Hands On With The Beaubleu Ecce Vesperal
There are watches that tell the time, and there are watches that make you stop and appreciate the simple act of time passing. The Beaubleu Ecce Vesperal firmly sits in the second camp.
After spending a week with it on the wrist, I came away genuinely impressed. Not because it is packed with complications or because it shouts for attention, but because it quietly goes about doing something that very few watches manage. It feels completely original.
First Impressions
From opening the beautifully crafted box, it’s easy to see that the Ecce Vesperal is unmistakably Parisian. Clean, artistic and beautifully restrained, it blends modern minimalism with subtle Art Deco influences to create something that feels more like wearable sculpture than another dress watch.
At 39mm across and just 9.5mm thick, the proportions are almost spot on. For the vast majority of wrists this will be the sweet spot. On my rather chunky eight inch wrist it borders on being just a touch too small, but that's hardly a criticism. If anything, it proves just how wearable this watch is for almost everyone else.
The case work deserves genuine praise. The mixture of brushed and polished surfaces is executed brilliantly and the transitions are crisp and refined. It feels considerably more expensive than its £799.00 asking price.
Build Quality That Punches Above Its Weight
One thing that surprised me most was just how well finished the Ecce Vesperal is.
I've handled plenty of watches around the £1000 mark, and Beaubleu deserves to be mentioned alongside brands like Serica when it comes to overall build quality. Everything from the machining of the case to the finishing on the dial feels exceptionally well thought through.
Nothing rattles. Nothing feels like a compromise. Every surface has purpose.
For an independent brand, that's seriously impressive.
Bracelet or Leather?
During my week with the watch I tried both the beautifully made stainless steel Milanese style bracelet and the grained navy leather strap.
While the steel bracelet is elegant and gives the watch a jewellery like quality, I found myself continually coming back to the leather.
The deep navy leather perfectly picks up the subtle blue detailing hidden around the dial edge, while also complementing the striking blue seconds hand. It's understated enough that you don't immediately notice the colour coordination, but once you do it brings the entire design together.
For me, that's the combination to buy.
Those Circular Hands Never Get Old
Of course, no Beaubleu review would be complete without talking about the circular hands.
You might think they're a gimmick from photographs.
They're absolutely not.
Watching the circles glide effortlessly around the dial is strangely hypnotic. There's a softness to the way they move that traditional hands simply cannot replicate. Rather than pointing at the time, they almost dance around it.
Combined with the perfectly balanced dial layout and restrained use of colour, the whole experience feels wonderfully calming.
It's one of those rare designs that becomes more enjoyable the longer you own it.
The Miyota 9015 Movement
Let's address the one point that some enthusiasts may question. The Ecce Vesperal is powered by the Miyota 9015.
At first glance, seeing a Japanese movement inside an £800 watch might raise a few eyebrows. After all, once you approach this price point, many buyers begin expecting to see a Swiss calibre.
The reality, however, is rather different.
The Miyota 9015 has become one of the industry's most trusted automatic movements, not because it is cheap, but because it is exceptionally reliable, impressively slim, accurate and straightforward to service. It allows brands to create elegant, thin cases without compromising dependability, which is exactly what Beaubleu has achieved here.
More importantly, Beaubleu is far from alone in making this choice. Respected independent brands such as Baltic have relied on the 9015 in several of their collections, while Christopher Ward also built part of its early reputation using Miyota movements before later transitioning much of its range to Swiss alternatives.
In many ways, the movement suits the watch perfectly. Beaubleu has clearly chosen to invest where you'll appreciate it every single day, in the remarkable case finishing, the beautifully executed dial and one of the most original hand designs in modern watchmaking.
Would a decorated Swiss movement have added a little more prestige? Perhaps. But after a week on the wrist, I never found myself wishing the watch was anything other than what it is. Reliable, beautifully built and utterly distinctive.
Final Thoughts
After a week on the wrist, the Beaubleu Ecce Vesperal left a lasting impression.
It isn't trying to be another integrated sports watch or another vintage inspired dress piece. Instead, it confidently follows its own path.
The proportions are elegant, the finishing is exceptional, the design is genuinely unique and the circular hands remain utterly mesmerising every single time you glance down.
This is a classy, Art Deco inspired Parisian masterpiece that feels unlike anything else on the market. Outside of its brothers and sisters within the Beaubleu catalogue, there simply isn't another watch that delivers quite the same experience.
If you're looking for something genuinely different that doesn't compromise on quality, the Ecce Vesperal should be right at the top of your shortlist.
Winding Things Up
Originality is becoming increasingly rare in modern watchmaking, particularly below the £1000 mark. Too many brands are chasing the same trends and producing variations of watches we've all seen countless times before.
Beaubleu has chosen a different route.
The Ecce Vesperal proves that thoughtful design, excellent finishing and genuine creativity can still exist at an accessible price. It's not perfect, but it's memorable and that's often far more important.
Long after you've forgotten another dive watch or sports watch release, you'll still remember the watch with the floating circles quietly sweeping around its dial.
