Heinrich Taucher Lume Infused Forged Carbon Review

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Heinrich Taucher Lume Infused Forged Carbon

Have you ever wanted a watch but felt the name was too short? I mean, Tudor Pelagos? How bout the Heinrich Taucher Lume Infused Forged Carbon V2? Now that’s a name. That name takes a bit to say and holds people’s attention. All jokes aside, and I’ll be saying Heinrich Taucher from here on out, but yes it’s a long name, and this watch has a long list of features.

The style is retro or vintage-inspired, with a squarish angled case design, a spectacular bracelet, domed box crystal, and a forged carbon fiber dial and bezel insert. Inside is a regulated Sellita SW200-1 Élaboré movement and there are two colors, the brown shown in this review, and a blue model (I’ll drop a pic below), and they are limited to 75 pieces per color. These watches offer a lot at just under $1000, but is it just right or too much?

Specifications

• 41mm Stainless Steel Case
• 47mm lug to lug
• 14mm thick with crystal 12.3mm without (measured from the middle of the case back)
• 20mm lugs
• 171.8 grams
• Forged Carbon Dial and Bezel insert
• Domed Top Hot Sapphire 
• Sellita SW200-1 Elabore Movement
• No date movement and adjusted in 4 positions
• 200m Water Resiistant
• Stainless Steel Multi-link bracelet
• Quick adjustment clasp

Price $946 USD

https://heinrich.watch/en-us/pages/taucher-forged-carbon-limited-edition-v2

Now what do I mean by too much? The Heinrich Taucher in this configuration is what some may call gaudy or a little flashy. Not in the sense of diamonds or gold but with the fine multi-link bracelet, the knurled bezel and crown, the large indices, and that almost camouflage pattern of the forged carbon fiber dial and bezel insert, it is a little loud, or at least not a fly under the radar type of watch. This one will get noticed. Is that a bad thing? I don’t believe so, especially if you are looking for something that isn’t traditional or to stand out in your watch collection.

The case is vintage inspired, that square cushion case design with short but prominent down-turned lugs, and the case is all brushed except for the polished chamfer that runs the top edge of the case down into the lugs. It’s just enough to give a little dimension to the case and break up the brushed finish. The bezel edge is all knurled to match the large 6.8mm crown and the lugs are drilled for easy removal of the bracelet or the strap.

When it comes to functionality, my example had a little wobble on the crown, but I do believe this was a sample piece pulled for reviews and photography so I am hoping the issue is just contained to this example. The bezel insert is forged carbon fiber as well, and that outer knurled grip is very easy to grasp and turn, it has 120 clicks and turns easily but is firm, there is some back play, but there is spring catching it, almost like a rubber band feeling, where it stops. The bezel does not easily move out of place and it does not feel loose at all, but it is an interesting feeling bezel in that regard.

But with a watch like this lumed and forged carbon Heinrich Taucher, the star of the show is that dial and bezel. This brown dial is mixed with shards of forged carbon and every dial will look different and unique. The brownish-orange color is a great choice as it’s not a color seen often, the same as the blue they chose, and again, it stands out. The indices are applied and the teardrop 12,3, 6, and 9 are pulled from vintage watches from the late 60s and early 70s, and they were on the Esoteric watch I reviewed about 4 years ago, albeit with a sandwich dial. The dial has the prominent lion shield logo, and while not my favorite, I do like how they integrated the name. It somewhat reminds me of a door knocker though.

The other big deal with this particular Heinrich Taucher is the lume, and there is a lot of it, and in some places, you wouldn’t expect it. The markers on the bezel and the dial, as well as the hands, use BGW9 SuperLumiNova, and a lot of it. I mean, this is GRADE A lume here. This not only glows brightly but it will last all night, especially on the indices and hands. Truly well done lume.

But beyond that, there is lume on the dial and bezel as lume is applied to the brown color, and in the dark, this turns a radiant red color. Unfortunately, it does not last long and begins to fade rather quickly, but when its initially charged, it is one unique looking watch in the dark for sure.  And if that wasn’t enough, you’ll find some wavy strips of lume around the outer bezel edge.

Inside this Heinrich Taucher is a Sellita SW200-1, modified to remove the date and adjusted in-house by Heinrich in 4 positions. Covering that movement is what I consider a gorgeous case back. While I may not be in love with that lion logo, I just love everything about this case back. The bar goes across the back, the brand name and logo, and the ocean waves are engraved with black enamel paint. To me it is stunning and a case back I would be showing off to onlookers watch.

Then there is the bracelet and I don’t know what to call this bracelet. It’s like a bunch of bracelets rolled into one. The small individual links remind you of mesh bracelets, yet combined with the outer links it has that beads of rice look to it, and it reminds me of bracelets used on Accutron VX-200 bracelets from back in the mid-2000s. All this is to say I dig the look, and with these links being individual and not soldered together, and the very small outer links, it allows for a comfortable fit.

You can see that the lion logo has made it to the clasp, along with the enamel black painting as well, and while I appreciate the cohesive branding, I am not sure how that black paint will hold up against scratches on a clasp, the area that takes most of the punishment, especially from us desk divers.

That said, this is a great clasp, easy to operate with the push of the buttons, and does have the on-the-fly micro adjustment that most microbrands are utilizing these days, to help you snug up or loosen for that perfect fit on the go.

On my 7 1/2 inch or 19.05cm wrist, this Heinrich Taucher is a joy to wear. I love the 41mm size, and this case shape just lends itself to being planted on the wrist, and even with that big crown, I don’t find it knocking into the back of my hand. That is probably due to that bracelet as well, as you can size it perfectly to your wrist, and not have it sliding around or moving, while still not being too tight. And don’t fret, if you have a larger wrist, this is a big bracelet, and will easily fit an 8-inch (20.32cm) wrist if not larger.

I wasn’t overly familiar with Heinrich before this review, but I can see why they are getting a lot of praise in the microbrand groups.  like the basic design of the Heinrich Taucher, the bracelet, this retro-inspired case and I do dig the knurling on the crown and bezel. Those dial indices are pretty sweet as well and a look on the website, there are a few models that are what I consider more subdued than this one, which are more my speed these days.

But that is not what this one is about. It is lume-infused forged carbon fiber. This is meant to stand out and be funky and it certainly does! There’s no doubt it is fun and funky and overall well crafted and while it may not be for me, it might be for you, or anyone who wants something outside the norm.