The Bravur Grand Tour Sprinter

What do Mark “The Manx Missile” Cavendish, Djamolidin “The Tasjkent Terror” Abdoujaparov, and André “The Gorilla” Greipel have in common? Nicknames that say something about their character and their profession — winning sprints. In pro cycling, sprinters are a different breed. They hide in the belly of the peloton, only to emerge in the final 300 meters of a race when they, sometimes very literally, go head to head. Reaching speeds up to 70 km/h, they look for gaps that seemingly aren’t there, but when they squeeze through anyway, glory awaits. Cavendish won a record number of 35 Tour de France stages, for instance, by being a bit faster in the last final centimeters of a 200km race than his rivals. The Bravur is now releasing the Grand Tour Sprinter just as the Giro d’Italia is getting underway — perfect timing.

This year’s Giro d’ Italia will see current top sprinters Paul Magnier (France), Jonathan Milan (Italy), and Dylan Groenewegen (the Netherlands) racing each other in at least six sprint stages. These guys are the powerhouses of their teams. Explosive and fearless, and no matter how tired they are after 200 kilometers of hectic racing, if they’re still in the peloton and a win is at stake, they will find the power in their legs to sprint with all their might. Bravur, the Swedish brand with a proven track record of producing cycling-themed watches, now introduces the Grand Tour Sprinter. This flamboyant, daring chronograph is befitting of a top sprinter, and it’s quite possibly the brand’s boldest creation to date.

Hands in the air with the Bravur Grand Tour Sprinter

The latest watch in the Grand Tour chronograph collection takes inspiration from sprinters and pays homage to them. That explains the use of green and purple. The best sprinter in the Tour de France collects the most points and gets to wear the green jersey, or maillot vert. In the Giro d’Italia, the leader in the points classification wears the purple jersey, or maglia ciclamino. The asphalt-like texture of the green main dial of the Grand Tour Sprinter and its purple sub-dials and bezel are flamboyant expressions of admiration for the sprinters in both famous stage races.

That said, the chronograph can also be ordered with a steel bezel if the purple aluminum inlay seems a bit over the top. But if you were a fan of Italian top sprinter Mario “Il Re Leone” Cipollini, you’ll probably want the one with the extra touch of purple. Cipollini won the points classification at the Giro d’Italia in 1992, 1997, and 2002. The extravagant sprinter also holds the record for stage victories in the Giro, with 42 wins.

Ultimo Chilometro!

More cycling references are the upside-down “13” marking 1 o’clock and the Super-LumiNova-filled triangular index marking 12 o’clock. The triangle resembles the flamme rouge, the red triangular banner marking the last kilometer of a race. When sprinters pass the flamme rouge, they get ready to unleash their power.

Speaking of power, the Grand Tour Sprinter gets its energy from a Sellita SW511 b automatic chronograph movement. It features 15-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters and boasts a 62-hour power reserve. The 4Hz movement sits inside a 38.2mm stainless steel case with an exhibition case back. Looking through it will reveal the custom rotor.

The Grand Tour Sprinter (€2,550 inc. VAT / US$2,550 ex. taxes), hand-built to order in Sweden, is available on a black rubber strap, a black perforated leather strap, or a three-row steel bracelet. FYI, if you pre-order the Sprinter now, it will be on your wrist by June. And if you do, you will get the newly developed steel bracelet at no additional cost. You’d better make a sprinter-like decision if you want that because the offer is only available until May 25th. Check it out at Bravur.

Watch specifications