Héron are introducing their third core collection with the launch of the new Héron Continental, a daily wear sports watch that nestles between the tool watch design of the Marinor dive watch and Art Deco dressiness of the Mirabel GMT. There are three references in the collection, and we’ve been hands-on with all of them. Let’s check them out.
On the wrist, the watches feel nice and svelte, measuring 37mm in diameter and 11mm thickness including the crystal (8.5mm to the bezel). At this size, it’s easy to think of it as a delicate dress watch but it really isn’t. It’s made from hardened steel that gives it a 1,200hv rating on the Vickers hardness scale on the brushed portions of the case and 800hv on the polished sections. In practical terms, which means the scratch resistance is effectively more than double that of untreated stainless steel. It also has a 100m water resistance rating rather than the splashproof 30m – 50m seen on delicate dress watches.
Shape-wise it has a lot of similarities to the Mirabel thanks to the tonneau structure with its continuous curve from lug-to-lug. However, there are some notable differences such as the shape of the crown, which is a lot less elaborate. It’s clean and functional with a fluted grip for ease of manipulation. The lugs lead into a 7-link beads of rice bracelet that feels great to wear and is easy to take on and off thanks to a folding clasp.
What makes the Continental stand out as its own model rather than a variant of the Mirabel is the dial, which is completely new. It uses a sandwich display, a style of watch design popularised by brands like Panerai or more recently Formex. What it means is that rather than having a dial plate with hour markers printed or applied onto it, the hour markers are created through a multi-layering of separate plates.
You have a solid base plate on top of which you put a layer of lume and then you have a final top plate sandwiching the piece together with cut-outs that reveal the lume below. It’s one of the classic tool watch displays because it maximises the amount of each marker that is lumed because the entire marker is effectively lume, enhancing low light legibility.
As I noted in the introduction there are three references in the collection and those are: Ref. 5001-A in black, Ref. 5002-A in blue and Ref. 5003-A in beige. The black and beige editions feature additional dots of orange lume at the cardinal positions while the blue is a touch more subtle with white dots. It’s actually surprising how different each one feels simply because of the different palettes. The black is serious and sporty while the blue is the most energetic as if it wants to hop on a plane and go travelling, meanwhile the beige carries a neo-retro air that’s emphasised by the old radium style brown lume used in the sandwich display.
Beneath the dial sits the Miyota automatic calibre 9039 with 42-hour power reserve an accuracy of -10/+30 seconds per day. It’s a classic third party movement that has a great reputation for its slim proportions despite being an automatic calibre, which is what allows the Héron Continental to be so svelte. Turning the watch over reveals an exhibition caseback through which you can see the movement with its snowflake motif rotor.
For pricing, the Héron Continental is $630 (approx. £475), which is really solid value. While the watch doesn’t have a big, show-stopping feature like a super long power reserve or insane depth resistance, it simply doesn’t need that. It’s a three-hand, time only watch that’s extremely versatile. It’s slim enough to be unobtrusive at a fancy dinner but also the sandwich display and respectable durability mean it can handle life on the go too. It truly is an everyday companion.
Price and Specs:
More details at Héron.
Not necessarily a fan of sandwich dials and their shadows; I prefer applied/raised indices. But I still prefer this to something like the ultra-boring Tudor Ranger’s printed dial. This is a thinner, more interesting look– for a comical price difference.