Based in Pforzheim, Germany, Circula has been quietly producing watches that provide a unique take on classic styles and offer seriously impressive specs for the price — especially considering all the German manufacturing that goes into each piece. While the brand’s lineup includes dive, GMT, and field watches, one major gap has been a pilot’s watch. That’s all set to change with the brand’s latest release: the Circula ProFlight, a 40mm pilot’s watch with a hardened-steel case, textured dial, and modern design.
When developing the ProFlight, Circula tapped Swiss designer Guy Bove to collaborate on the design. Given that Bove had previously worked as Creative Director for IWC (as well as TAG Heuer), he clearly knows a thing or two about pilot’s watches. Unlike IWC, who tend towards classic styling, Bove and Circula wanted to take the ProFlight in a decidedly new and modern direction, while retaining the general design brief for a pilot’s watch.
A quick look at the case tells you that the ProFlight is something a bit different, with a mix of hard edges and soft curves, bringing to mind a B-2 stealth bomber rather than a single-prop aircraft. Measuring 40mm in diameter and just 46mm lug-to-lug, with a 12mm case height, the ProFlight is smack in the middle of the Goldilocks zone for case size. What’s not immediately apparent when looking at the case, with its mix of blasted and polished surfaces, is that Circula puts the case through a surface-hardening process that boosts the hardness up to 1,200 Vickers. You also have the option of purchasing the watch on a similarly hardened bracelet. Hardened cases are one of the best value-adds a brand can provide, and it means those sharp lines on the case are going to remain nice and sharp.
For those familiar with the brand, the case aesthetic will be familiar, but you can really see Bove’s design influence when it comes to the dial. The font used for the numerals is custom-designed for legibility and to complement the case’s mix of angular lines and soft curves. The classic pilot’s watch triangle marker also gets an update, with an open design and dots placed exactly on 59 and 01 minutes; they’re small changes, but instantly noticeable given the ubiquity of the pilot’s watch design.
The dial is layered with contrasting textures, from the smooth chapter ring to the textured outer ring of the dial to the concentric circles at the center designed to complement the rotation of the propeller seconds hand. Sharp eyes will also note the new Circulat text at 12 o’clock — the ProFlight is the first Circula model to feature the brand’s new logo.
Powering the ProFlight is the Sellita SW200-1 in Elaboré grade. It’s a solid choice for a dependable and accurate movement, beating at 28.8kbph and housing 38 hours of power reserve. Other notable specs for the ProFlight include 150m of water resistance, a screw-down crown, and a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside. Plus, the ProFlight is equipped with a soft iron cage protecting the movement and providing anti-magnetic resistance up to 80,000 A/m.
Circula’s been on a roll over the past several years with their field and dive watch offerings and it’s great to see the brand offer their take on a modern pilot’s watch. Bringing in a designer with a vast experience in the pilot’s watch genre was a smart move and one that we hope will lead to even more models down the road. The Circula ProFlight is priced at 1029 EUR/USD on a sailcloth strap (add 170 EUR/USD more for a hardened-steel bracelet). To learn more about the Circula ProFlight, please visit the brand’s website.
