Watch-watch: Swedish brand Bravur releases pretty pink Giro-themed timepiece
Here at CyclingTips, we’ve been attentive onlookers at the intersection of luxury watches and professional cycling for some time.
We’ve covered Julian Alaphilippe’s US$120,500 timepiece. We’ve reported on the regional geopolitical ramifications of Richard Mille’s sponsorship changes. We’ve watched Tadej Pogacar being forced to give up his personal Breitling endorsement – before, awkwardly, winning two forbidden Breitling watches at the UAE Tour.
But now, for the first time in the history of our recurring Watch-watch series, there is a watch (sorry, ‘chronograph’) worth writing about that actually looks quite nice and doesn’t cost as much as a house (and/or several Italian villages).
Swedish brand Bravur has just revealed the first of three designs celebrating the Grand Tours, with a little pink and black number honouring the Giro d’Italia. In July, Bravur will release a Tour de France edition, and in August, one for the Vuelta a España. The other designs have yet to be unveiled, but based on the template of the ‘La Corsa Rosa’ edition, it’s probably pretty easy to guess what they might look like.
Bravur’s founders, Johan and Magnus, met as rival cyclists in the 1990s. “At that time it wasn’t a friendly relation, but eventually, when both had stopped racing, there was room for friendship and the love for cycling has remained,” the Bravur website notes. They now run a small luxury watch brand based in Båstad, southern Sweden.
For the first of the company’s Grand Tour series, there are a number of subtle design touches that will play well with a cycling audience.
Most prominently, the pink subdials are in shades of pink inspired by the leader’s jersey of the Italian Grand Tour. Those contrast with the dark grey dial, which has been given a texture and colour that’s apparently reminiscent of tarmac.
If you take a really close look at the dial, you’ll notice that the minute marker for 13 is highlighted in pink, and upside down – a tip of the hat to the ancient cycling superstition that sees racers flip that race number for good luck.
The back of the stainless steel case features an embossed checker pattern that represents a finish line, with the Swiss-made internals visible through the “sapphire case back”.
Here are a bunch of other words that are used to describe the watch that might mean something to you but certainly don’t to me: Rhodium plating; 27-jewel movement; Sellita SW511; 62-hour power reserve; 46.3 mm lug-to-lug.
If, like me, you’re not a horophile, the key details you need to know are as follows: Pretty pink watch; US$2,450; limited to 50 numbered pieces; comes with free drink bottle; company’s website references Tom Dumoulin’s gastric distress.
Nice, Bravur. Very nice.
For more, see bravurwatches.com
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