Didn’t we do this BVOR?
Back in May, I reviewed the Vision by our favourite watch-designing young guns, BVOR. This UK microbrand, comprised of friends Henry, Oliver and their teacher Nurul (is there some sort of degree course in designing bad-ass watches?!), managed to bring the Vision to market when they were just twenty years old. That’s a wholly impressive feat.
But it seems like it’s been a slightly rough road since. Where other UK microbrands like Golby are onto their third watch now, BVOR haven’t followed up with a successor to their original watch, which is quite a shame given how much I loved the Vision.
They did branch out slightly with the Aldenham Project, essentially the Vision but with their old school’s logo on it. Obviously a very niche product given that you pretty much have to have gone to that school for the watch to have any appeal (especially as the school logo looks like a ZX Spectrum representation of a pint of beer when viewed at watch-spotting range). And given that the school fees for Aldenham range from £32k to £50k, I figure that any alumni from there already have something fairly pricey on their wrist.
Since then, they’ve been trying to get a Kickstarter application accepted, which would see the existing Vision watches paired with an FKM strap for a sportier look. This should hopefully introduce the brand to more eyes and, hopefully, shift a few units. However, they’ve attempted it three times and still can’t appease the Kickstarter gods into accepting their application. Personally, I’m not sure how much I’d value FKM over the excellent leather straps that BVOR currently use.
I spoke to Henry earlier this year at the WatchIt! Watch Show, and he showed us some of the design ideas that BVOR have coming. I’m sworn to secrecy, lest the Aldenham school leopard is set on us, but what they’re cooking up looks good.
But there’s been an ongoing set of misunderstandings (in our opinion) regarding the Vision and, having previously reviewed the black brushed silver version, I was keen to see the blue PVD version as that’s always seemed like the pick of the bunch. I mean, just look at the picture below. It really stands out.
Anyway, BVOR have been kind enough to send us one on loan, and I wanted to confirm in our minds if this was indeed as good as I first thought (I’ve reviewed some bangers since) and to spread a little awareness about a brand that more people should be talking about.
Having reviewed the Vision a few months ago, I’m not going to go into the same detail as before, but rather just treat this as a revisit rather than a full review. All the technical information you need is in the previous one.
The Vision’s problem so far has been perception. Some people aren’t sure about the brand name. BVOR comes from the house at Aldenham where the boys met. Beevor’s House. It’s a stylised, modern take on it, and it is at least very unique, but you run a risk when choosing a brand name that isn’t plain English because suddenly you’re in the realm of Hroudlands and Tandorio. Watches where it’s going to take a lot to get past the name. But, for us at least, BVOR is alright and, unlike many other brands, it has a story behind it.
The other issue is the shape and size of the case. Square watches can wear a little large, and at 40mm by 42mm, the Vision can seem pretty chunky. For a debut watch, going that big was always a gamble. And certainly plenty of people have been seemingly put off by it. But here’s the thing: I wear this thing a lot, and it’s fine. At 6.25 inches, my wrist isn’t exactly going to see me starring in a remake of Over The Top, and with a lug-to-lug of 53mm, this watch should be as useful to me as a Coldplay ticket.
And yet, it works. There’s some real weirdness to this watch. Yes, it’s objectively large, but the proportions and levels work together to somehow make it a very viable wear. Even for me. The 42mm length runs along your wrist, not across it. So that’s not a problem. The 40mm width allows the watch to tuck neatly in across my flat, bullshit wrists.
Sure, the lug-to-lug distance definitely flirts with being a bit silly. But unlike the sort of wrist-worn satellite dishes that Bulova insist on putting out for their market share of obese Americans, it’s not really a problem here as the lugs meet the bottom of the case and leave a clear 3.5mm to the top of the watch. That sets back the lugs, almost taking the focus off them.
The really odd thing is the thickness of the watch. It looks pretty prominent, chunky even. It’s 11mm. That’s actually a tiny bit less than the Mezei London Smoke, which is one of the sleeker, dressier watches in my collection. It’s odd because the watch has so much presence but, honestly, it’s not too big.
And it’s a really nice case. The vertical brushing from the black model is still visible here, albeit now under a transparent application of blue PVD (physical vapour deposition), a coating that is literally vaporised in a vacuum to fuse the colour into the atomic structure of the Vision’s steel case. It creates a lovely finish and adds real-world durability to the watch too.
The shape of the case is very attractive too. More of a circled square than a squared circle, each edge and corner is rounded, softening the look of the watch which would otherwise look quite industrial thanks to the set of eight screws that hold the bezel on. These are functional screws, rather than decorative, so they don’t line up but there’s something quite honest about them. It’s a cool feature and makes for quite a dramatic watch. The presence, the polish, the colour, the detailing.
This is all complimented by the dial, itself no slouch. It’s a very dark blue, almost an inky black (to be honest, I think it’s more black than blue) with the stylised reversed B brand logo and ‘automatic’ in the top half, small enough to not make an impact.
In the bottom half, you’ve got Vision in bold red cursive. A neat touch that adds a little bit of drama to the design. It’s just got that lipstick red ‘80s neo-retro feel to it. And tucked away right at the bottom is ‘London Design.’ I’m not too sure the boys really are located in London, but they’re close enough to claim it.
From a practical point of view, the chunky baton-style hands and indices make this a very legible watch. Everything is bold, clear and pretty striking. There’s almost a field watch style legibility to it, and the indices are nicely applied, distributed perfectly around that slightly odd curved-square footprint.
I’ve said it before, but the horizontally-lined textured dial reminds us of scanlines on an old CRT television. An effect that is enhanced by the case shape. Essentially, it looks like a squished little TV or, in the context of the watch’s industrial look, maybe a CCTV monitor. It’s really intriguing and gives the watch a unique look that I’ve not really seen anywhere else.
Sure, I’ve reviewed square watches before. The Brew, the Walker & Crown. But this isn’t like them. The off-kilter dimensions (a stubby rectangle rather than a square) and these industrial, retro touches make it stand out. As does that prominent case. There’s something about this watch that makes it stand out from the crowd, and the blue PVD coating really enhances that.
However, there is a downside. The Vision has a push-pull crown. It winds in the zero position and sets the time in position one. The problem, though, is that the PVD coating makes releasing the crown quite difficult. I initially thought it was faulty and sent it back to BVOR to check. It wasn’t, though. It was just a tad stiff. But I was already at the breaking-nails stage, even using a guitar pick to get in there. It’s loosening up a little over time, but when combined with those sloped, substantial crown guards, setting the watch isn’t quite as easy as I’d like.
The good more than outweighs the bad though. With its sapphire crystal, 316L stainless steel case and everything being powered by an automatic Miyota 9015 movement (a premium Japanese movement with 42 hours of power reserve, hacking seconds, a date complication and a 28,800 sweep), the specs are undeniably good (and what you’d expect on a mid-range micro). But it’s the finishing that I’ve really enjoyed. That brushing, the little touches and the construction feel as though no corners have been cut anywhere.
I’m happy to say that the BVOR Vision is as good as I remember, still fits great (would I say ‘no’ to a 37x39mm version? No, I wouldn’t, but this is fine) and of all the variants, this cool, industrial, polished blue just feels like the signature model. It isn’t, but it just feels like it. It’s just stunning. If you’re the kind of person who wears watches to attract Nigella Lawson-style coos, this is the watch to get. Bold, beautiful and one day it might end up forming part of a T-1000’s ankle.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Pros:
+ A really striking holistic design
+ Original looks
+ Excellent strap
+ Superb legibility
Cons:
– The case dimensions can seem intimidating
– The crown can be hard to operate
– Pretty unsuitable for water with just 5ATM and a leather strap
Summary:
I’ve enjoyed getting to know the Vision again and our suspicions that the blue version is the standout have been confirmed. The BVOR Vision is too good to ignore and this version is just stunning.
JUST THE FACTS
Availability/Options: The BVOR Vision is currently in stock and comes in a few variants. The PVD coated black and blue versions (£599 each) and two silver versions that you can get in black or blue (£549).
Brand: BVOR
Model: Vision
Style: Whatever, man
Case Size: 40mm x 42mm (53mm lug-to-lug)
Movement: Miyota 9015
Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Lug Width: 22mm
Band Type: Leather strap
Price: £599