Disclaimer: this video/review was not sponsored by Selten or any other entity.
Correction: in the review video, I refer to this watch as the Flare, but it is part of the Swirl Grand Feu Enamel collection and not the Flare. The Flare has a straight sunburst style texture, whereas this has a textured swirl pattern instead.
Video
Review
At this point, I don’t think the Selten brand needs much of an introduction, as I’ve already reviewed the Series 00, Salvage Bronze, and two M1 Moonphase watches over the last two years. Selten is a brand I genuinely want to see succeed because I believe they have a great attitude toward running a microbrand watch business. They are consistently engaged in gathering feedback, and in the short time they’ve been around, I’ve seen their products improve exponentially in build quality, and finishing. Their designs also seem to be getting more refined, and I’m starting to see a distinct design ethos take shape across their lineup,which isn’t always the case with micro-brands.
While the previous watches were priced in the $1,000-and-under range, the watch we’ll be looking at today in this particular configuration is priced at $2,150 USD. But don’t be alarmed… there is much more here than initially meets the eye, and Selten has ensured that this watch delivers significant value, even in a price range that is twice their usual.
This is the new Selten Grand Feu Enamel Swirl, and the dial we’re looking at is the Moonstone. This particular configuration includes an on-the-fly adjustable leaf spring-style deployant clasp and a hand-engraved rotor, which are $150 and $100 additional upgrades, respectively.
Let’s check it out!
Case
I measured the case to be 38.5 mm in diameter, 45 mm from lug tip to lug tip, 45.5 mm across the end links, and 11 mm in overall thickness. The case design is stylistically identical to the M1 Moonphase, though some dimensions have changed slightly, namely a longer lug-to-lug width and a slimmer profile.
The case is made entirely of stainless steel and features excellent finishing. Selten seems to have made major improvements in manufacturing and finishing since their first watch, as seen in recent models like the Swirl and Moonphase, which are on par with the best micro-brands today.
While the case design of the Swirl and Moonphase isn’t radically unique, certain design choices make it more engaging than other watches like the Vitreum FH01. The case looks great, though nothing about it is particularly distinctive, even as the brand continues to refine its design language, especially with its dials.
I love the use of a concave polished bezel, which begins with a narrow flat polished section that drops into a high-polished concave area before meeting the brushed mid-case with well-executed polished bevels. The lug width is 20mm but there are two sets of holes, so I decided to use the holes closer to the case and use a curved end strap, which I think looks great.
There is a 6 mm push-pull crown at the 3 o’clock position that is easy to grip and operate. Unlike their first watch, the Series 00, this crown is much easier to handle, and the improved size and design are a big step up. It also looks great and stands out from the more generic micro-brand crowns.
Flipping the watch over, there’s an exhibition case-back with a slightly concave border echoing the bezel. It is secured to the mid-case with four screws. The watch is rated for 50 meters of water resistance. While this is primarily a dress watch, the case design gives it a sportier feel than the rating suggests.
Dial
As with all Selten watches, the most impressive aspect of this piece is the dial. This isn’t surprising, given that the brand’s founder, Leonardo Tsai, comes from a family involved in watch manufacturing, particularly in dial work. With his own brand, Selten, he brings an artisanal approach to his dials, like the indie watchmaker-inspired dial of the Series 00, the guilloché mother-of-pearl and Musou Black dials of the M1 Moonphase, and now this Grand Feu enamel dial.
The base of the dial is likely sterling silver, hand-engraved in a swirling pattern. The engraving looks stunning both to the naked eye and under close inspection. On top of this, multiple rounds of glass powder are applied and kiln-fired at around 800 degrees Celsius. The result is a rich enamel layer fused over the intricate engraving. As with all well-made enamel dials, the depth is outstanding.
Over the enamel surface are pad-printed elements in a silvery grey color. There is an outer railroad-style minute track, with large elongated Roman numerals at the cardinal points and bold ticks for the rest. The brand’s logo is pad-printed below 12 o’clock, and “Grand Feu Enamel” is printed inside the minute track at 6 o’clock.
The handset follows a style Selten seems to be adopting across their range. The hour hand, likely an observatory style, has a large recessed circle and pointed tip. The minute hand features a cylindrical stem with a curved-down tip that almost touches the dial, improving legibility and reducing parallax. The blued seconds hand also curves downward at its tip. I love the attention to detail, especially the brushed steel cap on the center stack of the seconds hand.
Overall, the dial is excellent, and photos do not do it justice. This may be the most subdued color among those offered, but it is no less impressive.
Movement
Both the Selten Series 00 and the Moonphase used Miyota movements, and I had no complaints about those movements given the prices, which were comfortably within the sub-750 USD range. I honestly wouldn’t have had a problem with those movements at this price point either, but I can understand why the brand chose to go slightly upmarket with the movement selection for this watch.
The Grand Feu Enamel Swirl uses a Swiss-made Soprod M100 automatic movement, which is based on the older Soprod A10. The A10 is nearly identical in dimensions to the well-regarded ETA 2892-A2. I have limited experience with Soprod movements, with my only long-term ownership being the Sarpaneva K3. The Soprod A10 in that watch was the one aspect I disliked, mainly due to its extremely poor winding efficiency, although that may have been caused by Sarpaneva’s custom rotor modifications.
This M100 has kept great time over the few weeks I’ve had it, running comfortably at +4 seconds per day, with a solid 42-hour power reserve and winding efficiency that is much better than the Soprod A10-equipped Sarpaneva I previously owned. Based on my limited experience with the M100 in this watch, I think it performs well and appears to be a higher quality movement than the A10.
For an extra $100 USD, Selten offers a beautifully hand engraved rotor like the one you see here. This might seem like a silly upgrade to a lot of people, but as someone who has to photograph the same generic rotor on the same generic movement at least 4-5 times a month, seeing something like this is a much more exciting experience, and the workmanship is excellent.
On The Wrist
The M1 Moonphase wore great on my wrist, and the dimensions seem to have only improved with the Swirl. The 38.5 mm diameter and 45 mm lug-to-lug distance fit perfectly on my 6.75″ wrist, and I’m glad Selten reduced the overall thickness to 11 mm with this release. I would have loved it if they could bring it under 10 mm, but these dials are thicker than traditional ones, so that might not be entirely feasible.
In terms of bracelets, I’ve never been a huge fan of their earlier designs. The finishing was always great, but the lack of on-the-fly adjustability was a bit of a letdown for me. I’m happy to report that the new bracelet addresses this and delivers an excellent on-the-fly adjustment experience. The design and engineering behind the solution are impressive. The end links have an outer shell and an inner structure, and the two pieces can shift by around 2 mm on either side. The result is an extremely sleek system with no change in form factor, and I applaud them for implementing such a clever design. The clasp has also been upgraded and now uses a leaf spring-style deployant clasp. Another upgrade is that the bracelet now uses screwed-in links, which makes sizing a lot easier.
If I had any remaining criticism of this watch, it would be the slight wiggle at the end links. There seems to be a small gap between the two components, resulting in a bit of movement. However, this may be an issue specific to the prototype bracelets, as the M1 and Series 00 had perfectly fitting end links.
Wrapping Up
I’ll wrap this up by saying that the landscape for accessible watches with handmade and artisanal dials is becoming very competitive. Brands like Oan Gio, Vitreum, Selten, Atelier Wen, and others are releasing watches that make traditionally expensive dial styles and materials available at prices that are far easier on the wallet. This makes it a wonderful time to be a collector or watch enthusiast, because we benefit when brands push the envelope to be more creative and deliver products with unique and impressive characteristics.
In that regard, I have a lot of hope for Selten. I’ve been a longtime supporter of the brand because I believe they have all the right ingredients to achieve escape velocity and become a more mainstream name with a much broader market. They just need to keep pushing the boundaries of design, materials, quality, and finishing as they’ve already begun to do. As they continue to develop their own unique voice, they’ll be hard to beat.
The Swirl is a great example of how a brand can successfully evolve from producing 400 to 500 dollar watches to making watches that cost 2,000 dollars, all while doing so in a way that doesn’t feel like a cash grab.
