The Surprisingly Good Circula Facet

Circula might be a relatively new brand to some, as it was only revived in 2018. However, it was originally founded in 1955 by Heinz Huber, but what makes this different from most reboots is Cornelius Huber, the grandson of Heinz, who’s behind the brand today. So, Circula is truly a family business and already has an extensive portfolio, but the new Facet, designed by Guy Bove, the former Creative Director of TAG Heuer, is its most mature piece to date. That certainly doesn’t imply that prior models are in any way pedestrian as a bona fide super compressor diver sits in the mix of an impressive collection. Attention to detail, design sophistication and a new movement do elevate the Facet and show where Circula may be heading in the future.

The stainless steel case is fairly compact at 38mm in diameter, fitting in with today’s trend of smaller cases, and is primarily made up of angles/facets rather than curves. Starting with the brushed bezel, your eye is drawn to polished facets that create a three-dimensional effect with two conical, intersecting surfaces and undercut. It’s detailed and well thought out without being an in-your-face design element. That subtlety defines the watch as a whole – unique without going overboard.

The case itself continues the look with a brushed surface and brushed/polished facets, again removing almost all curves in favour of angles. Only the lugs themselves curve downward on the wrist. There’s a hard finishing line between the case and lugs, going from brushed to polished. Circula’s logo is a series of wheel cogs and the crown’s knurled pattern reflects this, along with the logo embossed at the end. An AR sapphire crystal protects the dial and there’s an exhibition case back displaying an upgraded (for the brand) automatic.

There are two strap options, starting with a steel bracelet that continues with the faceted theme. Although not an integrated design, it looks the part (to a degree) and the smaller horizontal centre links have subtle angles alongside their larger counterparts. A tool-free micro-adjusting clasp finishes off the premium, well-executed design and a butterfly clasp is optional. A suede leather strap is also available for EUR 300 less.

The dial has an interesting pattern inspired by the brand’s cog logo, resulting in an irregular symmetry of concentric circles. It’s a cool and unusual look and reminds me of old European cobblestones. It also made me think of Seiko’s SPB259 “Ginza” dial, although the two clearly have their own design languages. The minute/seconds track sits on an angled flange with cutouts for the faceted applied indices on the base dial, which is a nice detail that ties the elements together. Printed Arabic numerals sit just above the indices. The faceted hour and minute hands with a detailed six-sided design have Super-LumiNova inserts along with the indices. Fun fact; the hour and minute hands have a different SLN insert than the hour indices. The seconds hand has an open-worked counterweight, almost resembling a sewing needle ready to be threaded. A bevelled date window tastefully sits at 6 o’clock. Dial colours include silver, which we have on hand, brown and petrol (blueish green).

Powering the Circula Facet is the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic, which is an alternative to ETA’s 2824. This isn’t a clone like the brand’s prior Sellita SW200-1 movements, but an alternative replacement (and more of a Miyota 9015 clone, interestingly). It has 24 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and comes with a 68-hour power reserve, which is a real step up from the ETA 2824’s 38 hours. Functions include central hours, minutes, hacking seconds and dates. The palladium-plated tungsten rotor has a custom cog design that mimics the dial pattern (not seen in our early sample watch). The plates are typically decorated with Côtes de Genève and perlage as well.

The Circula Facet is up for preorder until December 7th with a price of EUR/USD 1,590 on the leather strap and EUR/USD 1,890 on the bracelet, and all prices include VAT in the EU and sales tax/import fees in the US. After December 7th, the price increases by EUR/USD 100 for each option. Deliveries will start on December 12th. Circula calls this a GADA watch (go-anywhere-do-anything) and I tend to agree. Very versatile, with a definite punchy style and a noticeable step up for the brand in flair, quality and finishing.

For more information and to place an order, please visit CirculaWatches.com.