Dufa really liked what I did with the Dufa Albers review and so they surprised me with a package that arrived about a week ago. I opened and there were two watches, not one, but two! We will be looking the automatic one today and I can hint that the second one is quartz, but just as interesting as this one!

Dufa, short for Deutsche Unrenfabrik is a brand producing mainly Bauhaus inspired timepieces in many different styles. They pay tribute to the great Bauhaus era where it originated in Germany with great designs and unique styling. Today we have the Dufa Bayer Automatic Swiss DF-9016 in gold case, white dial and blued hands. This is the first Dufa that I review which has a Swiss automatic movement inside.

The watch arrived in the same rectangular box that all Dufa’s, Spinnakers and James McCabe watches arrive. Nothing special about the box. Inside we have the Bayer watch. And I was surprised how good it looks in real life. The AR coating on the sapphire has a nice blue shine and the looking at the Sellita SW200-1 movement is much more pleasant than looking at another Miyota movement.

The case on the 9016-03 is made of 316Lstainless steel and IP plated in a yellow gold tone. It measures 40mm in diameter and is rather thin at 10mm thick. From lug to lug it measures at 43,7mm which is also very small. The lug width is 20mm. The kettle shaped case is highly polished all around and has short lugs which really makes the Bayer wear so well on the wrist. I like that Dufa went for a smaller size as many microbrand these days makes a wrong take on Bauhaus watch making it 42mm and bigger. But now I see that the trend is to make smaller watches. The watch is water resistant to 30m (3atm) which is typical for dress watches and you shouldn’t take it for a swim! The case back is see through where you can see the nice Swiss made Sellita SW200-1 movement. The case back is held on with 4 small screws, around the edge of the case back you will find some specifications engraved in it. The crystal on the case back is sapphire and on the front of the watch, you will find a slightly domed AR-coated sapphire crystal which really makes the dial pop. The signed crown is at 3 o’clock and it is probably the only problem with the watch is the crown, it is really hard to grab it and wind the movement when it is pulled out for the date and time setting it is easy to operate.

The dial is clean and easy to read, just like all Bauhaus watches do. The white dial contrasts with the yellow gold case. Thin applied gold numerals surround the dial and almost appear to be hovering over the circular cutout we get on this dial. The Dufa applied shield allows symmetry with the addition of the circular date window at 6:00 which contains black numerals and a white background to match the dial color. And this is really important to me, as I like when watch companies go that far to at least match the date background with the dial color, usually, microbrands don’t do it. The slightly sloped chapter ring displays 0-60 minute markings for easier time reading. The blue hands and sweeping seconds hand are also a nice touch and in traditions of Bauhaus watches. “Made in Germany”’is also printed below the 6:00 position to show this watch was assembled/produced in Germany. I like that the dial is something never seen before on any other watch, usually, we see almost the same or similar design, but here you will find something unique.

Inside the Bayer, you will find a very nice Swiss Made Selitta SW200-1 automatic movement. You can expect around 38 hours of power reserve and a beat rate of 4 Hertz. The movement has 26 jewels and is a big competitor to the ETA 2824. Dufa actually added their own touch by customizing the rotor with Dufa logo. I have seen the Selitta SW200 offered in watches from brands such as ORIS, Certina, and even Tag Heuer, down to microbrands. The SW200 gets the job done and keeps fairly accurate time. Mine runs at +7 seconds a day which is really good.

The strap is a nice stitched dark brown leather strap. It is very soft and wraps your wrist nicely. The underside of the strap is signed with Dufa name. The signed buckle is a regular tang style buckle made of 316 stainless steel with gold IP plating. Another problem with this watch is the lugs and where the holes for spring bars are placed. The strap features the quick release spring bars which are good, but the holes are placed too close to the case, so that means that they are curved and the strap is curved too, so you won’t be able to put any strap you want on it.

Overall the watch is really great and it has everything you need and more for just 699euro (around 800$). For some, the price would seem a bit too big, but you get a Made in Germany watch,, Swiss made automatic movement, 40mm size and pretty thin case, leather strap and sapphire glass on both sides. If you want something similar you can look at Junghans watches, but it will be a couple of hundred more than this, so this is really great watch for those who want Bauhaus style watch but doesn’t want to spend a fortune like for the Nomos or Junghans.

Price: €699 @ deutsche-uhrenfabrik.de

MOVEMENT : Swiss Automatic 3 Hands with Date
CASE MATERIAL : Stainless Steel
CASE DIAMETER (mm) : 40
CASE THICKNESS (mm) : 11
CASE SHAPE : Round
CASE COLOR : Ionic Plating – Gold
DIAL COLOR : White
BAND : Genuine Leather Strap
BAND COLOR : Dark Brown
BUCKLE : Strap Buckle
BAND WIDTH (mm) : 20-18
WATER RESISTANCE : 3 ATM
WATCH WEIGHT (g) : 70