Today we are gonna talk about another German made piece from a company called Belcori. Belcori is a Dutch green design studio with a focus on eco-conscious luxury pieces. Handmade in Europe in limited quantities to guarantee the luxury of exclusivity. Straight from the artisan’s hands to your doorstep. They mainly focused on high-quality leather and other accessories, but at the end of 2018, they launched the Kickstarter project of their watch called Belcori Cosmopolitan and got funded! The project didn’t get a lot of attention or money, but just to start the production. And I’m pretty surprised why they didn’t get a lot of attention as the project is pretty interesting.

The watch is inspired by the iconic Bauhaus design, with it’s signature straight lines and geometrical shapes, the Cosmopolitan is a true modern classic, for him and her, updated with refined details for a modern appeal. Slim, clean aesthetic, harmonious and distinctive. The watches are made by the 4th-generation German watchmaking family company Mitschele (since 1932) and the straps for the Cosmopolitan are made by the famous German leather strap manufacturer Di-Modell (since 1969), which actually produce straps also for the Lilienthal Berlin which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago.

Before you order the watch you have to go through the configurator so you can customize your watch to your liking and needs. You can choose between silver or gold coloured case. When it comes to dials there are 3 options to choose from: dark grey sunburst, ivory sunburst and navy blue sunburst. And of course, there are 7 strap options. The price for the full package is 239€ which for a fully German made watch is very cheap!

The Cosmopolitan arrived in a rectangular cardboard box. As you all know the Belcori is all about ecology so due to that almost the whole packaging and paperwork is made from 100% recycled pulp paper which is pretty cool! And the paper they use actually feels very luxurious. Inside the box, you will find two straps, warranty card, instructions manual and of course the watch itself! The first impressions were good. I actually don’t read a lot of information before I get the watch as I want to see my first impressions, by not knowing anything about the watch. So I was waiting for something that feels like a fashion watch, but this definitely feels like a proper watch! The weight, how everything is manufactured and of course the hand-made straps, it just looks superb!

The case of the Cosmopolitan is composed of 316L stainless steel. The case is very well manufactured with nice lines and the watch has that 40s looks with that slim profile and small size. The case is finished in polished finishing which is also done pretty well. The case is round with nice short lugs. The diameter is 38mm, the thickness is 8,5mm and from lug to lug it measures at 41mm. The lug width is 20mm. The proportions, in my opinion, are perfect and Belcori nailed the size as the watch industry is coming back to smaller sizes and we also see that in the microbrand market with Baltic watches and other companies! On the wrist the watch wears perfect, some may say it looks small on a hand like I have, but I think it is perfect! The Cosmopolitan probably makes the best everyday watch to wear as it is very versatile, you can wear it to your job or take it to your smoking party. At 3 o’clock we have a small push-pull crown which is pretty easy to grasp due to its small size. The crown is signed with Belcori logo on the top. The solid case back is held on with small 4 screws which is kind of a tradition on German watches. The case back has the Belcori logo engraved on the back with some specifications. On top of the case, you will find a double domed sapphire crystal. The water resistance is 5ATM (50m) which is more than enough for a dress watch.

The dial on mine is a navy blue sunburst dial which is also domed to homage the old vintage watches. There are 4 applied hour markers at 12, 3, 6 and 8 o’clock and the rest ones are printed in white. Around the dial, we have the minute track which is also printed in white. At 12 o’clock we have a very simple Belcori logo which looks quite good! At 6 o’clock, of course, we have the Made in Germany text printed on the dial! The stick hands are nice and polished with some lume in the middle which is a nice addition for the night legibility!

The movement what we have inside is the Swiss Made Ronda 1062, slim quartz movement. Nothing much to say about this as reliable and low costing in the long term. The watch will always be very precise and will run for many years! Can’t go wrong with a Swiss-made quartz movement!

The straps that mine came with were the blue and dark brown leather one. The straps are basically the same as the Lilienthal Berlin ones as the same company are making them, but with minor differences. The leather on both straps is buttery smooth with nice grain. The stitching is done very well and can’t see any loose threads there. The underside is lined with this light brown leather. The underside is signed with Belcori logo. The cool things about these straps is that orange anchor for the loops on the backside which is a Di-Modell design. It is very handy as it doesn’t allow the loops to drop down and they always stay in place.  The straps are held in place with the built-in quick release spring bars which make the strap change a 20-second job. The supplied tang style buckles are pretty simple, nothing that special, but they work as they should.

Overall I really like this watch. The heritage it bears with that Mitschele watch factory where it was made and that Made in Germany is just awesome!  It really is a proper watch and says what you want, it isn’t a fashion watch in my mind. I only wish they made this with a hand-wound mechanical movement, then this would sell like crazy! Nevertheless, for 239€ you get a very solid made German watch, sapphire crystal, reliable Swiss quartz movement and amazing straps! If you want a German watch, then this besides a Junghans or Zeppelin is a solid option!

Price: 239€ @ belcori.com

Technical Specifications

Case
High precision 316L stainless steel 38mm curved case in mirror polished stainless steel (silver) and mirror polished Gold PVD finishes

Caseback
Polished and satin brush finish with engraved Belcori logo and your personal edition number to confirm its authenticity.

Dial
Double domed dial available in three sunburst color finishes: ivory, blue and graphite. Silk printed minute lines, made in Germany and discreet brand logo. Metallic indexes and hands with white lume.

Glass
Double sided, domed sapphire crystal

Movement
Ronda 1062, slim Swiss movement (Quartz)

Size
ø38 mm, 7.8 mm thick

Strap
Naturally-tanned German leather with pin buckle and patented loop-anchor for easy comfort. All straps are waterproof and interchangeable in seconds without the need of tools.

Warranty
3 years against defects. Your personal edition number matches your manufacturing certificate to identify its validity and corresponding services of the three year warranty.

Water resistance
5 ATM tested