TIme is a circle with the Beaubleu B01

We here at WWR are certainly no strangers to watches that come out of France, most recently having looked at the quite nice Merci LMM-01 and the watches from Axiom. Well, today we’re back with another brand that calls France home, and two of the four watches that make up their latest collection – the Beaubleu B01.

The Beaubleu B01 collection is made up of four different variants. There were the two we spent some time with: Le Luminuex (in polished steel) and Le Survolté (in black and rose gold), and then the other two – Le Mystérieux ( in black PVD) and Le Dynamique (in polished steel and black PVD). All of these share the same 42mm case (at a quite svelte 9.4mm thick), sapphire crystal, and Miyota 9015 automatic movement. So, when it comes to the variants, you’re really choosing between the case finishing.

When it comes to that case, there’s actually more to it than it seems. When I first saw photos of the Beaubleu B01, I missed the details of the case design. These are more easily seen on the two-tone variant, as it shows how it appears to have an inner, central portion of the case, and then there are the portions that make up the lugs. These are skeletonized and open, and give things are rather nice and unique look, particularly when you view the case in profile.

Snugged into those sculptural lugs of the Beaubleu B01 is a strap made of Italian leather. It’s a decent quality strap, and it fits well with the style of the watch. Once in place on the wrist, it snugs in nice and tight. That then leaves you to focus in on the dial, and what an interesting dial it is. On one hand, the dial seems somewhat simple. You’ve got simple stick indices on the outer ring, standard issue. Next to that, though, you get the first bit of texture, with concentric grooves. Then, since of that, you’ve got a polished ring with another set of indices marked inside of it. Why is that done? Well, to help you tell the time, of course.

That leads us to perhaps the most noticeable part of the Beaubleu B01 design, that of the handset. Here, we have a set of circles, one large, one small. This gives the watch a unique look, but it is one that takes a little bit of time to get used to in terms of reading the time. Fortunately, each circle has a small pip at the end of it that allows you to more quickly read the time – hence, the double set of indices. Each track nicely aligns with each hand, I often found myself glancing first at the larger circle, which of course makes sense to check the minutes first, and then drop to the hours.

With the amount of polish surfaces on the Beaubleu B01, it is very much a dressier watch. Sure, it works for somewhat more casual settings, but the light the watch reflects (fortunately, not from the dial aside from the central circle), but this is a watch for classing up your outfit. This is further underscored by the lume – or rather, the lack of it. I had hoped that perhaps the handset, in that bright white, might be lumed, but that is not the case. As we know, most dress watches are not lumed either, so this further cements the idea.

If you find yourself wanting to pick up a 60g Beaubleu B01 for yourself, bear in mind that there are only 125 pieces of each of the four versions, so they will become rarer as time goes on. For those who pick one up, it will run you about $680 (depending on the currency exchange rates). Perhaps a touch more than we’re used to seeing for Miyota-powered watches, for one of this design and thinness, I think you’re doing ok. I’m glad we had time with the Beaubleu B01, and look forward to what the next design may bring from the brand. beaubleu-paris.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Beaublue B01 – Le Lumineux (silver) and Le Survolté (rose gold)

Price: $680 (595 €)
Who’s it for? You want a dressier watch that has unique design elements
Would I wear it? Yes, yes I would

What I’d change: With the solid white handset, I think it would be great to see them luminous
The best thing about it: Aside from the unique handset, I do rather like the case design