Stealthy with a great dose of quality – The Sortie BH1000

There are a few watches that stick with you and the latest creation from Sortie, the BH1000, is one of them. It is hard to explain how a good design can impact the way you react to an object and I can say that this particular piece did something to my perception. For example, I am not a person who wears big watches, sure I do review them, but these days my sweet spot is 36mm or 34mm. And then when it comes case materials,  I love steel and more particularly when is done with a brushed finishing.

When I had the opportunity of reviewing the BH1000, I was going to go straight to the blue dial and eventually position the review around the watch being a pilot instrument to excuse its size. After all  there are people in our hobby that love bigger watches and I am ok with that. That said, the watch from Sortie is not big by any means at 40mm in diameter, I am just describing my current thinking.

Gladly, I was offered the Stealth Black version to review, and in my head this was a 'why not' moment. Sortie, being a British brands managed to send me their BH1000 as a next day delivery and to my surprise it was just perfect. The dial was immaculate, the fit was outstanding and the looks, well we will describe them afterwards.

Join me to discover bit by bit what the new kid on the block has to offer.

The specifications

As I mentioned, the 40mm in diameter do not feel large by any means, it is the limit for me but we also need to take into account other dimensions. The first one is the lug to lug distance which is 47.8mm in length making the BH1000 compact for everyday wear. The other one is the thickness or lack of it at 12mm, a good start for a tool watch.

Another point that I mentioned at the beginning of my semi small rant was that I do like my steel watches, the brushing mixed with polished surfaces, is an attractive composition and also the main reason why I am not so fond of all-black watches. That said, the BH1000 with its DLC black coating has a great mix of finishing on the side and top of the case, bezel and bracelets that mimic those bevels that I enjoy.

Another detail about all-black watches is that they tend to scratch and leave the steel exposed after years of wearing, not here, because the technique and finishing applied is outstanding. I did not put the BH1000 through its paces but I am sure that it would look pristine in years to come and in the end this is what we want form a luxury product. The DLC coating that the watch exhibits is not only stealthy as the name suggest but also different to other finishes I’ve seen around, is not a matte look trying to replicate ceramic, is a gloss brushed watch that feels like its own material, I quite like it.

The dial is where the BH1000 really shines because it has many elements going on but somehow they work harmoniously.

The watch has those traditional sword hands from pilot watches, after all the inspiration comes from there. Then we have dots and Arabic numerals to define the hours, a blackout date and a subseconds register at 9 o clock, the latter is done exceptionally well in terms of details, I hope the macro shots can make justice. Staying with the dial itself, the sunburst black has a bit of an effect making it look grey and sometimes even brown when its being put against light, it has quality on the printing that elevates the proposition to another level in terms overall feel.

Another thought that I had is that this could have easily been a monochromatic watch but thankfully the guys at Sortie decided to add a splash of light blue to the dial, looks great and breaks the pattern, it is a simple but effective touch.

We can also spot some other vintage traits on the watch like the half onion crown and the boxed sapphire crystal which creates distortion towards the edge of the dial, it is a modern watch but with small cues that get discover evetime you wear it.

The screw down crown controls the Swiss-made Sellita SW290-1 Elaboré Grade movement, it is automatic and offers 41 hours of power reserve. This last part could be my only grip as we are seeing power reserve increases in other watches at this price point (more on this later), but again this is a watch that is designed to be worn everyday so I am not worry about winding it, and with the added 150 meters of water resistance, it feels that the guys at Sortie really hit the spot.

On the wrist

Nothings comes clearer on why a watch is good until you wear it. There is no denying that lately that this hobby has become a more ‘’spec driven’’ and this is because of the amount of information out there. The BH1000 makes sense in paper but it doesn’t make justice on how good it is until you strap it on your wrist.

The lug to lug is great, this of course taking into account the size plus the thickness. The curvature of the lugs and the bracelet in full DLC just makes it feel like it is something truly special. There is a heft to the watch that I also enjoy, not too much but enough to make it feel luxurious.

Then we have the tolerances of the components, the watch feels made to perfection in terms of fit and finish, there are not visible gaps between the end links which drapes into the wrist. The 3 link design with small polished accent makes it  more dynamic and interesting.

There is a very clever system for the clasp extension which I’ve never encountered before. Inside the clasp, there a quick release pin and that allows you to navigate on the traditional side adjustments points that we all are familiar with. Also the benefit is that it keeps the clasp thin and light, it is an elegant uncomplicated solution which I wish more brands will use.

Wearing the BH1000 was easy, is not a cocktail watch nor does pretend to be but it blends better then I thought for casual occasions, I’ve took it for a spin to my office and it felt quite right in the environment. Sure the blue and green variants would feel more in line with today’s market, but we are here for something special and the Stealth Black did just that.

Legibility is another important part of a watch because there are plenty of them who claim to be aim at legibility first but design usually destroys this particular part. The BH1000 doesn’t fault here, it is very legible with the antireflective coating and superluminova application, it is bright and long-lasting. Also as mentioned there are plenty elements, but none of them clash, the work well under that domed crystal.

Concluding thoughts

This is a watch that is meant to be for the enthusiast community but I can see that it could be use for military applications. It is a very sturdy piece with a dose of charm that includes a professional spec sheet that cannot be ignored, much better than mainstream brands claiming heritage.

Coming to the price of the BH1000, the watch is offered at 1740 GBP in any of their 3 variants, they all come with bracelets and a true Pelican watch case which is a nice touch reminding you that there a tool nature on this watch, is not only a luxury item.

I believe that the BH1000 is a watch that you would enjoy a lot, it is made with upmost attention bringing the best partners possible to the table to create something unique with a different design language.

There are plenty of competition at this price bracket but would you rather have something different and well-made? or something more generic that you see every day? , well is your choice because I know where I will go.

For more information please visit: https://www.sortiewatches.com/products/bh1000-stealth

Technical specifications

·       Diameter: 40mm

·       Depth: 12mm

·       Lug-to-Lug: 47.8mm

·       Lug Width: 20mm

·       Black DLC-coated 316L stainless steel brushed with polished accents

·       Sapphire Crystal with anti-reflective coating. Exhibition window on the back

·       LumiNova® lume and turquoise blue accents.

·       Small second display features at 9 o'clock with quick-set date display

·       Swiss-made Sellita SW290-1 Elaboré Grade automatic movement

·       Automatic winding

·       Approx. 41 hours when fully wound

·       150 meters of WR