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I’ve reviewed a Dufa before, the Walter Gropius. Up until recently, they only produced quartz timepieces. However, that’s now changed thanks to this watch, the Breuer, and the Swiss Made Bayer.

Of course, an automatic immediately raises the price – so the Breuer comes in at €689 / ~£600. That does seem a bit steep at first glance, but you are getting a really nicely designed timepiece that looks the part. Let’s see if it truly does do the price tag justice.

The specs

The case

The case is simple in design: round, with thin spindly protruding lugs. Despite the small build, the quality is there – in the hand it’s nice to hold and look at.

It’s well finished too, being completely polished apart from a thin brushed slice around the outside edge below the bezel, as well as the outsides of the lugs.

The side profile shows the rather curvaceous form of the case – the base of it which makes contact with your wrist is smaller than the top, so it actually feels much smaller on the wrist than the 38mm (which isn’t massive to start with). This, as well as the light weight of 51g makes it a very easy watch to wear. It’s very comfortable.

The push-pull crown is small and unassuming, but provides enough grip to use easily. There is the Dufa logo accurately engraved on the end.

The caseback is a nice alternative to the traditional full-movement exhibition window. Rather than showing the entire Miyota 9015, it’s halved with the centre bearing of the rotor showing. It’s not a problem, as the movement is pretty plain – so nothing lost really, but it’s nice to see something a bit different.

The dial

All Dufa watches are very retro and vintage inspired, and the Breuer is no different. It’s extremely classic and Art Deco, thanks to the simple hands and hour markers and minimal printing.

The dial itself dark blue; luxurious and elegant, providing good legibility. It has a vertical linear brushing to it which provides a tiny amount of texture and softness.

The hour markers are all applied, and have a brushed finish. They are straight batons apart from the 12, where numerals are used instead. The applied elements are all good quality, well machined and flawless. The applied logo is located in the centre of top half. It’s nicely crafted considering the size, and is a striking design thanks to the shield shape.

The hands are same brushed finish – very simple batons with small points on the end and a small pitch. The seconds hand is an even thinner stick with a disc acting as the counterweight.

The date window is located just above the 6. A nice touch is that the wheel is concealed thanks to the matching colour of the dial. It has a bevelled border around it which is well executed.

The movement

The movement powering the Dufa Breuer is the Miyota 9015. It seems that this and the Seiko NH35A are the two go-to movements for microbrands and sub £500 autos nowadays. And they’re used for good reason – affordable, reliable, highly regarded, and well-specced.

You can’t see much of it as half is obscured by the caseback, but that’s not really a problem as it’s fairly plain and industrial in appearance. However, it’s nice to see custom printing on the rotor.

One thing to note is that it’s very noisy – you’re in a quiet environment and the rotor is free spinning you’ll hear it.

The accuracy of this 9015 is 9.9 s/d – very good, but could be better: I’ve seen them adjusted to near enough COSC specs.

The strap

The strap is 18mm wide at the lugs, reducing down to 16mm at the buckle. It’s a suitable size for the style and diameter of the case.

It has a brown alligator print on top, which brings in quite a vintage feel. The strap features quick release pins; which I’m seeing more and more of nowadays. Always a nice unexpected addition.

The strap is quite thin, but is supple and comfortable on the wrist. The quality is there, so the thinness of the strap is mainly for visual.

The buckle has the addition of the Dufa logo in the centre of the top half, which is attractively done.

Final comments

I’m going to say it straight up: I think the full RRP of €689 / ~£600 is too much for a watch with a Miyota in it. Fact. But, not to fear, as I have found it on Amazon for £400 – a bit better, but I still think it’s a little steep.

Price aside, as it the case with pretty much all Dufa watches – the design is delightful. A charming, quaint, vintage themed timepiece that is incredibly simple, but still works. The build quality is neat and the Breuer looks impressive on the wrist; it’s also a very functional size at 38mm in diameter. The case is precisely manufactured too, and all this leads to an overall pleasurable experience with the Dufa Breuer. I wouldn’t recommend it at full RPP, but if you can snag a deal on one then I would definitely say go for it.

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6 comments

  1. Hugo Stacchiola

    Dear: I find this watch quite interesting but the Price is absolutely out of common sense, so if the msanufacturer plans to lower value I should be a client, but there are on the mrket fine watches with Miyota 9015 for less than USD 300.- so shis watch is going to be a full looser in the market. Best regards, Hugo Stacchiola
    Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    E-mail: [email protected]

  2. John

    Just checked this out on Amazon and they say it”s a quartz even though it’s plainly illustrated with a mechanical movement. Weird.
    Would be disappointed to say the least to pay £500 for it then discover it’s quartz. Odd also that all the Dufa watches are advertised as quartz even though the pictures look like autos!
    John

  3. Brian

    Can you confirm what the crystal is made up of? Domed sapphire or mineral crystal?

    1. John Brown

      It is made of plastic and case back window too…

  4. Martin Fuhs

    Don’t fall for this “Made in Germany” Bullcrap. They are made in China and only repacked in Germany. Technically and also from a legally standpoint, they are not allowed to be marketed as Made in Germany. There is no factory in thüringen (i know because i am from thüringen). The town Ruhla is known for their factory, but they don’t produce those watches. The Company Dufa was bought from investors after it went bankruptcy many years ago. So this investor just bought Dufa because of its german history and is now again selling watches that are labeled as “Made in Germany” while they are made in China. Don’t get me wrong. The designs are great but i would not support a Company that is lying about the origin of their watches.

    1. Carlos Alberto Santos

      That’s a very important comment, Martin. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.

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