I bought this watch because I wanted to take a chance on something different. A wine-colored dial named after a Swiss grape variety, from an independent brand I'd been curious about for years. The Formex Essence FortyThree Gamaret looked stunning in photos—deep reddish-brown with a hand-applied fumé gradient that shifted from light at 12 o'clock to dark toward 6.
It didn't quite work out the way I hoped.
The watch itself is excellent. Well-made, comfortable, packed with genuine engineering. But the dial that drew me in online looks duller in person than I expected. That's the risk you take buying watches based on product photography, and this time the gamble didn't pay off.
The brand
Formex was founded in 1999 by two Swiss brothers in Biel/Bienne—the traditional heart of Swiss watchmaking. The name comes from "forme extrème," French for "extreme shape," reflecting the founders' background in motorsports. Their defining innovation is a patented case suspension system that places four springs between the upper and lower case halves, supposedly absorbing shocks and improving wrist comfort.
The company stayed in traditional retail distribution until 2016, when they shifted to direct-to-consumer sales. According to Formex, this allows them to skip expensive marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements, putting the money into materials and engineering instead. The current CEO, Raphael Granito, grew up working school holidays in his father's watch component company and learned the trade supplying parts to major Swiss brands.
Formex operates from their headquarters in Biel/Bienne, where watches are designed, developed, and assembled. They meet the stricter Swiss Made requirements that took effect in January 2017.
The Gamaret name
The dial color takes its name from Gamaret, a red wine grape created in 1970 by André Jaquinet at the Station Fédérale de Recherches en Production Végétale de Changins in Switzerland. Jaquinet crossed Gamay with Reichensteiner to produce a variety suited to the Swiss alpine climate. The grape was officially released for cultivation in 1991 and is known for producing dark, color-rich wines with blackberry and spice notes.
It's a thoughtful name for a Swiss watch with a burgundy dial. Formex says the fumé effect was inspired by observing how red wine appears lighter at the top of a glass and darker toward the stem. On top of the dial's vertical brush finish and CNC-machined horizontal lines, they hand-apply a color gradient to create that wine-glass effect.
The concept is better than the execution, at least in my experience. Online, the Gamaret dial looks rich and dimensional. On my wrist, in typical indoor lighting, it reads as a flat brownish-red. The fumé gradient is subtle to the point of being hard to notice. Your lighting conditions may vary, but I found it underwhelming compared to what I expected.
Case and construction
The Essence FortyThree measures 43mm in diameter with a 49mm lug-to-lug and 10.6mm thickness. At 22mm lug width, strap options are plentiful. The case is 316L stainless steel with a brushed finish and hand-polished chamfers on the bezel and case edges.
On my 7.5-inch wrist, the proportions work well. Not too big, not too small. The curved lugs help it sit flat, and the relatively thin profile keeps it from feeling chunky.
The signature feature is Formex's patented case suspension system—those four springs between the case sections that are supposed to absorb impacts and improve comfort. I'll be honest: I can't tell the difference. The watch is comfortable, but I couldn't say whether that's the suspension system or just competent case design with good ergonomics. It's an interesting engineering exercise, and I have no doubt it does something measurable in a lab, but I never noticed it during normal wear.
The movement
Inside is a Sellita SW200-1 in Chronometer grade, certified by COSC. Each movement undergoes 15 days of testing across five positions and three temperatures (8°C, 23°C, and 38°C), with the average daily rate required to fall between -4 and +6 seconds. According to COSC, approximately 3-5% of Swiss mechanical movements receive chronometer certification.
Formex specifies the Chronometer grade SW200-1, which uses a Glucydur balance wheel—an alloy that's hard, stable, non-magnetic, and corrosion-resistant. Power reserve is 38 hours, which is adequate but nothing special in 2024. The movement is decorated and fitted with a custom skeletonized rotor visible through the sapphire caseback.
Formex states they perform additional rate testing after assembly to verify the movement still meets COSC standards once cased. Each watch ships with its individual COSC certificate.
I didn't run my own timing tests on this piece, so I can't speak to real-world accuracy beyond noting that I never noticed any obvious timekeeping issues during the time I wore it.
Straps and clasps
I ordered the watch on the stainless steel bracelet and added the black rubber strap with carbon fiber composite deployant clasp as extras. Both use Formex's quick-release system—no tools needed to swap between them.
The bracelet is good. Solid links with screwed construction, brushed surfaces matching the case, and a micro-extension in the clasp for on-the-fly adjustments. It reflects the same finishing quality as the case.
The rubber strap was disappointing. It looks fine, but the carbon fiber composite clasp feels like plastic—because that's essentially what it is. Formex has built their reputation on precision metalwork, patented engineering, and Swiss manufacturing standards. Sending out a clasp that feels like it belongs on a fashion watch undercuts that message. Maybe it's a cost-saving measure, maybe the material performs better than it feels, but on a watch that emphasizes build quality, it was a strange choice. I don't wear it often enough to comment on long-term durability.
On the wrist
The Essence FortyThree wears comfortably at 43mm. The 10.6mm height slides under shirt cuffs without trouble, and the 49mm lug-to-lug fits my 7.5-inch wrist without overhang. On the bracelet, it has the heft you'd expect from a well-built steel sports watch.
The dial has BGW9 Super-LumiNova on the hands and indices. The date window at 6 o'clock uses a color-matched disc, which looks clean but can be harder to read at a glance than a white date wheel would be.
The problem, for me, is the dial color. The Gamaret's reddish-brown fumé looked sophisticated and distinctive in Formex's photography. In person, under normal lighting, it's muted. Not ugly—just not what I pictured. Red and burgundy dials are tricky. They photograph dramatically but can look muddy or dull depending on light conditions. I knew this going in and took the chance anyway. Lesson learned.
The verdict
The Formex Essence FortyThree is a well-engineered Swiss watch with genuine value at its price point. COSC chronometer certification, competent finishing, thoughtful strap-change system, and 100m water resistance in a comfortable 43mm package. The case suspension system is a genuine differentiator, even if its practical benefits weren't obvious to me during regular wear.
This particular dial variant didn't work for me. The Gamaret color looks better in photos than reality, at least in my experience. That's not a flaw in the watch—it's a reminder that buying based on product images is always a gamble. I'd wear the green or blue versions of this watch without hesitation. The burgundy just didn't deliver.
This one will likely leave my collection at some point. Not because there's anything wrong with it, but because I don't reach for it. Loving a watch and wearing a watch are different things.
