Heritor are a relatively new fashion watch manufacturer. One of those smaller watch brands from a new generation that has popped up over the past decade. I've looked at the range of Heritor watches available and picked out a few of the interesting models for a closer look in our Heritor review.
After examining the whole range and doing my own research, I found some interesting designs. They specialise in using an interesting analog dial that takes classic watch styles and adds something. They prefer an automatic movement and they are definitely worth your consideration. As long as you don't pay MSRP (more on that later).
I have mixed feelings about the brand. Part of me knows they undoubtedly make some quality watches, and they are proud of their surgical quality stainless steel, but I feel their marketing and business policy let them down.
But there are exceptions. The Heritor Antoine Automatic is a dress watch I like, and it's available at a price I can accept. It is simple and stylish, with just enough personality to be interesting.
Want to read about Heritor and a few of their watches? Time to get down to it!
I have chosen the Aura Semi-Skeleton Automatic as the first of the designs for this Heritor watches review because its enamel dial design is both striking and a nod to traditional craftsmanship techniques. It makes this a watch with style.
The Aura has a stainless steel case. At 44mm diameter and 17mm thickness, it is quite a big watch and you'll need to check if it fits on smaller wrists. One of the reasons for the thickness is the hinged caseback. They have enameled the cover like the dial and beneath is a display window for the automatic movement.
The crystal is Heritor's sapphire coated mineral crystal, and this is not the same as actual sapphire crystal. Although it should be more scratch resistant than the plain mineral version.
The movement is a 20-jewels automatic movement from China and rumor has it that it loses at least a few seconds a month. But I've not seen any reports of reliability issues.
This watch's strong point is its look. It might be a love it or hate kind of thing. But you can't deny the dial and bezel attract attention. The enamel mosaic is fun and stylish at the same time. The detailed bezel is striking and finished well. The case and dial go well with the leather strap it comes with. But I've heard it's not comfortable over time so you might want to change the standard leather strap.
The day and date sub-dials are a useful and can be read well enough. The small skeleton dial window at the six position isn't really big enough to get a proper look at the mechanism, but it does add another attention grabbing detail.
My concern comes with the price point (as it does for all of Heritor's watches). It's RRP is a ridiculous $1200 dollars. For that price there are so many better watches, that this would never get a look in. But even the prices I've seen it at (around $650-$750) are steep and I couldn't recommend it.
The Heritor Edgard Diver's Watch is a good-looking timepiece. It comes in five different color combinations for the bezel and dial. All of which are striking and give the watch character.
It has a stainless steel case and bracelet. The caseback has a display window.
Some of the Heritor automatic watches come with a Chinese automatic movement, but not this one. This has the reliable Seiko NH35 Japanese automatic movement that is accurate and used in several third-party watches, as well as Seiko's presage and Prospex ranges.
It has 200m water resistance, a unidirectional bezel, good lume on the hands and hour markers, and a screw down crown, so it should be good for at least swimming. And Heritor do call it a professional diver on their site.
The stainless steel strap is in keeping with the rest of the watch and comes with a push-button fold over clasp.
But again, at this price (around $600 dollars on Amazon) I just can't help feeling there are better alternatives. When a Citizen Promaster Dive costs less than $250 and a Seiko SKX007 costs less than $500, why would you?
My final selection is the Heritor Antoine Automatic. It is a stylish dress watch at a better price (around the $300 mark on Amazon).
It is another Heritor automatic and its casing is stainless steel. And also like the others, it comes with a variety of analog dial and strap options, including different colors and a leather strap. (My personal favorite is the white watch face, but I also like the umber face and leather band.)
At 42mm diameter and 13mm thick, it is not the smallest dress watch. But it should still slide under most shirts. It is fitted with Seiko's NH39 24-jewel automatic watch movement, so it should be reliable and reasonably accurate.
The 24 hour sub-dial and the 9 position display window add just enough detail to keep the dial interesting without making it busy. And the simple Arabic numbers at 12 and 6 are in keeping with the simplistic dress watch style.
Of all the watches I've mentioned here, this one is the one I feel happiest recommending. At a price of around $300 dollars (Not Heritor's ridiculous $1000+ MSRP) and with a well-known movement, this is much more competitive and it holds well against other mid-priced dress watches. Like all things with dress watches, it will come down to personal taste. But at least this is a valid alternative.
In this range, they are alternatives to the Heritor automatic movement options I've outlined above.
If you're looking for an alternative dive watch, I'll give you a hand. One I like is the Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Diver. It has lots of pros and not many cons. With a robust design and distinctive look, it's a true diver with 200m water resistance, screwdown crown, lumed markers, numerals on the unidirectional bezel and a good resin strap.
A small date window at the four position adds a design detail to the black face, and Citizen's Eco-drive means you'll never have to worry about charging.
An alternative dress watch that never fails is the Tissot Le Locle. An elegantly simple dial and case matched with silver roman numerals and minute markers on a black patterned dial is a stylish and simple design.
Tissot's Powermatic automatic movement gives an 80 hour reserve and is reliable. The watch is matched with a comfortable leather strap and butterfly clasp.
Heritor. In my experience, if you say that name to watch collectors or read a few posts and reviews on the internet, you get two responses: who? or hmmm. Neither is very reassuring.
Who? is a valid response. Heritor are a relatively new brand in the game, and it takes time to build a brand.
But the skeptical hmmm is because of the business model Heritor use. Like a lot of new watch companies, they use off-the-shelf parts and add their own design twists. And that is fine. As I say, it's standard practice.
Where people are less happy is the sales method they apply. They set their watch RRP's to abnormally high levels, but give retailers complete freedom to set their own prices. This means that you will see lots of Heritor's at what appear to be heavily discounted prices. It's a well-known tactic: a marketing opportunity that makes you feel you're getting value — who doesn't like a watch at 50% off.
The issue is, a Heritor watch isn't worth the original retail price. They use Chinese movements in some of their watches (not that this is bad in itself, but they do have a different price point), most of their crystals are what they call sapphire coated mineral crystal, and some of their genuine leather watch straps are actually thin outer layers with a foam core.
So, if you're paying $1000 dollars for a watch, you want Rolex not Timex and you'd be dismayed. BUT, if you were paying $300 dollars for the same watch, it's a different ballgame and you might be happy. (Depending on the alternatives available, of course)
A Heritor at $150-$300 dollars, is as good a watch as most in that price range. While I don't agree with their business model, I think as long as you know what they are up to, you can make your own decision.
And that's why I reviewed them the way I did—with an estimate of what the watch is worth, not what the RRP say it is. That way, if you find one at a good price, it's still a good buy and you can make an informed decision.
That's our Heritor watches review. At the end of the day, you'll have to make your own mind up about Heritor watches. Personally, I think they have made some good designs with style and quality. Their watches match other brands in the lower-mid-range and have some nice touches.
I'm just not sure they can live up to their own motto 'Generation to Generation'. I wouldn't bet on a Heritor lasting a lifetime.
They have let themselves down as a company by their business practices. I think it treats a customer poorly. It's a legacy I don't like. They are part of the Resultco group, a world spanning distribution conglomerate, and they use similar tactics across all their collections.
That said, there are pros as well as cons. A few Heritor watches are available for a reasonable price. Then, you just need to evaluate them against what you 're after. They do offer a two-year warranty on all timepieces in their collection.
For me, I'll keep an eye on Heritor and see how things develop.