Introducing Bravoure and the Général Bonaparte

While we all look forward to seeing new stuff that hits Kickstarter, I’m guessing most of us have been burned by projects that hit and never delivered, were plagued by delays, or had some other misfortune befall your pledged money. That’s why we are enthusiastic to see brands coming back with new products, as they’ve got a track record on delivering what they promise. One of the latest to do just this is the Bravoure Général Bonaparte.

Now, you might be saying, “Hold up – that looks a lot like those Axiom watches that you’ve reviewed” – and you’d be right. The brand has, well, rebranded themselves, and what was known as Axiom before is now known as Bravoure (so, those earlier ones are collectors items of a sort?). To that end, then, the Bravoure Général Bonaparte is a look we’ve seen before, albeit in a classier look than we’ve had before.

To my eyes, the Bravoure Général Bonaparte takes the design aesthetic in a dressier direction – you’ve got Roman numerals, pomme hands, and a good dose of gold tones into which no small amount of French is place (and there’s even more on the case back). What I find interesting is that they’ve opted not to try and change up the lug pattern, or slim down the case profile / height. Moving into a dressier look, and changing the brand name, this would have been a good opportunity to mix things up a bit. That said, I can see the appeal in taking what’s known and working – the case as the foundation – and slipping in the new internals with the dial and handset.

This does, of course, help keep development costs down, and earlybird pricing on the Bravoure Général Bonaparte starts at a reasonable $342, which is lower than the previous project that we saw from Axiom. As of the time of writing this article, the project is fully funded, and things wrap up on August 5th. project link

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: Bravoure Général Bonaparte
Price: Earlybird pricing starts at $342

Who we think it might be for: You missed out on the earlier Axiom project, and are drawn to that puckish take on a trench watch style
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? No – I still prefer the luminous prior versions.
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be:Slim the case down, and work your way to a new lug design. Doesn’t have to be drastic, but it’s a way to start evolving the design language.

What spoke to me the most about this watch: The case design is certainly unique!

Tech Specs from Bravoure

DIAMETER: 42mm , 14.7mm thick
MATERIAL: 316L Stainless Steel

CROWN: Screwed & engraved
FINISH: Finely sandblasted
CRYSTAL: Domed sapphire crystal

WATER RESISTANCE: Water-resistant to 200 meters
MOVEMENT: Automatic Miyota 9100, Automatic, 28,800 vph, 26 jewels
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes and seconds in the center. 24 Hours “Military” dial at 6 o’clock

POWER RESERVE: Circa 40 hours
STRAP DIMENSIONS: 14 mm by 260 mm without buckle / 26 mm by 135 mm
STRAP MATERIAL: “Bleu Roi” selected calf leather stamped on the back