Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Coming from NZ, The New Beaufort Pulsatimer Jet Black DLC
A fledgeling Kiwi watch brand produces its third collection, now inspired by Brutalist architecture.
While we are growing accustomed to watch brands popping up in every corner of the globe, it’s not often you run into a brand from New Zealand. Founded by Auckland native Robert Kwok, Beaufort’s mission statement is to provide exciting vintage designs at affordable prices. Earlier this year, the brand released the Beaufort Pulsatimer, an old-school doctor’s watch with a pulsometer scale and a case and dial inspired by Brutalist architecture.
While studying for a degree in technology, Robert Kwok couldn’t find a watch to match his budget and, in 2018, decided to put his university studies on hold and find a solution. His brand, Beaufort launched in 2019 on Kickstarter and was named after the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber used by the New Zealand Air Force in the early 1940s.
At just 20, Kwok’s first watch, the 40mm 1940s-inspired Aerotimer Automatic encapsulated Kwok’s desire to produce vintage designs reimagined for modern needs with robust specs. The watch, retailing for NZD 539, went viral, as they say.
Following a rebranding exercise in late 2023, Beaufort has adopted a more industrial, Brutalist architectural direction. Inspired by the spiralling concrete Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of La Laguna in Spain and the University Campus of UTEC in Lima, Peru, the latest Pulsatimer flaunts an industrial-looking case and dial.
The case has a 39mm diameter and a thickness of 13.8mm, including the double-domed box sapphire crystal. The model we have photographed is the black PVD steel version. The piston-style chronograph pushers underscore a vintage aesthetic, while the dynamic, layered brushed and sandblasted finishes evoke the bold lines and rough concrete finishings of Brutalist architecture. Polished surfaces are used sparingly and the thin polished bevels and stepped inner bezel ring attract light and highlight the more industrial brushed finishings of the case. The caseback is sealed and the case has a water-resistant rating of 50 meters.
Where the brutalist vibe really comes to the fore can be appreciated on the dial. Pursuing the Brutalist movement’s fascination with monolithic forms and the play of light and shadow, the applied indices are interconnected. Shaped like open rectangles or tuning forks with a double rectangular index at noon, the indices are attached to a polished metallic ring.
Perhaps not the most practical feature today, the perimeter of the dial features a black pulsometer scale with white markings. Used by doctors in the pre-digital age, pulsometer scales determine your heart rate per minute over a base of 15 or 30 pulsations. By activating the chronograph, the wearer counts the beats corresponding to the calibrated pulsations – in this case, 30 – and consults the position of the central chronograph seconds hand on the outer scale to determine the heart rate per minute. Here the central chronograph seconds hand is shaped like the indices with a rectangular and luminous tip. The recessed counter on the dial at 9 o’clock is for the small seconds, and the one at 3 o’clock is for the 30-minute counter. The hour and minute hands are also treated with Super-LumiNova.
Beneath the sealed caseback is a Sellita SW510M, a manual-winding integrated cam-activated chronograph movement with a frequency of 28,800vph, hacking seconds and a power reserve of 63 hours.
The Pulsatimer is available in three other iterations, in stainless steel cases with salmon, silver or black dials.
Availability & Price
The Beaufort Pulsatimer Jet Black DLC is fitted with an Italian leather strap, although other strap options are available on the website for a moderate price of EUR 33.95. Pre-orders can be placed directly on the brand’s website, and shipping will start in September 2024. The price is EUR 1,214.95 (incl. tax), but please check the price in your region to calculate shipping charges, if applicable. For more details, please visit www.beaufort-watches.com.
Sponsored post: This article is sponsored by Beaufort Watches. However, it reflects the writer’s opinion and has been written according to MONOCHROME’s editorial policy.
