While integrated bracelet watches originally rose to prominence during the 1970s, this versatile category of timepieces has experienced a major resurgence in popularity over the course of the last decade. Numerous different brands have produced their own expressions of this highly popular style, and for one of its most recent releases of 2024, the Swiss brand Delma has created a new integrated bracelet watch, which revives the historic “Midland” name that originally appeared in the 1920s. Reimagining one of the brand’s Midland models from the 1980s, the new Delma Midland collection is available with the choice of six different dial colors, along with the option of either quartz or automatic movements.

Crafted from stainless steel with largely brushed surfaces and high-polished bevels, the case of the Delma Midland collection features an angular tonneau-shaped profile that extends to create its crown guards and compact integrated lugs. The top of the case is furnished by a flat sapphire crystal (with anti-reflective treatment), which is surrounded by a fixed fluted bezel for a more intricate and refined overall aesthetic. To help ensure the 100 meters of water resistance that is offered by the Midland collection, the signed crown at 3 o’clock screws down to the middle case, and while the quartz models are fitted with solid stainless steel casebacks, the automatic versions receive display-style casebacks with sapphire windows to showcase their internal movements.

In terms of their dimensions, the automatic Delma Midland models measure 40.5mm in diameter by 10.8mm thick, with an overall lug-to-lug distance of 47mm. However, the quartz versions are a bit thinner than their automatic siblings due to their smaller movements and solid casebacks, and they have a total height of 9.5mm. Just like other integrated bracelet watches, the first center links of the bracelet do not articulate at the point where they meet the case, and this brings the total lug-to-lug profile of the Midland up to approximately 54mm. With that in mind, since this additional 7mm actually consists of the first links of the bracelet, this 54mm measurement should be taken with a grain of salt, although it still makes the Midland wear a bit larger than its official on-paper dimensions.

On my 6.5 to 6.75-inch wrist (the one featured throughout the photos), the Delma Midland feels a bit larger than what you might normally expect from a watch with similar case dimensions, although the same could be said about most integrated bracelet watches due to the way that their center links connect to their cases. Including the entirety of the removable links from their integrated bracelets, the automatic Delma Midland models weigh 165 grams, while the quartz versions are slightly lighter at 140 grams, although a smaller wrist size will equate to a lighter watch, simply due to the use of fewer bracelet links. Additionally, despite its refined design details, the wide bezel and crown guards provide the Midland collection with a distinctly sporty overall profile, and the on-wrist experience could best be described as a chunkier and more robust version of the Tissot PRX.

At the time of writing, the Delma Midland collection spans twelve different models, which consist of quartz and automatic versions of the six different colorways. As part of the inaugural launch, dial colors for the midland collection include white, black, salmon, evergreen, royal, blue, and ice blue, with the salmon dial automatic version (ref. ​​41701.740.6.181) being the model that is featured here. All of the various dials feature a pyramid guilloché pattern across their surfaces, and other than their colors and the additional “Automatic” branding that appears below the hands on the self-winding mechanical models, the twelve Midland dials are otherwise identical with baton-shaped hands, applied luminous hour markers, and a date window at the 3 o’clock location.

The simple faceted baton shapes that are used for the hands and applied hour markers on the Delma Midland series create a very classical overall appearance; their wide structures ultimately offer amble legibility while still maintaining a fairly elevated overall aesthetic. In that same spirit, the hands and applied hour markers all feature polished surfaces with white luminous inlays, and the tips of the seconds hands are finished bright red to highlight the sporty visual undertones of the collection. Additionally, Delma uses two different colors of luminous material on its Midland watches, and while the applied indexes are finished with blue-glowing BGW9 Super-LumiNova, the hour and minute hands glow a bit more brightly, and they are finished with green-emission Super-LumiNova for added contrast and improved legibility.

While the quartz Delma Midland models run on a standard ETA F06.111 movement with a battery life of approximately 68 months, the automatic versions receive the venerable Sellita Caliber SW200-1. Running at a frequency of 28,800 (4 Hz) with a power reserve of 41 hours, the 26-jewel Sellita SW200-1 is likely the single most commonly used Swiss automatic movement within the entire watch industry (along with its ETA 2824 equivalent), and while this caliber is hardly going to give you bragging points among enthusiast, the SW200-1 is the definition of a proven design, and it is ultimately a highly practical movement for Delma’s automatic Midland models. While the Sellita Cal. SW200-1 used inside the Delma Midland appears to be the standard version of this rather ubiquitous caliber, it does feature a custom rotor, which is finished in gold and engraved with Delma’s logo.

For an integrated bracelet watch to be successful, its bracelet needs to offer a satisfying overall experience, which means that it must meet certain standards regarding comfort and a general sense of quality. Crafted entirely from solid components, the stainless steel bracelet fitted to the Delma Midland features a three-link design, and it is finished with brushed surfaces and thin high-polished bevels running down the sides of its outer links. Although the bracelet itself is reasonably comfortable on the wrist, the removable links are secured by standard friction-fit pins, and while a half-link is included to help achieve a tailored fit, the butterfly-style clasp doesn’t offer any type of integrated extension system. Single-sided screws for the removable links and a more adjustable clasp would have been welcome additions; however, the bracelet still represents a fairly solid overall package, and it provides an inherent sense of quality with its thick and heavy links.

While the Delma Midland collection isn’t the Swiss brand’s absolute least expensive model, it is positioned near the entry point of its catalog, and it ultimately costs slightly less than many of Delma’s fan-favorite dive watches. Consequently, the quartz Delma Midland reference is priced at $775 USD, while their automatic siblings are a bit more expensive at $1,350 USD, and those prices apply to all six colorways available for each version of the model. The greater category of integrated bracelet watches has recently seen numerous compelling offerings enter the space at a wide range of different prices, although the Delma Midland collection represents a solid step above the various entry-level options while still being exponentially more attainable than the top-of-the-line integrated bracelet watches that are produced by the world’s most prestigious luxury manufacturers. For more information on the Delma Midland collection, please visit the brand’s website.