Tonneau-shaped watches are an elegant alternative to the more common round or rectangular models. A bit more daring than those rigidly geometric shapes, they also have a pleasant retro-feel to them. WatchTime decided to put three best-buy specimens to the Test.

By Serge Voigt Color

Are you in the market for an elegant wristwatch that’s not exactly an everyday item? A watch with a mechanical movement and a moderate price – both easy enough to find – that also comes with a little extra style? Well, who isn’t? Ladies and gentlemen, we present three Test candidates – models from J. Chevalier, Limes and Oris – that may offer exactly what you’re looking for. Their special feature: all three have cases shaped like little barrels, and, because the flabby-sounding "barrel" would be a tough sell in an English-speaking market, these watches are known by their sexier French moniker: tonneau. ("Tonneau" is French for barrel-shaped)

Advantages:
+ moderate price
+ folding clasp

Disadvantages:
– Clasp proved unstable in our Test
– Movement-holder ring isn’t affixed inside the case
– Dial design lacks originality

As far as craftsmanship is concerned, all three cases make very good first impressions. A closer look, however, reveals significant differences in detail. Limes earned the most points here with its excellently crafted, tripartite case. After unscrewing the six little screws that hold the back in place, we found six additional screw-heads beside the drill holes. This sextet of screws firmly attach the bezel to the middle piece from behind. The side of the case, as well as its upper and lower edges, are smoothly rounded. Despite this convex curvature, the Limes remains a rather angular little fellow. The polished bezel slopes diagonally downwards on all sides, thus neatly framing the dial. The case’s satin-finished middle part isn’t on a bias: it runs straight as an arrow together with the comparatively long strap lugs required by the tonneau-shaped case. The back echoes the bezel’s surface texture: it too is biased and polished along its perimeter. The flat central part of the back, into which the sapphire crystal pane is set, has been satin finished.

The cases of the other two Test candidates make delicate impressions thanks to their soft forms. The soft appearance is primarily due to the fact that both cases transition directly, in smoothly flowing lines, into the strap lugs. The art deco exploding numeral dials on the J. Chevalier and Limes watches are good matches for the tonneau-shaped cases, but somehow we can’t help feeling that their designers must have had visionary dreams that involved Franck Muller the night before they committed these babies to paper. (Oh well, nothing comes out of nowhere. The folks at Franck Muller were influenced by 1920s-era Patek Philippes.) Although their look isn’t exactly what you might call unprecedented, both models are unquestionably successful from an aesthetic point of view. There’s a slight difference in the positions of the date displays: Limes has its date window beside the "3," while J. Chevalier puts its date immediately above the "6."

This particular item reflects a chapter in Oris’ history. Founded in 1904, the company first introduced hand-indicated monthly calendars into its collection in 1938. Ever since, Oris has always offered models with the familiar red crescent on their date displays. The attractive visual effect produced by a hand-type date display is sometimes a disadvantage because it can crowd the dial and get in the way of the watch’s main function, which is telling the time of day. Fortunately, Oris has wisely chosen to dispense with a lot of other indicators and thus succeeded in giving its Classic Tonneau an eminently legible face. The 31 days of the month clearly occupy the focal point, and anyone needing a watch that delivers the time with to-the-second accuracy would be advised to opt for a different model.

As for the J. Chevalier: The mineral crystal case back is allows a good look at the familiar ETA caliber 2892-A2, embellished with a lovely cloud pattern. A closer look into the movement, however, reveals the sad fact that the plastic movement-holder ring fits so loosely that the caliber inclines towards the side of the case that lies opposite the crown and is kept there only by the winding-stem. The stem won’t suffer any damage if the watch is treated gently after its back has been removed, but anyone opening the case should be careful not to allow any of the organs to shift position. As far as decorations are concerned, there are a few blued screws; the rather superficial sun-pattern work has been executed without much clarity.

Adjusted in six positions, the movement inside the J. Chevalier model scored second place, closely behind the High Mech 644 caliber that ticks inside the Oris. The average deviation in the J. Chevalier’s rate was a satisfactory 4.2 seconds, but the average amplitude of the balance (just 247 degrees) was somewhat too small. To ensure the stability of the watch’s rate, the arc traversed by this centrally important organ ought to be somewhere between 290 and 330 degrees. The High Mech 644 is actually a revamped ETA 2836-2 basic caliber. Oris rebuilt the ETA device to give their watch a small seconds subdial beside the "9" and a hand-type date display. It’s a pity, however, that the gold-plated rotor lies hidden from the potentially admiring eyes of its beholder behind an opaque back. Although the Oris has been adjusted in only two positions, this fine-tuning was so meticulous that its average rate deviated by just four seconds per day. With each swing, the balance arcs through an average amplitude of 262 degrees. The combination of good adjustment and a generous amplitude gave this model the best running performance of our Tested trio.

A gaze through the sapphire crystal case back of the Limes model reveals plenty of auspicious details: blued screws, Geneva Waves on the rotor and cloud-pattern embellishment on the movement. Limes was able to do without a movement-holder ring because the cavity for the ETA caliber 2824-2 has been perfectly milled from the interior of the case. Two screws ensure that the well-fitting movement never shifts position within its case. In our running test, however, the Limes couldn’t quite hold its own against its two competitors. Its average rate deviation was 6.8 seconds per day: more than two seconds more than that scored by the other two models.

As far as the wristbands and clasps go, J. Chevalier opted for an upholstered band and a folding clasp, while Oris and Limes relied on cut leather wristbands and pronged buckles. In both cases, the firm’s logo decorates the buckle. Limes punches the firm’s name into the buckle, while Oris prefers slightly raised embossing for its characteristic insignia. The folding clasp on the J. Chevalier model is solidly crafted, but its joints make a somewhat rickety impression that seems to presage a short life span. We must report that during our Test one of the crosspieces between the wristband and the clasp came loose without having been invited to do so. A hypoallergenic material is glued and sewn onto the underside of the wristband. The glue has not been neatly applied and the layers have already begun to part company, even though the watch is still nearly new. This suggests that the edges of the wristband will soon begin to look rather unattractive. Of the two cut bands, the one belonging to the Limes watch has been more carefully crafted than its competitor. The Oris wristband isn’t bad, but its upper leather seems a trifle thin. The lacquering on the cut edges isn’t absolutely accurate – a shortcoming that distinguishes moderately priced, cut wristbands from their more costly, upper-class cousins.

As we hinted at the outset, at first glance each of the three Test candidates share a lot in common, but closer scrutiny shows that there are some serious differences. Limes shines with an elaborately crafted case and a great price. J. Chevalier’s model offers luminosity. The Oris timepiece not only scored the best results in our running test, but also embodies several advantages in its design. These will no doubt be the factors that potential purchasers will weigh when they consider which model to buy.