Herbelin Cap Camarat Diver Automatique Owner Review : Adventurous, versatile and comfortable

I probably wouldn't have chosen this watch myself. Too colorful, too inspired... "Not my style," I would have thought. It was my wife who gave it to me for Christmas. She, who knows me so well, saw in this piece the fun side I wouldn't have dared to embrace. It was love at first sight, if not love at first sight. A closer look at it, you quickly notice that the case is unusual, finely crafted and angular, cleverly juxtaposing polished and brushed surfaces to limit scratches and play wonderfully with the light. The angles of the case blend perfectly with the bezel ring. The transparent case back is held in place by six screws, and water resistance is guaranteed to 200m. The dial is very legible. The rotating, "compressor"-style flange makes it easy to measure times when you're not keeping track to the nearest second. A small drawback is the lume of the hands and indexes (BGW9), which is a little too thin to be persistent. This isn't a "real" dive watch. I don't care; I don't dive in saturation. The choice of colors is excellent, adding pep and fun without compromising the perceived quality. In no way does this watch feel toy-like or cheap. Both crowns are logoed. The winding crown features the wheel, the logo of Herbelin and its Cap Camarat series, while the other represents an orange circle reminiscent of the rotating flange. Clever and coherent. This watch is a true tool watch. It exudes solidity. The crystal is, of course, made of anti-reflective sapphire. Inside, a Sellita SW 200 is reassuring; it's Swiss. I appreciate the instantaneous day/date jump at midnight, unlike on the Miyota Series 9, where the date change takes a good two hours. Herbelin's fine adjustment of the rebars deserves praise. The 4Hz frequency ensures a smooth second hand glide. Accuracy is around 7 seconds per day. The thick FKM strap, with its logo on the inside, is impressively comfortable. The integration with the case is magnificent, thanks to a polished link, and adds a vintage feel to the piece, although it's perfectly in tune with the times. The buckle is crafted, brushed, and logoed. This is the watch I've worn most often for the past six months. It follows me everywhere, in my job (I'm a sailor) as well as in my various passions. It knows how to be forgotten when necessary, while immediately attracting the sympathy of watch fans (or not). Its dynamic side can even make some of my other watches seem rather bland. It adds a touch of color to classic outfits, pairing perfectly with blue, green, white, black... but not so much with red. This watch has been in the Herbelin catalog for a few years now. I was surprised to see it adopted almost exactly by Mido recently with its Multifort 2 Crowns. The latter is much more conservative, losing all its appeal in the process, in my opinion. It is assembled and adjusted in France using Asian parts (the brand makes no secret of this, unlike other brands, notably the Swatch Group) and a Swiss movement. In short... I love it and it occupies 90% of the time on my wrist.