The Titoni Heritage 83019 S-639 Is A Suprisingly Charming Watch
I’m going to say that sometimes the number of new watches that come out is overwhelming. Overwhelming up to the point that you tend to forget about a lot of a year’s releases. Or watches hardly leave an impression. But sometimes you get surprised by a watch with great charm that is a joy to wear when you have no expectations whatsoever. The Titoni Heritage 83019 S-639 is the perfect example of a watch that has great style, offers great quality, and comes at a great price.
The story of this Titoni starts earlier this year. In the spring of this year, Rob reviewed the Titoni Heritage 83019 S-ST-638, and I still remember when we had that watch in the office for review. Its charming style and great quality stood out at the time. As Rob explained, the watch was inspired by a Felca watch from the past. Felca happens to be a sister brand also under the same Titoni umbrella. Titoni decided to bring back the original Felca watch from 1948. While there is a different logo on the dial of the new watch, it is a great remake of the Felca original. As Rob said: “It is as old as new can be.”
A charming presence
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when we received new introductions from the brand. One of them is the Titoni Heritage 83019 S-639 that immediately stood out. Not because it is loud, quirky, colorful, technically surprising, or any other striking elements that make it stand out from the crowd. No, the Titoni heritage stands out because it has a lot of charm and feels intriguingly comfortable. I say intriguingly because you immediately think that there must be a story there when you see the watch. The story is actually quite simple. This new model is a different version of the watch Rob reviewed and therefore is also loosely linked to the Felca from 1948. However, the different dial design takes a clear step away from its brother.
It’s a step that I appreciate. The Heritage 83019 S-639 comes with a vintage-inspired silver dial with beige-colored Arabic numerals. On the outer side of the dial, you will find a black printed minute track. Not only does it have a function, but it also adds a great visual balance. The elegant steel hours and minutes hands are the same beige color as the hour markers. That color is beige Super-LumiNova that lights up green in the dark. The red seconds hand offers just the right sparkle that keeps it from becoming boring. The dial and hands are housed under a double curved sapphire crystal that further ups the vintage appeal.
A reliable movement
The case is also the same 39mm stainless steel case used for the black dial version. It’s a charming case 11,85mm thick and water-resistant up to 50 meters. Inside the case, you will find a Sellita SW200-1. This reliable movement can be found in many of today’s offerings in different price ranges. This automatic movement operates at 28,800vph, has 26 jewels, and comes with a 38-hour power reserve. Thankfully, Titoni opted for a date-less version that results in a very clean dial design. If you turn the watch around, you will see the image of a 1950s car, representing the post-War style of the watch.
The watch comes with a brown leather strap that perfectly matches the Arabic numerals. However, we received it on the great 7-link style stainless steel bracelet. This bracelet reminds me most of a Jubilee bracelet and is a joy to wear. On top of that, the build quality of the bracelet is very good for a €945 watch, including 21% Dutch VAT. With the version with the leather strap only €15 cheaper at €930, the choice is really easy. Now, most people will probably order the watch with the bracelet and quickly replace it with a nice leather strap. While I get that, and it does look very nice on a strap, the bracelet is not just one to forget about.
Wearing the Titoni Heritage 83019 S-639
During the time that we had the watch in for review, I only wore it on the bracelet. After sizing the bracelet — which can be done quite easily — it fits like a glove on my wrist. The 20mm wide bracelet compliments the watch incredibly well and is a joy to wear. Its slim profile and stylish bracelet make it a very comfortable watch. The build quality is great, and the butterfly clasp is practical and makes sure the great style of the bracelet is maximized. I have to give Titoni a big compliment for the overall quality of the watch. Often with watches in the sub-€1,000 price range, there are always things to criticize in terms of quality. Especially the bracelet is often an area of concern. But not with the Heritage 83019 S-639.
Overall this is a great offering from Titoni that caught me off guard. Its styling looked great from the get-go, but after wearing the watch for a week straight, I started loving it. It is a very nicely designed watch that is well built and comes with a reliable and great movement, especially considering its €945 price tag.
It brings together the classic elegance of 1950s dress watches and combines it with the presence of military watches from the same era. It’s a combination that works very well, creating one of the year’s most surprising releases for me. The lack of a great story that inspired the looks didn’t bother me one second when I wore it. This watch simply feels very real and doesn’t come with false pretensions. And I love that about this Titoni Heritage 83019 S-639.
If you want to know more, visit the official Titoni website.
