Today we have the pleasure of taking a look at another Canadian microbrand and its upcoming release in the Héron Gladiateur MMLXV. Héron was kind enough to send a watch over in advance of their 2/28/2022 Kickstarter release date – lets see how they did!
We are looking at 5 criteria that should provide a comprehensive overview of the watch and aid anyone who is considering adding it to their collection. Use our quick links below to help navigate;
History of the Héron Gladiateur MMLXV
Héron is a young brand hailing from the bilingual, poutine loving province of Quebec, Canada. It draws its name from the beautiful birds that can be found across the country it calls home. Héron is also a rare word that carries the same meaning in both English and French tying in both of Canada’s national languages.
The company is no stranger to Kickstarter with one successfully funded campaign under their belt in the 2020 release of its Sturgeon dive watch. Héron is looking to build on their momentum with the release of another dive style watch in the Gladiateur MMLXV, this time drawing inspiration from Roman colosseum fighters.
Case & Bracelet
In the off chance you’ve read some of my other posts or reviews, I think it’s safe to say that I tend to gravitate to smaller, sub 40mm watch cases…in saying this it is clear that Héron has put a lot of thought into their case proportions, shaping it to fit the most amount of wrists possible. Through the use of the downward sloped lugs and an integrated rubber strap the Gladiateur sits very close to wrist, reducing the potential of lugs hanging over the wearer’s wrist. In addition to the case shape, In addition, Héron has added a few nice touches for the watch nerds out there, with the inclusion of a screw down embossed crown and detailed case-back, both contributing to the watches 100m of water resistance.
Moving on to arguably the most divisive element on this watch, let’s talk about the bezel. The Gladiateur uses a unidirectional rotating bezel featuring raised roman numerals vs. a traditional 60 minute dive bezel, sacrificing the dive watch utility in the name of design. Since this is my article, here’s my take on it; while not the most useful choice nor my personal style, it is unique. Not unique good or unique bad, just unique. In a sea of copycat, homage microbrand watches hitting the market everyday, it is refreshing to see a new concept, I am sure that there are people willing to sacrifice some utility in the name of design. Héron does say this bezel can be used as a 12-hour GMT bezel which is interesting, however, I would like to see the bezel move bidirectionally if this was the case.
Finally, can we not all just agree that rotating bezels have turned into glorified fidget spinners and not a useful means of measure of tracking time?
Dial
Personally, I have an affinity for matte and minimal dials, which makes the Gladiateur’s design a clear winner in my books! With no date, a logo at 12 and one line of text at 6, design nerds can rejoice as this is a piece where symmetry prevails. One interesting thing I found when wearing the Gladiateur is the surprising amount warmth in the dial. At a glance it is a simple flat black, however, under the right light it can transform to a warm chocolaty brown that compliments the rose gold case very nicely.
Full disclosure, I was provided with a prototype of the Gladiateur and the lume did leave something to be desired. After speaking with the fine folks at Héron, they assured me that on the production models they would be “pumping that lume out strong”.
Movement
Powered by the Miyota caliber 9039, you can be sure that the Gladiateur will have the same reliability that one has come to expect from the world-renowned Japanese engineering. Think Honda, Toyota & Lexus but in movement manufacturers, not overly flashy but robust, reliable and simple to repair. The 9039 promises 42 hours of power reserve when fully wound and an accuracy of -10 to +30 seconds per day. Given the availability and reliability of the 9039, it has become increasingly popular of late and can be found in some other big time micro brands such as Baltic, Taska & Marloe.
Wearability
This is where the Gladiateur is an interesting proposition, the proportions and fit of this watch allows it to fit many different wrist sizes with ease. There is no question the watch can take a beating and hold its own in a variety of situations due to its construction materials, however, each of the 4 colour-ways offer the wearer a different feel. For example, the rose variant is the flashiest of the bunch with a high polished gold case suited primarily to casual settings such as going out for dinner or a night on the town. Both the blue and white variants offer that classic tool watch aesthetic that can fly under the radar but thrive as weekend warriors. Finally, the black variant that is PVD and gives a stealthy EDC collector sort of vibe.
Verdict
This verdict is a tough one as there is a lot to like about the Gladiateur from its nice case design, robust movement and unique look all for a very reasonable $250 USD (if you get in early on the Kickstarter). This watch also has quirks with the roman numeral dive bezel that isn’t the most functional. All of this said, when it comes down to the question, “should I buy this watch?”, the value is clearly here so if you like the design, then yes, buy it and enjoy! If the design is not your cup of tea then find something that suits you better. The Gladiateur MMLXV has earned a prestigious score of two wings up!
Interested? The Héron Gladiateur MMLXV is set to launch Feb 28, 2022 – stay up to date here.
Case: 41mm