Sometimes, a brand will want to branch out into new designs – this happens quite a bit, across many industries. If there is some concern that the new direction might dilute or otherwise confuse what had already been built, a new brand will be created, allowing some other avenues to be explored. Of course, all the expertise and history travel along from the sister brand, which makes what we have with the Belmoto Timepieces an interesting proposition.
As you may have guessed from that opening paragraph, while Belmoto Timepieces is a name we have not heard before, they are coming from an established and respected brand – Magrette of New Zealand. This is also why the designs will look a bit familiar to you, as they are based on existing Magrette watches, while taking things a bit more in the direction of vintage racing.
The Belmoto Timepieces collection is starting off with two pieces. The first is the Belmoto Tourer range, which is based on the newer Magrette Dual Time, which is itself an iteration on my favored Magrette Regattare 2011. Given that I have already talked about those at some length (and you can dig into that in those links), we can dig into what is really different about the Belmoto Tourer. At this stage (ie, just starting out) the changes are only skin deep. We of course have the Belmoto logo on the dial and buckle – which is reminiscent of a race track – and the strap options are taken is much more of a vintage racing feel. You will also find an exhibition caseback showing off the Miyota 9015, something we do not see on the Magrette divers. Here, for a land-based watch, it works, and allows things like the customized steering wheel rotor to make an appearance. There are also a few new color combinations, which give us some two-tone combos certainly not seen in the main Magrette lineup.
The same sort of changes that are present on the Belmoto Track Day lineup, which is a mecha-quartz watch powered by the Seiko VK64. This gives you the accuracy and reliability of a quartz for the main time keeping, while the chronograph functions have more the look and feel (ie, clicky resets to home) of a mechanical chronograph. In many ways, you can view this as a chronograph version of the Belmoto Tourer – the case is the same, the sandwhich dial is carried over (albeit with some modification) and you even still have the dual-time ability. Again, we have some new colorways appearing here, including some rather fetching panda / reverse panda dials.
Dion McAsey has been on a bit of a tear lately, introducing new and refreshed models for Magrette, and now these new cushion-cased vintage racing-inspired Belmoto Timepieces. If you are a fan of the brand (well, now brands, plural) 2016 is shaping up to be a great year for your collection. Pricing on the Belmoto Track Day comes in at $500, while the Belmoto Tourer carries a price tag of $700. Those are indeed higher than what we would expect from the company, but it is to bring things in alignment with retail channels (whereas Magrette is a direct-to-consumer model). In the meantime, you can score yourself a 20% discount on pre-orders placed prior to December 31 using the code DRIVER20. Let us know in the comments what you think about this new direction Belmoto (and Magrette) is branching out in to. belmoto.co
Tech Specs from Belmoto – Tourer
- Miyota 9015 with hacking seconds
- 316L stainless steel case
- Sapphire Crystal (Double domed), AR coating
- Water Resistant to 200M/20ATM
- Case 42mm
- Screw down crown
- Calf leather strap with Lorica lining
Features – Tourer
- Automatic winding and hand winding
- C3 Super Luminova
- Dual Time complication
- Hour, minute and sweeping second hands
- Sandwich-dial
- Shock absorber for balance staff
- Running time of more than 42 hours when fully wound
Tech Specs from Belmoto – Track Day
- Seiko VK64 Chronograph Hybrid Meca-Quartz Movement
- 316L stainless steel case
- Sapphire Crystal (Double domes), AR coating
- Water Resistant to 200M/20ATM
- Case 42mm
- Screw down crowns
- Calf leather strap with Lorica lining
Features – Track Day
- True mechanical reset chronograph
- 1/5 second sweep center-stop hand
- Calendar Complication
- Sandwich-dial
- C3 Super Luminova
- Dual Time complication
