Breva watch features a working speedometer

Watches are a somewhat forgotten art these days. Most watches people wear today are touchscreen, smart watches that control their cell phones. If someone does have a watch it’s usually quartz and is either battery powered or solar powered. Even prestigious brands like Tag Heuer, Omega and Breitling are selling tons of battery-powered, quartz watches in shopping malls, nation-wide.

The mechanical watch has somewhat gone by the wayside to the majority of the public. So when a watch maker does something extraordinary, using just a complicated, mechanical movement, it really stands out.

In our latest episode of Watches & Cars, Swiss watchmaker, Breva, has announced a new addition to its Genie line of watches called the Genie 03. This new Genie 03 is the first ever watch to have a mechanical, pop-up speedometer built into it. A wind-driven speedometer, which uses titanium cups to catch wind, will pop up from the face of the watch and tell you around how fast you’re going by judging the wind speed. It only measure in kilometers, being swiss and all, but don’t let that turn you off, this watch is cool.

Breva could have easily gone for a quartz movement with a GPS tracker, like the Seiko Astron, for an even more accurate speedometer. But instead Breva developed an entirely new movement and designed it to have a fully functioning, mechanical speedometer.

Impressive stuff on top of an already fantastic looking watch. With a case that measures 44.7 mm in diameter and 15.7 mm thick, the Genie 03 isn’t exactly lithe. It’s a rather large watch with an incredibly complicated caliber and pop-up speedometer, yet still manages to look classy and even somewhat understated.

The movement, internally known as BRE03.001, is built in house by Breva and is a 34 jewel, automatic, self-winding movement with a 60 hour power reserve. The BRE03.001 is mostly made out of titanium and measure 35 mm in diameter. The case is also made of titanium and has a smoked translucent sapphire crystal dial with white gold indexes.

Overall the Breva Genie 03 is a gorgeous watch with an incredibly innovative movement. It looks good on the wrist without giving away the secrets it hides underneath. It’s only real downfall, at least in my eyes, is the size but I can get over that for the fact that it has a pop-up speedometer. Oh and it costs $56,800! But hey, that’s the price you pay to be able to look at your wrist for the speed while driving a boat or motorcycle.

More info at breva-watch.com

TECHNICAL SPECS