For the past four years — maybe more, maybe a little less — Swedish brand Bravur has been focused on its Grand Tour line of chronographs. These cycling-inspired watches are in their fourth generation as of just a week or so ago and bring a range of colors and tons of subtle cues to the world of professional cycling. It’s there that Bravur seems to have found its niche, and it’s also there that the new Bravur Team Heritage line exists. The Team Heritage watches celebrate dominant racing teams from cycling’s history, with a blend of color and texture and one of the best cases I’ve experienced in a long time.
Truly, the only recognizably Bravur element of the Team Heritage is the logo and the cycling tie-in. Otherwise, we’re dealing with an entirely new design. The 37mm case is a masterstroke in complementary finishes, with a vertically brushed bezel, a satin-finish main case, and polished bevels creating separation among the five different surfaces. The crown guards emerge smoothly from the right side and flank the perfectly sized screw-down crown, which helps to afford 100m of water resistance; the crown’s satin finish and well-defined grooves make it easy to operate. The form of the case is also impressive. The layering of finishes and facets is certainly attractive, especially having done so on such a compact package. The lugs, though, stood out for me; their soft edges and almost tubular form, to my non-cycling eye, recall the form of a modern cycle frame (despite the Team Heritage line’s celebration for 1950s-1980s cycling).
On the wrist, the watch wears effortlessly. No doubt, the 37mm case will put off some who are still stuck in a large-case mindset, but for those who’ve accepted the reality of smaller watches in the modern market — or just find smaller sizes to fit better — the 44.6mm lug-to-lug and the 11.4mm thickness make for an ideal presence on the wrist. This is furthered by the turndown of the soft lugs and the fitted quick-release FKM rubber strap, which matches the theme of the watch with an embossed cycling cap pattern, custom buckle, and even cap-shaped holes for the tang. A few notes: All three Team Heritage models are available in a black PVD case, and the watches are all offered on your choice of rubber, perforated leather, or mesh bracelet (at no additional cost). Personally, I find the steel case on the rubber (which is color-matched to each dial) the best choice. The only minus here is that the straps are 18mm. I have exactly zero 18mm straps, which means I couldn’t play around with pairings. Your experience may differ, and I can’t deny that the proportions work for this design.
The Grand Tour chronograph dials are among the most balanced in terms of color, texture, and function I’ve ever seen, but any 38mm chronograph is going to be cluttered. Enter the Bravur Team Heritage. All the cycling fun, none of the busyness. The Team Heritage comes in three models. The purple and yellow MER dial pays tribute to the Mercier team and is the only model of the three with lumed indices; the white, yellow, and black REN with a sandwich dial honors Renault, and the PEU considered herein tips its hat to Peugeot. They all have plenty going on, and like the chronos, none of the cycling bits and bobs is so overt as to be distracting or make this a cycling watch (whatever that might entail).
Each of the three Team Heritage models has a unique dial that integrates the respective team’s colors in some way. I like the PEU for its subtlety. The central checkerboard embossing adds great depth, balanced by the raised hour markers that have a green outline, which is a nod to the BP logo that used to adorn the team’s jerseys. The black and white checkerboard motif borrowed from Peugeot’s graphics allows for excellent legibility. This is furthered by one of the less common elements of the watch, the split-finish hands. half of each hand is polished, while the other half is brushed. What this means is that regardless of the angle or light, you never really lose the hands. On the PEU and REN models, only the hands get lume, which is plenty bright for a time-only model that doesn’t purport to be a tool watch. The seconds hand is another favorite element, with its matte black finish and coordinated green accent on the counterbalance.
The screwed-down caseback features a cycling cap in relief, with a plate showing the individual number. Underneath, Bravur uses the Swiss automatic Sellita SW200 caliber, with the date removed to ensure there’s no phantom position on the crown. This movement is a go-to for time-only watches and with good reason. The movement beats at 28,800, and the 41-hour power reserve is ample for most uses; it’s also well-known for its reliability and ease of servicing.
I truly enjoy the Grand Tour chronographs from Bravur, but I think this is the brand’s best model yet. The Team Heritage takes all the great nods to cycling Bravur perfected through four generations of the Grand Tour and incorporates them into a new, attractive case design that wears better than any of the chronographs and has the advantage of a less cluttered dial. The Bravur Team Heritage watches are priced at $1,195 USD. For more information, please visit the Bravur website.
