Latest Review
Whenever a new brand pops up I’m always intrigued. And while I’ve got nothing against a good ol’ dive or field watch, my interest is always piqued if it’s something with a more classic vibe. Especially if there’s some real watchmaking pedigree involved.
Buser Fréres is a newly revived brand originally dating back all the way to 1892. It survived the quartz crisis but initially seized all activities in the year 2000. Twenty-three years later German brand Dekla – who’s been designing and manufacturing watches under their own name for 10 years – revived the brand and launched the first models earlier this year. I’ve been a happy Dekla owner for the last 4 years, so naturally I was thrilled to see the line expanded with the Buser Fréres brand.
While some would rush to categorize Buser Fréres as a micro brand – and nothing wrong with that in particular – I’d just like to point out a couple of facts before we do just that. When I hear the term “micro brand” I tend to associate it with outsourced components brought together into a final product. Once again I’d like to stress: nothing wrong with that. But Buser Fréres offers something of a different recipe as they produce almost everything but the movement themselves.
For 10 years Dekla has been making watch dials, cases and hands in a wide array of materials, sizes and configurations, and that’s what sets Buser Fréres apart from many others in the space – and price bracket. From Grand Feu Enamel to movement engraving, Dekla offers it. All while making affordable, and very basic, pilots watches as well. Talk about a diverse product line.
The Watch
If we stick with the “micro brand” terminology it’s a category many associate with dive and field watches. That’s why it always grabs my attention when we see someone enter the scene with a product that sways a bit from the rest. While a dress watch in its essential composition is an easier watch to make, it’s way harder to get right, at least in my opinion. Why is that, you ask? Because a dress watch is essentially featureless. That’s the feature. There’s no fancy bezel, no colorful lume, no nonsense. In a dress watch, it all comes down to the dial and Buser Fréres has figured that out.
Between the two configurations available to me, I’d absolutely go for the Arabic Gold version. While the sunray blue finish is gorgeous, deep down I’m a texture guy all day long. There’s something intriguing about the colors and sensitivity you get from subtle textures. In a way the dial never looks the same twice and that’s something I really find interesting. As mentioned I’m very fond of textures and in addition to that I have a soft spot for earthy tones, which is probably why I’d lean towards the golden option. If gold is an option, always go for gold! What I do appreciate about the sunray finish though, is the depth of color archived. In my experience most sunray dials tend to be very light in saturation, but this is not the case here. It’s a very rich and deep hue of blue and the finished product reminds me of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas blue, ever changing depending on light and angle. Either way, these dials are of a very high quality and I think it’s apparent that there’s been a lot of work done to get both texture and finish right with the different options. Both dial types are available with either Arabic or Roman numerals.
The wearing experience – due to the dimensions – is a pleasant one. Thirty-eight millimeters is just about the perfect case size, but what’s more important than size is proportions and I think we’re really close to hitting the mark on just that. The relatively compact lugs slope just a little bit to hug the wrist and while the crown might look big I had no problems with comfort. A lug to lug of 45.5mm and a 10.5mm height lends to a very nice ratio of dimensions all together. If Buser Fréres were to improve the wearing experience I’d suggest another strap. For me the straps were too stiff and padded. It’s an easy thing to fix yourself, but I’d wish they would have opted for a softer option from the get go. Luckily the 18mm between the lugs means that it’s no big task to seek out more comfortable options on your own.
The case is finished rather traditionally with a high polish on the lugs and bezel while there’s a delicate brushing along the side of the case. Not the most innovative way to do it, but in this case it suits the formula brilliantly. The case itself has a very sturdy feel and I think the experience of over a decade of casemaking shines through in the quality.
Performance wise I experienced a very reliable timepiece over the month I wore it. The Marine 38 is powered by the Sellita-SW2161M and is adjusted in-house. It’s a manual wind movement and features hacking seconds. Buser Fréres promises 7 seconds +/- a day. During my time with the watch it performed well within COSC specs which is impressive by all standards. Sapphire crystal, AR coating on both sides and heat blued steel hands secures the legibility against the soft, golden tones of the dial. I’m happy the watch comes with a solid caseback. In too many instances brands tend to show off the movement for no apparent reason. Instead we get a solid caseback depicting Mr. Albert Fréres who founded the original company back in 1892 – and we get 100 meters of water resistance as well.
Pricing and Availability
The Buser Fréres Marine 38 collection isn’t limited and should be readily available on their website. The watch comes in at a price of 1,050 Euros. While that certainly is a significant chunk of change I think Buser Fréres makes an excellent case for themselves with this offering. Taking the amount of components made in-house, specs of the movement and the attention to detail of the dials in consideration, the price tag actually caught me a bit by surprise.
Final Thoughts
What I find interesting about this watch – and brand, essentially – is that it offers something refreshing to the space. As mentioned, the category and price bracket is traditionally dominated by sportier watches and I think it’s exciting to see something with a more archetypal approach come on to the scene. Dress watches are hard to get right, but in this instance I think Buser Fréres came through and ticked all the right boxes. At least for me. Buser Fréres
