Bravur Unveils a New Cycling Inspired Watch, Just in Time for Italy’s Giro d’Italia

The transformation of Bravur, the small Swedish microbrand that has always taken a demonstrably Scandinavian approach to their watch designs, into a boutique label focusing largely on cycling influenced watches, has to be one of the least expected developments in our space over the past few years. Maybe it shouldn’t have been, though. Brand founders Magnus Äppelryd and Johan Sahlin are both cycling enthusiasts, and the design inspiration for their watches has always come from a personal place. Maybe it was only a matter of time? Of course, not all of the watches in their collection are cycling inspired, but limited edition chronographs released to mark major pro cycling races have become something of an expectation at this point, and it has changed the brand identity in a real way. The latest watch in this vein, the La Corsa Rosa III, continues the trend while establishing some new design notes as well. 

I’ll come right out and say at the outset that I am not a cycling enthusiast. I don’t even really keep up with following cycling’s professional ranks in a casual way. I think that means I’m probably not the target market for these watches, but I have to say, I’ve always been really fond of them. I love watches that appeal to a very specific niche, the narrower the better, and these seem to fit that bill nicely. I’m also a big fan of the creative use of color on watch dials, and the general format Bravur has followed by borrowing traditional colors associated with each race and channeling them into a dial design has resulted in some objectively attractive combinations.

The La Corsa Rosa III is inspired by the Giro d’Italia, a 21 stage race beginning in May and running throughout Italy. In previous editions inspired by Italy’s premier cycling event, Bravur has traded on shades of pink as the main accent color, as it matches the jersey worn by the race leader in each stage. In this edition, we still get pink accents at hour markers by way of a sandwich dial construction, but they are framed for the first time in the Grand Tour series by a PVD black coated case. It’s sleek and sporty, and absolutely makes sense as a watch inspired by high speed endurance sport. 

Naturally, there are plenty of allusions to cycling in the smallest details of the watch. The blue and purple accents in the 3:00 register are borrowed from the “King of the Mountain” jersey worn by the race’s best climber, and the “13” in that same register is upside down, a race tradition to ward off bad luck associated with that number. On previous Grand Tour watches, Bravur has used a texture on the dial to represent pavement, but that’s nowhere to be found here. Instead, we get a simple, slate gray, which really allows the accent colors to pop.

The case is crafted from stainless steel and measures 38.2mm across and 46.3mm from lug to lug. Like the other watches in this series, this one is powered by the Sellita SW 511B chronograph caliber, which has up to 62 hours of power reserve and can be seen through the exhibition case back. It’s been decorated with Cotes de Geneve striping, rhodium plating, and blued screws. 

The retail price for the La Corsa Rosa III is $2,590. It’s available now through the Bravur website.