As I relax on this Fourth of July weekend, I find myself thinking of France. That country has given us so much over the years: arms to win our independence, the Statue of Liberty, the sparkling wine we make in California that we can’t legally call “Champagne” because it isn’t produced in the Champagne region of France. All great stuff. Today, I’ll add Charlie Paris watches to that list. I have been wearing a Charlie Paris Concordia Automatic on and off for a couple of weeks now and while it may not change the course of history, stand as a monument to freedom, or tickle your nose, it is a delightful watch that is well worth your consideration.
The Concordia is assembled in Besançon, France and it is first and foremost a tool watch. Charlie Paris developed it to accompany adventurer Matthieu Tordeur on his solo journey to cross the Antarctic. Tordeur and his Concordia traveled nearly 1150km over 52 days in temperatures down to -50° C. You will find a tribute to the journey memorialized on the Concordia’s case back.
The Concordia is anti-magnetic, water resistant to 300m, and for all practical purposes, impervious to cold. A 3mm domed and anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal tops it off. Inside, is a Swiss Soprod PO24 movement, a 25-jewel, 28.8k bph workhorse based on the ETA 2824.
Tough as it may be, the watch is rather dapper too. The 40mm wide, 47.5mm long case is brushed and polished with vertical sides, a beveled edge, and tightly tapered lugs. At 12.5mm thick, it presents a profile just low enough to wear under a buttoned cuff. I thought it worked well on my 6.75″ wrist.
It does not stray far from a traditional dive watch aesthetic. Those applied markers follow a classic dots-and-bars layout. Like the faceted handset and paddle second hand, the makers are polished and filled with Superluminova. The coin-edged, 120-click bezel possesses perfect action; not too firm, not too loose, and absolutely zero play.
The most curious element on the Concordia is its tapered crown. It looks nice but with its wide base and small head, it is the exact opposite of what would expect for an item that must be operated by a fingertip pinch. I was able to hook it with my fingernail and it worked just fine but it is a case of form over function that would have been better avoided.
Charlie Paris packed a fair bit of printing on that deep blue dial but all is properly balanced, from the crane logo at the top to the two red lines of secondary text below the model name. As a result, it does not appear too busy or cluttered. I appreciate the properly beveled 6 o’clock date window as well.
In addition to the blue model featured here, Charlie Paris offers the Automatic in black and a lovely ombré brown called Dune (sold out at the moment). You can choose various straps as well. The review sample arrived on a 20mm blue nylon with quick-release pins and a signed buckle. It accentuated the tool aspect of the watch. Of course, you can easily dress it up with your own leather strap but I’d recommend plumping the extra $52 for the brand’s fitted three-link bracelet and diver’s clasp.
The Charlie Paris Concordia Automatic sells for $776.83 on the strap and $828.97 on the bracelet. If you need for a handsome tool watch that will take you from the frozen wasteland to a Sunday brunch with equal panache, then the Concordia is certainly worth a look.
