Review: the new Dumoreau DM02

Review of the new Dumoreau DM02, a new micro-brand (founded in 2020). We had the watch on loan and lived with it a fortnight for this review.

Review: the new Dumoreau DM02

The Dumoreau DM02 will have a retail price of USD 1,250. Pre orders are now open at their website for April 2023 delivery.

Dumoreau

Dumoreau is a new micro-brand founded in Huntingdon Beach, California. Their first watch was the DM01, which had a tonneau shaped case with integrated bracelet. The DM01 featured a Miyota movement and the founder Carlo Aiello claims is assembled in California. The DM02 is their second product to be introduced, and is a classical dress watch in 39mm.

Carlo is an architect and product designer, and worked on large scaled projects. Dumoreau is the application of his design instincts, but at a different scale to the skyscrapers that he is involved in. The design principles remain the same as those that he uses for the architecture projects. He is also known for his Parabola Chair, in which he won the Red Dot Award and Good Design Award. The chair is a part of the permanent collections of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design. 

The case, dial and hands

The DM02 is the fruition of the application of his design sensibilities to a dress watch. The DM02’s aesthetics is particularly appealing, and the choice of using a composition of compound curves that flow from the crystal to the case back is one aspect. The proportions chosen are also very pleasing to the eye. And the overall look of the watch is rather sophisticated and we think quite beautiful.

The case is a standard round case with twisted lugs which blend into the case beautiful. The stainless steel case is finished in a a high polish, and exhibits the curves very well. The dial is very classical. Three versions are offered. And our review sample is the very classical white/silver edition, with the other variants in salmon and black. A total of 300 pieces will be made in all dial variations.

The dial is a two piece construction with concentric circies at the center and a brushed peripherial ring bearing the arabic hour markers with a railway track for the minutes. The choice of the font is deliberate and offers a contenporary feel to the watch. The hands are large, heat-blued steel leaf shaped hands and these are long enough for the hour hand to prescribe a circle just touching the edges of the hour markers, and the minute hand extending to the minute track. This is a very classical design choice.

According to Carlo, the option to use a center sweep seconds hand which is long and slender and also blued is to position the sweeping motion over the concentric circies of the dial is inspired by the Japanese Zen gardens.

The movement

The case back is open to show the Sellita SW210-1 movement. The movement is rather bog standard, and is only lightly decorated with Geneva stripes on the main plate, and is finished with snailed crown wheel, snailed rachet and blued screws. While we cannot say that we are impressed with the movement finish, we will also say that we were not disappointed as well. This is a reasonable finish of a good engineering level for a watch which has a (circa) USD 1k price point.

The DM02 is equipoped with a choice of leather straps made in Italy by the atelier of Matteo Torre. The review sample came fitted with supple black Saffiano leather strap with a nice texture.

Concluding thoughts

Overall the Dumoreau DM02 is a beautiful looking and very classical dress watch. We enjoyed the look very much and wore it with all manner of outfits from casual to business formal with good effect. The build quality is quite good, and the design looks very well coordinated and sophisticated. The 39mm diameter with the 9.5mm case height is quite a nice size, and the curvature of the lugs hugs the wrist comfortably.

At this pricing level, we found little to criticise, and the Moreau DM02 comes with a recommendation from us.