Editor’s Note: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) has moved online and Baselworld 2020 is canceled, but that hasn’t stopped watch brands large and small from debuting their new wares. Stay on top of this year’s best new watch releases here.
You can argue whether all the resurrected brands and vintage reissues are good for the watch industry, but it’s hard to argue with an affordable dive watch in 39mm that looks this elegant. Add to that a touch of French charm and character, and the new Le Forban Sécurité Mer Malouine watch is a pretty attractive proposition at just ~$440.
It’s sort of a mouthful, but the brand’s mellifluous French name is the kind you just want to go ahead and try to pronounce. It’s “Le Forban Sécurité Mer,” and starting in 1969 it outfitted French sailors and maritime patrol services with watches “mainly sold in nautical equipment shops,” according to the brand. The Malouine is the first model to be introduced since the brand’s name was resurrected in 2019.
Featuring an aluminum bezel insert, the Malouine measures 38.4mm in diameter (39mm with the bezel) and features a highly domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with a popular retro look. Water-resistant to 150m, it’s no hardcore, technical dive watch, but should be more than sufficient for most purposes. It’s powered by the popular and inexpensive Miyota 8215 automatic movement without hacking (when you pull the crown out, the seconds hand continues to move.)
Most of all, it’s the elegant design and attractive price that makes the Malouine a great way to start the summer. Available directly from the brand for the USD equivalent of about $440, the watches are assembled in Paris and ship on a Tropic-style rubber strap in black or blue to match the dial color.
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