Watch Review: Dufrane Bergstrom

Company: Dufrane Watches

Website: http://www.dufranewatches.com

Model: Bergstrom

The Bergstom is named after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom. He was stationed in the Philippines at Clark Field during WWII. Captain Bergstrom was killed by the simultaneous bombings of Pearl Harbor and other military areas in the Philippines in December 1941. Tragically, he was the first native Austinite killed during the war. It is our privilege and honor to call our first watch Bergstrom.

Specifications:
Width (no crown) 41.5 mm
Width (with crown) 44.5 mm
Thickness 11 mm
Height 51 mm
Inside lug width 22 mm

316L stainless matte steel  $875

316L Matte bronze PVD $950
Domed sapphire crystal with a/r coating
C3 Superluminova
Push-pull crown
Screw bars
50 meters water resistance

ETA 6498-1 Movement

This watch hobby is very unique and quite unlike any other hobby that I have known. I have learned a lot about watches through personal research, handling many different watches and from other watch enthusiasts. This hobby has connected me with some really awesome people from all over the world. We all come from different countries, backgrounds, beliefs, but we all come together because of our common love of watches. It’s pretty amazing. This is how I met Steven from Dufrane Watches. I would see the Bergstrom pics on Instagram and I was drawn in by it’s vintage style. That’s brings us up to date with today as we look at the Dufrane Bergstrom.

Steven was kind enough to send over both case/dial variants so that I can showcase them both for you. There is the 316L stainless steel bead blast finish that comes in at $875  and the 316L stainless steel oil rubbed bronze PVD that comes in at $950. Both cases look good and it really will come down to your personal preference. The rubbed bronze case has more of a vintage look to it. The color of the case is absolutely beautiful, it’s deep and rich with purple hues. It reminds me of old pocket watches that were converted into wrist watches. The bead blasted case has a more modern look. The bead blasting is very well done, extremely even throughout the case.

There are two details on the Bergstrom that I immediately like from first site. The coin edged bezel and the lugs. My first real watch love was Chronoswiss watches. The founder of Chronoswiss has such an eye for fine details, and the Bergstrom’s fixed bezel and lugs capture this brilliantly. The drilled lugs have rugged screwed bars that hold the strap in place. The Bergstrom included the tool that will allow you to change the straps. The lugs are curved just right that allows the Berstrom to sit on the wrist with little to no overhang depending on your wrist size. I have 7 1/2″ wrists and there is no over hang whatsoever.

The push/pull style crown on the Bergstrom is signed with Dufrane logo. The crown is easy to grip for both setting the time and for winding it. Winding the Bergstrom is an absolute joy. As you turn the crown, the sound of the winding of the ETA 6498-1 movement is heavenly. It reminded me of why I love watches in the first place. Sitting on my grandfather’s knee, watching and listening to him wind his pocket watch. As many of you know by reading my other reviews, I personally don’t prefer exhibition case backs. But in this case it works because of the mechanical movement of the 6498-1. It’s actually a nice looking movement to look at. This movement has been produced since the 1950’s. The Bergstrom has a power reserve of 46 hours, 17 Jewels, 18k vibrations/hour 2.5 Hz, and an Incabloc shock protection. This movement has been trialed and tested for many years. It is very reliable. It was the perfect choice for this vintage pilot themed watch.

I can’t ignore this dial any longer. The matte black dial is a wonderful backdrop for everything else that is going on with the dial. The cathedral style hands are a true throwback to the pilot watches of yesteryear. The horizon dial featured gold cathedral hands and the standard dial features silver hands. These hands are very beautiful. A real piece of art. Another difference between to two dials is that the horizon dial indices glow blue while the standard dial glows green. The horizon dial has a more modern look and feel with a nice nod to instrument panels on a real aircraft located at on the sub dial at the 6 o’clock position. The sub dial features a small seconds counter which is a feature of the 6498 movement. Both watches small second hand is a nice shade of orange which makes it easy to read/see. The printed hour indices are coated with lume on both dial versions, and on both versions the number 12 is represented by the Dufrane logo.

The straps on the two review samples are both well made and quite different. The Horizon Bergstrom came on a soft and thick blue suede strap. The blue is a great deep, shade of blue. It makes an impactful impression when it’s on the wrist. The strap has a nice matchy matchy buckle. It has that same rubbed oil look that the Horizon case has. Custom designed and hand crafted, the Noah Marion leather strap can transform how your watch looks in minutes! 22mm width and includes two keepers. It is very soft and conforms to the wrist like a champ, it is my personal favorite of the two straps. The brown strap has a brushed finish buckle that also matches it’s case perfectly.

I know from talking to people in this amazing hobby of ours, that people (myself included) are often hesitant buying watches from newer companies. A very positive and mind settling fact about the Bergstrom is that Chris W*** from Lum-Tec was involved with the assembling and testing of the Bergstrom. Chris has a ton of experience in this industry and knows his stuff well. I can assure you that the Bergstrom is quality from top to bottom. The classic design is fantastic and the execution delivers. I am glad that Dufrane picked a classic movement like the 6498. A movement with a history and that has been tested for over 60 years. I am also a fan of the exhibition case back on the Bergstrom. It’s refreshing to see a true mechanical movement working away inside of a watch.

The Bergstrom looks and feels great on the wrist. I have 7 1/2″ wrists and the Bergstrom will wear great on both larger and smaller wrists. This watch does get my recommendation. It’s a well constructed watch with a great, well known reliable movement. It’s a watch that can easily transition from the office to the weekend adventure. Both case finishes look great as do both of the dial variations. Dufrane has given you great options. The options offer unique looks, with both modern and classic influences. Removing myself from the reviewer role and putting myself in the place of being just a watch fan I can honestly say that these are some of my personal favorite pilot watches. Dive watches are my personal preference and these watches caught my eye instantly when I saw them on Instagram before knowing anything about Dufrane Watches.

I want to personally thank Steven from Dufrane Watches for this opportunity to spend some time with the Bergstrom.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments please post them below.

***From his Ohio factory, Chris and his precision team of experts handle all production, tuning and testing for DuFrane Watches. Chris has nearly 20 years of experience running his own successful watch brand that is known for high-quality, sporty time pieces, not to mention his unsurpassed lume technology! ***

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