Beaubleu, Briston, and Herbelin – the ideal French watch ménage à trois?
Borna BošnjakLet’s play a game. The rules are: you must assemble the most interesting three-watch collection, under the proviso that they’re all French brands and cost €3,000 or less. Our trio covers quite a few bases. We have a sporty chronograph that can easily double as a psuedo-integrated bracelet watch with the Herbelin Heritage Chronograph. That’s paired with the Briston Streamliner Kennedy, an on-trend, square piece that’ll be perfect as a dressy daily. But every collection needs a watch that brings that X factor, and the Beaubleu Seconde Française is ideal for that. Let’s dive into this horological ménage à trois.
Beaubleu Seconde Française
Let’s start with the most French of the three, the Beaubleu Seconde Française. I say that because it’s the only one here that’s actually powered by a French movement, something that’s really not that common. But first of all, what are we actually looking at? If you’ve seen a Raketa Kopernik before, you might have some idea. The three seemingly interlocking rings on the dial are the hands, all featuring small arrows that point to the hours, minutes, and seconds. It’s that latter indication that’s particularly interesting, as the ring is actually mounted on a transparent disc, making it a mystery dial.
As for the dials themselves, there are two variants. The one we have here is the 19.24, with a printed sector style in a matte colour. The 20.24 replaces the printed lines with embossing and goes for a softer colour palette. They’re certainly handsome, if a little cluttered. I’d personally prefer a bit less text – removing the “Seconde Française” and “Automatique” lines would help here.
On the wrist, you can expect the Seconde Française to wear very well. The 39mm diameter and 45mm lug-to-lug are already good indicators of that, as is the 10.2mm thickness. But what really sets the wearing experience apart is that Beaubleu has fully committed to the ‘disco volante’ look, fully recessing the crown at 3 o’clock. As the movement is automatic, you likely won’t find yourself using it that much, and it makes for a much sleeker and more unique look.
It’s a clever execution, too, as the crown is actually hidden beneath the extended shoulder of the lug, while the mid-case sinks back in, allowing easier operation and better on-wrist comfort. This view also shows off the case’s finishing, which alternates between polishing and brushing quite liberally.
Flip the pebble-like case over, and you’ll be met with the France Ebauche Calibre FE. If you haven’t heard of this movement before, I don’t blame you. In fact, I’m not familiar with any other brand that uses it outside of the Barcelona-based Festina group, which owns the manufacture. Combining the knowledge the corporate group learned from owning Soprod and FE’s own 1970s (ish) 46XX and 56XX movements, the revived manufacture is producing many of the structural elements in Maîche (near the French watchmaking city of Besançon), while the timekeeping and gear train components are sourced from Switzerland.
Spec-wise, a 46-hour power reserve and 4Hz beat rate are nothing out of the ordinary, with the former actually slightly behind competition at the moment, and the decoration is nothing to write home about. That said, the novelty of the design and movement origins, as well as the wearing experience, are more than enough to make this a compelling addition to a collection.
| Brand | Beaubleu |
| Model | Seconde Française |
| Reference Number | 19.24 |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 10.2mm (T) x 45mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Matte blue, ivory, grey, or green Embossed grey or salmon |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap |
Leather strap, curved spring bars, steel deployant clasp
Steel mesh bracelet, folding adjustable clasp |
| Movement | France Ebauche Calibre FE, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 46 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, mysterious seconds |
| Availability | Limited to 888 pieces |
| Price | €1,490 (leather) €1,590 (steel mesh) |
Briston Streamliner Kennedy
For the daily wearer, something a bit more subtle is in order, but with enough interesting details to fit into this curious triad. The acetate case flanks, interchanging Roman and Arabic numerals, and the square shape of the Briston Streamliner Kennedy should just about do it, I think. At 36mm x 36mm, it’s a perfect square, with the short lugs jutting out just a tad. With its tortoiseshell inserts, Briston tried to capture the American preppiness that also inspired the model’s namesake, while a lapis cabochon sits at the 12 o’clock-positioned crown. It kind of reminds me of American ‘woody’ station wagons from the ’70s, but in a much more sophisticated, French style – maybe think of a Citroën DS with a sleek wooden strake down its side.
A dial that combines two types of numerals in different sizes and opposing orientations sounds difficult to pull off, but I think Briston just about manages it. The Arabic numerals have a stencil typeface, while larger Romans are used for the cardinal points, all surrounding a patterned centre. Looking at the square dial with a polished and brushed surround, I’m sure I’m not the only one getting Cartier Santos vibes, but the lack of bezel screws gives the Streamliner a bit more subtlety.
A caseback view shows another angle of the case construction, and also reveals how Briston was able to get the Streamliner Kennedy to just 10mm in height. Miyota’s 9039 has become the go-to for microbrands, and rightfully so. It’s the best-specced third-party movement available from Japan, rivalling the Swiss ETA 2824/Sellita SW200 on spec and comfortably beating them on price.
On the Streamliner, there is some striping on the automatic bridge, though the variant we got doesn’t have the brand’s coat of arms as suggested by the press release. In any case, this is a movement I’d be more than happy to find behind a closed caseback, especially as it could help the watch be more affordable and even thinner.
| Brand | Briston |
| Model | Streamliner Kennedy |
| Case Dimensions | 36mm (D) x 10mm (T) x 36mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel and acetate |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front |
| Dial | Silver or black, textured centre |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Calfskin leather, steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Miyota 9039, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | €920 |
Herbelin Newport Chronograph Heritage
Last but not least, we have the Herbelin Newport Chronograph Heritage. Even though its PVD rose gold case and integrated style may not suggest it, much of its inspiration comes from sailing to pay tribute to the original Newport from 1988. The most overt nod to that is the helm-engraved crown, but the overall case, with those narrow, integrated lugs, kind of reminds me of a helm – especially with the crown and pushers jutting out the way they do. At 42mm in diameter and 14mm thick, it won’t be as friendly to smaller wrists as the other two watches we’ve looked at, adding to its presence by a box-domed sapphire that extends past the ceramic bezel. Thanks to the lug design, though, I envision it handling its dimensions quite well.
Looking closer at the dial, and we have a classic bicompax layout (an actual bicompax as it’s a chrono+date), playing off a black and gold contrast that works really well. I like how chunky the sub-dial hands are – it’s not something that we see too often and helps with chronograph legibility, while the central chrono hand is painted a contrasting white. I do wish Herbelin had shrunk their branding a tad, though. It takes up the entirety of the upper portion of the dial and is too obvious, in my opinion at least.
The screw-on caseback is curiously not PVD-coated, revealing the steel material of the case beneath, and also showing off the automatic Sellita SW510. It’s the logical choice for an entry-level, Swiss mechanical chronograph, especially in its newer variants that carry a 62-hour power reserve. Similarly to all the watches we’ve looked at here, the decoration is really minimal, which would again warrant a closed caseback for less thickness.
| Brand | Herbelin |
| Model | Newport Chronographe Héritage |
| Reference Number | 256TRCN14 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 14mm (T) |
| Case Material | PVD rose gold |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Box sapphire front |
| Dial | Black, azurage sub-dials |
| Lug Width | Integrated |
| Strap | Black leather, case-matching deployant clasp |
| Movement | Sellita SW510 BHa, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 62 hours |
| Functions |
Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
|
| Availability | Limited to 300 pieces |
| Price | €3,000 |
Closing thoughts
These three watches couldn’t be more different, and could all fill a particular role in a collection. Not that anyone’s forcing me to, but if I had to pick just one, I’d go with the quirky Seconde Française, though the Briston is a close second. While I appreciate that its rotating circles and funky, crownless case might not be to everyone’s taste, I’m a fan of the Beaubleu’s quirks, but if a left-field dressy daily is what you’re after, the Briston is a fantastic choice. Finally, the Herbelin Newport chrono’s dimensions mean that it’s just a tad too big for me personally, but the chronograph’s 35th anniversary revival in 2023 proved how desirable of a design it was, so it doesn’t surprise me to see the brand iterate on it further.