcome sight and I’ve been quite impressed with performance in the watches that have housed it. The review piece I was sent has a standard rotor, but final production pieces will include a custom palladium-coated rotor, visible beneath the sapphire caseback.
There’s no shortage of somewhat similar stainless-steel sports watches on the market, whether your budget is lower (Tissot PRX), higher (Zenith Defy Skyline), or in the same ballpark (Christopher Ward Twelve). With the Facet, Circula is wading out into crowded waters, but they’re offering a seriously compelling option. From the LJP movement to the embossed dial to the impressive case and bracelet design and finishing, it’s a watch well worth considering. In addition, the Facet offers the integrated-bracelet sports watch look without locking you into proprietary straps — an option that will be welcome to many watch enthusiasts with a box of 20mm straps at the ready. The Circula Facet is priced at $1,590 USD on a leather strap with an optional bracelet for $300 USD during the pre-order period, with prices increasing by $100 after December 7. Deliveries will begin on December 12. To learn more about the Circula Facet, please visit the brand’s website.
Necessary Data
>Brand: Circula
>Model: Facet
>Price: $1,590 USD, $1,890 on bracelet (incl. VAT in the EU, as well as sales tax & import fee in the US); $100 more after December 7, 2024.
>Size: 38mm diameter, 44mm lug-to-lug, 10mm height, 20mm lug width
>When reviewer would personally wear it: Excellent daily wear that hits the go-anywhere-do-anything design brief, though I’d personally choose the petrol dial.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone seeking the integrated bracelet sports watch look for an everyday watch, but likes to switch up the look with different straps.
>Best characteristic of watch: Lovely case design and finishing with excellent integration of the bracelet with the case.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Handset feels slightly thin; adjustment for the butterfly clasp would be welcome.
