Herbelin Newport Héritage Chronographe Bi-Compax automatic silver "panda" dial leather strap 42 mm

Newport: On the starting grid in Panda version

In 2023, the HERBELIN watchmaking house celebrated the 35th anniversary of its iconic Newport collection with the launch of a new automatic chronograph. Building on the success of this limited-edition anniversary timepiece, the French brand has taken inspiration from it to create a new line: Newport Héritage Chronographe. Featuring a steel case with a Panda dial encircled by a black ceramic bezel, the first model unveiled is calibrated for urban exploits.

A steel body

Starting premise? To respect the aesthetic DNA of the original 1988 timepiece, namely: a purely cylindrical case with the thickness contained by its quartz movement, a glass positioned as an extension of a flat bezel and central lugs. The challenge? To keep this design with the smallest possible case volume, while still being able to accommodate an automatic chronograph mechanism.

Resulting from ingenious thinking to be refined to the extreme, the Newport Héritage Chronographe Bi-Compax enters the race with a stainless steel case 42 mm in diameter and 14 mm thick. Subtly alternating polished and brushed surfaces, it is highlighted by a polished black ceramic bezel. Scratch-resistant in material, it has been sculpted on the underside, thus preserving the flat surface of the original model. Embellished with an engraved and inked white tachymetric scale, it holds a sapphire crystal in glass box relief coming to accentuate, in turn, the finesse of the whole.

A panda dial

Distinctive in its urban elegance, the Newport Héritage Chronographe Bi-Compax stands out for its Panda dial, a first for the Newport collection. Nicknamed for its resemblance to the bear that lives in the forests of India and China, it was designed to enhance legibility by creating a strong contrast between the dial and the counters. Very much in vogue in the late 1960s and early 1970s, this aesthetic is still highly prized by watch enthusiasts.

Interpreted in this case with a silver sunray background and azure black sub-counters, the dial highlights beveled hour markers adorned with luminescent material, underlined by ultra-precise minute track on the perimeter flange. Horizontally positioned, the "30-minute" counter at 3 o'clock and the "small seconds" counter at 9 o'clock are coupled to a tachometric scale, enabling the chronograph to measure average speeds ranging from 60 to 400 km/hour. Complemented by a date aperture at 6 o'clock, the central second hand punctuates the faceted hour and minute hands, also covered in luminescent material.

An automatic motor

Made in France for having been designed, conceived, assembled, adjusted and checked in HERBELIN's workshops located in the Jura mountains in Franche-Comté, the Newport Héritage Chronographe Bi-Compax embarks a Swiss-made self-winding mechanical movement, the Selitta SW500, a guarantee of reliability and precision. Visible through a transparent caseback, it sports a HERBELIN-engraved oscillating weight winding a 62-hour power reserve.

Translating traditional French watchmaking expertise handed down, from father to son, for over 75 years, this HERBELIN racer gives a boost to the house's "Horlogerie" ambitions. Sporty chic twisted with timeless classism by its croco-printed black leather strap, domed in the center, it's definitely cut out for the race of urbanites for whom every minute counts.