The Heritage, best pronounced with your best GCSE French accent (Heri-tij), is a classy-looking dress watch from Paris-based microbrand Belvans, who are making a name for themselves in the watch-collecting scene thanks to some slick and very active marketing. But does the watch live up to the hype?
Well, Belvans were kind enough to send us the watch, which we’ve been living with for a couple of weeks now, and there’s a lot to process about the brand and this timepiece, with a lot of positives but also some issues around claims on their website.
There are certainly questions around the brand. Their website talks about their watch-making tradition and references Belvans House, their workshop in Besançon, where their watches are designed and assembled, but they’re light on details with it (a picture of it on the site suggests there is a page about it, but there is no active hyperlink). Likewise, they mention a ‘showroom’ in the heart of Paris, but this would appear to just be a small display inside what seems to be a department store that also sells watches by D1 Milano and Depancel. There’s nothing wrong with that; it’s just that the claims feel a little oversold.
This ties in with another question we’ve asked the brand about twice, with no answer. They describe the Heritage as one of their first watches, with the Prestige being the other. That watch is shown as sold out, but there appears to be no evidence of it ever having existed, and it’s not showing as a pre-order. Again, it all feels like marketing and hype, which is at odds with the brand’s listed values of “authenticity and transparency.”
So, while we still have those questions and aren’t assured by the lack of responses to them, we do have the watch in hand, and we can review it with some degree of assurance.
The Heritage sports an octagonal case that you could say shares a little design language with the Gerald Genta-designed Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, but it’d be unfair to call it a homage. This watch has its own look and smartly combines different finishes, shapes and layers to make something that’s more complex than it might initially look.
From a distance, it’s just a dress watch with a somewhat vintage appeal, but as you get closer, you’ll catch the details. The dial is jet black, painted in Mosou Black, a finish that absorbs 99% of light, giving the face a perfectly dark finish. It was something we were keen to see in person, and it doesn’t disappoint.
In terms of writing, you just get Belvans’ logo in the upper half, a simple text-only affair that’s small enough to not spoil the dial, and we’re glad they didn’t go any further by putting ‘Heritage’ or, god forbid, any nonsense about water resistance or the details about the movement.
You get all twelve indices, all in simple roman numerals, which looks elegant and simple sword hands complete the look, with the only flourish being at the bottom of the seconds hand, where it is designed to look like the base of the Eiffel Tower. It looks good, though and stops far short of looking like a souvenir. Overall, we’re very happy with the look, and it’s passed the friends, family and co-workers test with flying colours.
One thing that’s a bit odd is the six o’clock indice (VI). It’s been driving us mad since we got it but it kind of looks like it leans to the left, and we’re getting the same impression from their official photos, however we’ve checked it out and we’re pretty sure it’s okay. It’s possible that the angles of the V and octagonal case make it seem mis-aligned but it’s not. Some users have had an issue with the horizontal alignment of this indice also, but again, it looks like that’s been sorted out now as we’re not seeing it.
The visual appeal doesn’t stop there, though. As we said, there’s quite a lot going on with the case. The bezel sports a nice vertically-brushed polish and is split down the middle with an engraved line that follows the shape of the case. It can be a little bit of a dust-trap, but it looks great. This leads down to a high-polished edge which then sits on the larger body of the case which has differently-angled edges to its octaganal space and goes back to the previous vertical brushing. It’s something of a layer cake for the eyes, and we really are enjoying it.
The case is made of 316L stainless steel with a DLC (diamond-like carbon) treatment that has been added to help with scratch resistance and durability. This is good because even though the watch arrives in a very nice wooden box, it had bounced around in there by the time it got to me. Thankfully there was no damage at all. There is also an inner layer of titanium which helps protect the movement from magnetic disturbance. And this is all nicely-proportioned too, with a diameter of 38mm and a thickness of 11mm. Sometimes watches with a square-ish body can wear quite large, but this sits perfectly on my 6.25 inch wrist, thanks to a tidy lug-to-lug distance of 46mm.
Flipping the watch over reveals even more neat design. All those details that may have been placed upfront are engraved here. 10ATM (indication 100 meters of water resistance) and the model reference (BVH28001) are grouped together. If we were sceptical, we could say that makes it look like a safety certification reference for the water resistance, but the model number is referenced on their website with this model, so we’ll give it a pass there. The caseback also references the automatic movement, the brand and model name and states again that the watch was “designed and assembled in France.”
The obvious standout feature is the decorated rotor that sits behind a display caseback. It has a diamond-like engraved pattern, cut-outs and part of it is shaped like the Belvans crown logo. It’s very nice indeed. It’s all colour-matched to the same silver finish of the case (the gold and rose gold models also colour-match their cases). Some owners have complained about the noise of the rotor, and yes, it’s a tiny bit louder than other automatics that I own, but also, I was in a punk band for over ten years, so my hearing is bullshit.
The movement itself is an interesting choice. They’ve gone for the Miyota 8315. They describe it as ‘premium’, but that designation doesn’t usually apply to 8000 series Miyotas, as they are usually considered to be entry-level automatic movements. The difference comes down to accuracy, materials and functionality, with the 8315 having a 21,600vph tick as opposed to the 9000 series, which has a 28,800 sweep, but, with that said, I’ve had both movements side by side and it’s pretty hard to see the difference unless you’re really looking for it.
And while the 8315 is a much thicker movement (5.7mm compared to 3.9mm from a 9015), has fewer jewels (21 compared to 24), which could affect its lifespan in years from now and potentially lower accuracy (although Belvans do their best to regulate the movement during assembly), the least desirable feature is the ghost date.
Despite not having a date window, the watch still requires you to pull the crown out to a second position. The first position doesn’t do anything as there is no date to set. It’s not a huge issue, but is something that doesn’t vibe with Belvans’ talk of watch-making tradition and quality, as it feels like a cost-cutting measure as well as not helping to justify the asking price of the watch. Also, when winding the watch, the seconds hand tends to get jostled about, suggesting that the in-house assembly team probably need a little more precision when it comes to placing the hands onto the pinion.
However, that said, it’s not really a big issue for us, and we did find ourselves enjoying the 60 hour power reserve, a big benefit of the 8315 over the 9000 series’ 42. We do feel like the 9015s in our collection run out of juice a little too soon for our liking, so this is good. Also, we’re not missing having a screw-down crown. We’re never going to go diving in this, or any other watch, and so just being able to wind the watch right away makes it a little more practical in daily use. That said, you do run a risk of the crown being pulled out by accident but that’s quite unlikely to happen unless you’re wearing the watch under the sleeve of a jumper that your nan knitted you or something.
The leather strap that the watch sits on is pretty nicely executed. It’s made of thick leather and is Italian and handmade. We’ve not noticed any defects, and the holes where the spring bars are inserted seem to be uniformly placed. The chunkiness of the leather is very satisfying, and it’s quite comfortable too. It’s also starting to soften nicely over time.
It does attach to a specific link on the case, though, making it integrated. So far, Belvans do not sell alternatives, and regular aftermarket straps aren’t going to fit. So if you’re looking for a bracelet option, you might be out of luck. There’s no quick release on the strap either, so if alternatives are made available, you’ll need to break out the tools and take a Valium for your nerves as you attempt to pry the strap away while stopping the spring bars from diving across the room like escaping lemmings.
So, yes, it’s quite the mixed bag. There are some really nice touches to the watch. The dial, the polishing, the display caseback, and it’s immediately, obviously a very tasteful dress watch. However, when you add up the concerns (the over-eager marketing, the choice of movement, reported concerns about customer service), you can’t help thinking that at £635, this is maybe a tad expensive for what you get. Our point of comparison is Henry Archer, another European brand, who put out absurdly beautiful watches backed by a 9015 movement for £100 less than these. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and we’re pretty happy with what Belvans has created here. They just need to re-evaluate a couple of things if they want microbrand Instagram and Reddit to take them more seriously but as a debut watch (assuming the Prestige doesn’t exist), this is one hell of an opening gambit.
Pros:
+ Elegant design
+ The black musou dial is a nice feature that adds drama to the look
+ Nicely decorated rotor
+ 60 hour power reserve
+ Good quality integrated strap
+ Nicely contrasting finishes
Cons:
– No bracelet option
– Ghost date position
– An 8000 series Miyota at this price isn’t great
– Some of the marketing seems a bit oversold
– Price bounces about a bit
Summary:
The overall effect of the Belvans Heritage is one of elegance and this is definitely a watch that will turn heads. It’s a great size, the black musou dial adds mystery and depth, the polishing is varied and beautiful and it looks just as nice behind with its display caseback and custom rotor. But there are some cost-cutting measures that may have you questioning the price.
JUST THE FACTS
Availability/Options: The Heritage is currently for sale at belvans.com for £630 (a recent price rise from £620 but also a drop from £634) and is available in silver, gold or rose gold, all of which look like nice options. You can also add custom engraving for free.
Brand: Belvans
Model: Heritage
Style: Dress
Case Size: 38mm
Movement: Miyota 8315
Material: 316L Stainless Steel with Titanium
Band Width: 22mm
Band Type: Leather bracelet (integrated)
Price: £635
Declaration: I received this watch in exchange for providing a review. However, this arrangement did not influence my opinions in any way, and the company has not seen, reviewed or approved this content prior to publication.