Taking A Spin With The Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV To Start The Last Week Of The Giro D’Italia

The Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV is a chronograph from the Grand Tour series of the cycle-crazy Swedish brand. The color of the sub-dials and the central chronograph seconds hand clearly state, “I am a Giro d’Italia Watch” (please read this in your best Italian accent). Since the famous stage race is in its final week, I thought it would be appropriate to take the 38.2mm steel chronograph for a ride to find out what kind of watch it truly is. Is it a watch you wear on the podium while lifting the Trofeo Senza Fine above your head? Or is it a chronograph you want to wear on the bike while climbing the monstrous Stelvio?

Not too long ago, I wrote a little something about Bravur’s new Team Heritage Collection. And last year, Thomas Stover took an in-depth look at the brand’s Grand Tour III Chronographs. Now it’s time to take the Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV for a spin. The watch is dedicated to “la corsa più dura del mondo nel paese più del mondo,” the Giro d’Italia. The 107th edition of the race started on May 4th with a hill stage from Venaria Reale to Turin, and it will end in Rome on May 26th, 3,321.2 kilometers later. The winner? Well, by the looks of it, Tadej Pogačar will be the guy who’s going to lift the iconic Trofeo Senza Fine on the podium in Rome and take the famous pink jersey home to Slovenia. He’s absolutely dominating the race in old-fashioned Eddy Merckx style.

Is Tadej Pogačar wearing a Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV chronograph?

The “Cannibal 2.0” — a nickname originally given to Merckx because he would take the win whenever he wanted, not leaving any scraps for the competition — would also look cool with the Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV that matches his pink leader’s jersey. But Pogačar’s team, UAE Team Emirates, is sponsored by Richard Mille. So if the 25-year-old Slovenian double Tour de France winner and victor of seven one-day classic races so far wears a watch, it will probably be the RM 67-02. That’s a 32g lightweight in TPT composite materials and Grade 5 titanium.

Taking the Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV for a spin

Despite being an avid cyclist and watch lover, I only started wearing a watch while on my bike quite recently. The reason is simple: I find it hard to read the time on my out-front cycling computer, and sometimes I just want to know what time it is. An analog watch tells time instantly, and that’s why I tried out a couple of watches. Conclusion: I need something light and clear. The watch needs to fit snugly because I don’t want to feel little bumps in the road through my wrist. Before this review, I had tried several plastic, resin, and bioceramic timepieces with quartz movements but never a steel watch. Quite simply, I feared the weight. It’s not because I am a weight weenie, not at all. Rather, it’s because a “heavy” watch bouncing around on my wrist is going to be annoying at first and painful later.

Bravur’s La Corsa Rosa IV on the wrist and the road

Still, I thought I’d give the Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV a chance because its 38.2mm steel case has a 46.3mm lug-to-lug length. These moderate dimensions make for a stable fit on the wrist. And, although it doesn’t improve practical comfort, the moderate 18mm lug spacing gives the watch a very balanced, classic look. The mixture of brushed and polished surfaces enhances this as well. FYI, looking good on the bike is very/too important for vain cyclists who prefer going slow in style over going fast and looking rubbish.

The 14.4mm thickness of this 38.2mm watch does give it a somewhat stocky look. The proportions make me think of Domenico Pozzovivo, the 41-year-old veteran rider competing in this year’s Giro. Pozzovivo, who is a good climber and decent GC rider, is 1.65m tall and weighs 53kg — the Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV weighs 87g, by the way. These numbers compared to how he rides his very Italian De Rosa bike show similarities to the way the Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV sits on the wrist.

Three strap options

While riding on the hoods and in the drops with the watch on my wrist, my biggest concern was not its weight. Rather, it was the leather strap of the La Corsa Rosa IV that caused discomfort because it was not broken in yet. Because of the stiffness, the watch didn’t want to stay in one place on my wrist. And because of that, it started bouncing a bit while riding. Luckily, Bravur leaves you the choice of a supple rubber strap, a retro Milanese bracelet, or the perforated leather strap that this test watch came on. If the watch had been outfitted with the rubber option, I might have come to a different conclusion. That’s not just because of the material’s softer touch and better wrist-wrapping capacities. It’s also because leather and sweat are a notoriously bad combination.

Talking a bit more about the watch’s aesthetics makes me point out the domed sapphire crystal and slanted, polished bezel that transitions into the brushed mid-case. Oh yes, and the dial, of course. The La Corsa Rosa IV tri-register chronograph features a 15-minute counter at 3, a 12-hour counter at 6, and running seconds at 9 o’clock. You could use the chronograph for timing the length of your ride. Most of us have a cycling computer for that, but still, the watch can do it as well. But telling time is also something this Bravur does, and that’s how I would use it. And the watch’s readability is excellent, so it meets my criteria.

A plethora of pink details

Bravur managed to integrate the Giro theme very tastefully. The pink accents in various shades pay homage to the Giro d’Italia leader’s jersey, “la maglia rosa.” The pink is placed on a contrasting tarmac-colored dial that also shows a subtle texture mimicking the road surface. It not only looks good but also creates a great contrast. The recessed sub-dials in three shades of pink show clear black markings for easy readability on and off the bike. A very nice touch is the inverted “race number” 13 embedded in the minute track. Racers who have to race with the unlucky number 13 usually pin it upside-down on their jersey to ward off misfortune. You see, cyclists are not just hopelessly vain but also very, very superstitious.

No Campagnolo, no Shimano, and no Sram but Sellita instead

Powering the La Corsa Rosa IV is an automatic Swiss-made Sellita SW511 movement. This 4Hz caliber provides up to 62 hours of power reserve, has 27 jewels, uses blued screws, and is rhodium plated. You can see the movement at work through the transparent case back. And on the back of the watch, you will also find a recessed “finish line.” This checker pattern makes me think of the famous Team Peugeot cycling jerseys of yesteryear rather than a finish line.

The Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV is not fatto a mano in Italy. Instead, it’s hand-built to order in Båstad, Sweden. As I wrote, you can get the La Corsa Rosa IV on a leather or rubber strap or a Milanese bracelet for a price of €2,550. There’s also a version in a black PVD case that will cost you €40 more.

So, is this a race-winning chronograph or one to drink your victory prosecco with? I think when it comes to wearing a watch on the wrist while cycling, I will pick lightweight materials over steel. But this Bravur La Corsa Rosa IV will certainly outshine my plastic watch of choice on a terrace while enjoying a Birra Messina Cristalli di Sale after a long ride through Tuscany.