Vratislavia Conceptum Heritage Chrono

Ok, maybe not everything from the 70's. Leisure suits, 8-tracks, and flyaway collars are still consigned to the dustbin of history, but the better aspects of that era are very much a part of contemporary fashion. The disco years were the trailing end of mid-century modern design and were marked by a bold use of color, experimentation with form, and the occasional psychedelic excess. In the watch world, we saw the rise of the Omega Flightmaster, Seiko 6139, and second-generation Heuer Carrera.

Polish watchmaker Vratislavia Conceptum has drawn upon this rich history to create the Heritage Chrono, a barrel-cased racing chronograph now entering its third production series. Guest Bum GUTuna kindly lent me his bright yellow series 2 for this review and it is a beauty that perfectly captures the swinging style of a classic 70's chronograph for only $190 USD. This model is now sold out but then nearly identical series 3 is underway. I will note the differences. 

The stainless steel case wears smaller than you might imagine. I would not believe the listed dimensions until I brought out my calipers. Sure enough, it measures 42mm wide, 48mm long, and 13mm thick. The case tapers to stubby 20mm lugs and has a pronounced curve in profile as well, creating a lean, organic shape. The upper surface has a sunburst brush while the case sides are polished. A polished beveled edge runs the length of the case, slimming it even further. A push-pull crown and chrono buttons sprout from the right side exactly as you would expect. They are polished and coin-edged but unsigned. The case back is similarly unadorned. This seems a shame to me and apparently I was not the only one. The series 3 will bear the image of a 1960's sports car. 

The bezel wears an aggressive dental edging that is also polished. It looks great and begs to be turned, but don't bother, the black aluminum insert has a tachymeter scale so it is fixed in place. Inside is a sapphire crystal with an inner anti-reflective coating. The watch is water resistant to 100m. 

Lovely as the case may be, the dial steals the show. It is a bright chrome yellow that I associate with C6 and C7 Corvette LeMans racers. A white index surrounds the dial, coordinating with the white subdials at 9 and 3 o'clock, and the 6 o'clock date window. Polished wedges mark the hours. The pencil hands are also polished, beveled, and lume filled. The sweep hand is a red needle and the sub dial indicators are similarly shaped, but more triangular. Regular Time Bum readers know I am a stickler for font. Too many micros blow it in this department, diminishing otherwise solid layouts with oversized, unimaginative, or just plain ugly typeface. Not so on the Heritage Chrono. The text is rendered in a wide, lightweight, tastefully stylized font that is sized in proportion to the dial. Well done Vratislavia Conceptum, very well done indeed.

By examining the dial, you might have already surmised that there is a Seiko/Time Module VK64 MechaQuartz behind it. This quartz hybrid engages a mechanical module for chronograph timing allowing 1/5th-second timing with the sweep hand. A 60-minute dial is on the left and a 24-hour register is on the right.  Series 3 models will not have the Seiko, but will run a Miyota 6s21 quartz instead. This unit is not quite as sexy as the MechaQuartz, but it is perfectly sound, trading 1/5th seconds timing for 1/4th, and the 24-hour register for a more practical small seconds. 

The yellow and black combination is stunning, but it gets some competition from its stablemate, which has a bottle green sunray dial, a matching bezel insert, quite and orange accents and pips. Unlike the yellow model, the green Heritage Chrono has white blocks surrounding the sub dials, much like the Tudor of the same name. The series 3 versions are offered in a gray dial with red accents and black bezel, and a blue dial with a matching bezel, orange accents, and white color blocks. Of course a racing watch needs a racing strap, so all Heritage Chronos are supplied with a perforated black leather rally strap that is lined to match the dial and secured with a signed 18mm buckle.

The Vratislavia Conceptum Heritage Chrono is certainly appealing in photos, but once I wore one I was swept away. They have absolutely nailed the desired look and created a watch that is as easy on your wallet as it is on your wrist. Series 3 pre-orders are priced at 700PLN, or $190 USD, exactly the same as the series 2. If you are looking for a classic race timer that won't break the bank, this is the watch for you.

Pro: All the best elements of retro racing design.

Con: Series 2 lacks crown and case back detail (rectified in Series 3).

Sum: Immense appeal, outstanding price. The Time Bum highly approves.

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Ballast Trafalgar

The folks at Ballast are on a mission to reboot the submarine-themed brand, adding a host of new models to their line up like the Trafalgar BL-3133-02. The watch will officially debut at next month's JCK Show in Las Vegas in June, but sent me one early to put it through its paces, and I'm glad they did, as the watch incorporates a unique mechanism that I was dying to try. 

I first encountered Ballast in July 2014 when I reviewed the Trafalgar Dress GMT. The Trafalgar watches are named for the famed British nuclear submarines, and incorporate a fanciful interpretation of military chic. I recall marveling at its Byzantine aesthetics while dropping gratuitous references to "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." I'll spare you the Jules Verne this time, but know that the new Trafalgar picks up that same steampunk theme and then dials it up to 11. It is by no means subtle. On its left side is a plaque proclaiming the motto of the Royal Navy Submarine Service: "We Come Unseen." With this watch, that is hardly likely.

It starts with a 46.5mm case (not including the canteen) that is 14mm thick. Relatively short and steeply angled lugs manage to keep overall length to 54mm. This imposing case wears three distinct finishes. The main body is brushed IP rose gold with a polished beveled edge that runs lug-to-lug. The side plaque and bezel grip are a high gloss IP black, and the bezel insert is brushed stainless steel. The tri-color motif even extends to the canteen guard, which sports a stainless cap, black arm, and rose gold hinges. It is a busy affair that presents some interesting contrasts. I rather like the way the slim steel bezel insert is sandwiched between its black grip and the dramatic turbine-like rose gold rehaut, which creates the illusion of a much larger structure. Overall fit and finish are excellent, with none of the unfinished edges or uncomfortably sharp corners I have encountered on some other watches lately.

The dial is equally bold. White luminant and grainy black surfaces peek through cutaways in the upper layer. I love the fact that the big Ballast logo at 9 o'clock is also cut away and lumed. I am not generally a fan of oversize logos, but if you are going to place one on your dial, you might as well go all out and make it a design feature. It looks particularly cool at night. A channel exposes three-quarters of the date wheel for reasons that will become apparent soon. Applied rose gold numbers mark the 12 and 6 o'clock positions. Everything about it is big, filling the entirety of the space. Fortunately, the polished, pencil-shaped hands are large as well, extending to graze their markers. A red-tipped, gloss black second hand caps it off. 

Turning the watch over reveals a display window etched with a ghostly Ballast logo, and a Miyota 8215. This reliable automatic movement has 21 jewels, a 40+ hour power reserve, and 21.6k bph vibration rate, but this old news for us watch nerds. The real fun is in its "Patented Bezel Control Engineering." To set the watch, unscrew the canteen cap and push the button beneath. This causes a smooth, low profile button at 3 o'clock to spring forth. You now turn the bezel to set the date and see  that ring of numbers respond. Press the pusher again, and use the bezel to set the time. Finally, press the 3 o'clock button flush and wind the mechanism by turning the bezel counter-clockwise. It sounds complicated but makes more sense when you see it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DfE656fno.

This new approach is all very cool, but a bit of a head scratcher. Arguably, bezel control could make setting easier if you were wearing gloves, but it also means that you cannot use the bezel for timing. Besides, nautical allusions aside, the Trafalgar is more fashion statement than tool watch. A double-domed sapphire crystal and 100m water resistance provide ample, but not scuba worthy, protection, and frankly, you wouldn't want to mess up all that fancy finishing by doing anything too rough. Viewed as a purely aesthetic feature, the system does eliminate the crown so using a more discrete 4 o'clock pusher would streamline the case, but on the Trafalgar, this advantage is undone by the canteen lock. All said and done, bezel control is just a nifty curiosity on this watch, but it has the potential to offer more.

Ballast lavished a great deal of attention on the Trafalgar, and they did not spare the strap. It is 22mm wide and made of brown Italian buffalo hide leather that has fabulous grain and tone. It is brown, edged in black, and accented with tonal X stitching. The very PAMesque buckle is rose gold and decorated with a submarine. Theis trap looks fabulous and its rugged leather complements and balances the intricate head. 

The Trafalgar is big, and this isn't a matter of perception or illusion. It's just a beast. A 46.5mm wide case is pretty imposing in and of itself, but factoring in the canteen lock tips the watch over 50mm and that my friends, is too much for The Time Bum's slender 6.5" wrist. What can I say? I am just not a big dude. Were I 3" taller and 50 lbs heavier, I might pull it off, but as I am not, the watch makes me look like a Flava Flav wannabe. Clearly, it is a timepiece for a much bigger man.

The Trafalgar is currently listed on the Ballast web site for $499 and should be ready for release next month. While its size and flash may not be to everyone's taste, the watch is nicely finished, undeniably eye-grabbing, and the bezel control function is truly unique. 

Pro: Brash looks, odd setting mechanism. 

Con: Brash looks, odd setting mechanism. 

Sum: Love it or hate it, this one won't go unnoticed.

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