Newport Héritage

Newport Héritage

Michel Herbelin revisits its watchmaking heritage

The Michel Herbelin French Watchmaking Studio can reveal the Newport Héritage, the first model in a new range paying tribute to its seven decades of French watchmaking know-how. Combining a Seventies design inspired by the Michel Herbelin archives and seafaring DNA, this automatic timepiece with sporty vintage style looks distinctly sophisticated.

The 70s within arm's reach

Tastefully complemented by polished and brushed surfaces, the 316L stainless steel cushion-shaped case (42 mm diameter) enhances the Newport blue sunray dial. Its very 70s large Day/Date aperture at 3 o’clock is reminiscent of a compass used for navigation. Slender red intersecting lines echoing the four compass points accurately coordinate the information. Located on the circular brushed flange is a clearly marked minute track with imposing faceted hour markers. Steel coloured with white luminescent coating, the latter match the hour and minute hands, powered by a red central seconds hand. Protected by a double-sided domed sapphire glass, the combination offers optimal readability accentuated by contrasting colours.

While displaying certain hallmarks of vintage watch designs, this timepiece nevertheless remains faithful to the iconic features of the Newport collection, thanks to the strap’s central lugs, the porthole-style bezel adorned with five screws modelled on sailing boats windlasses and the ship's wheel stamped on the crown.

Vintage & sporty with a French touch

Water-resistant to 100 metres, the Newport Héritage is paired with a strap that is rounded in the middle and made from a highly resistant technical textile used for boat rigging. Matching the dial in blue with white topstitching and red bar tacks, it adds the final touch to the model’s sporty design. Also available on a mesh strap in satin-finish steel, this Michel Herbelin is powered by a Swiss-made automatic mechanical movement (Sellita), oscillating at 28,800 vibrations per hour and incorporating 26 jewels. Integrating a 38-hour power reserve, the transparent caseback reveals an oscillating weight with "Michel Herbelin" engraving and softened finish.

The tricolour Newport Héritage proudly displays the brand's French origins. Conceived, designed, assembled, adjusted and inspected at the Michel Herbelin studio in the Jura mountains in the Franche-Comté region, it has inherited over 70 years of French watchmaking know-how.

Issued in a limited series of 1,000 numbered pieces, perpetual accuracy is the raison d’être of this reasonably priced watch, designed to keep going in all weathers, both on land and at sea.