Swedish brand Bravur rethinks 50s watch design for achingly stylish BW003 automatic.

by James Buttery

There?s a stark contrast between the Bravur watches of old (we say old, they were founded in Sweden in 2011) and their latest, the BW003.
Most noticeable is the inclusion of an automatic movement, the Sellita SW300, as this is Bravur?s first mechanical watch. But what I find more interesting is the difference in the standard of design between this automatic and the brand?s quartz models ? which take solid, raised indices and numerals as a house style.

There?s nothing wrong with Bravur?s simple quartz pieces, but the BW003 is so far ahead of them in terms of how accomplished and confident the final design is, it?s somewhat startling. Of course, the automatic is considerably more expensive than its quartz predecessors and that no doubt also pays for more fine detail and fine tuning.
Bravur has opted for a mid-century design style but, rather than plundering tired tropes from existing vintage watch design of that era, the brand has instead taken the far more interesting approach of creating its own ?vintage? watch style based on the wider styles of the 1950s, evoking everything from furniture, architecture, cars and graphic design. Essentially, this is how Bravur might have designed a watch had they existed at the time ? but with the added benefit of hindsight.

In that regard, the Bravur is a roaring success, it looks like something Don Draper would have strapped on in ea...