Hands-On: Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono

For those who have not gone on holiday yet and are still wondering what watch to bring, this could very well be an interesting little article. Let me introduce you to the Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono. This watch is an instant feel-good object if you ask me. And more good stuff comes to light when you learn more about this particular Super Chrono.Before I discovered the watch's exact name, the Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono (BVSS002.M) had already hooked me with its looks. Something about the combination of light blue and beige gets me. The color combo needs to be in small doses, though. One beige and one light blue sub-dial on the background of a grainy, very dark blue dial is part of the winning formula. Who knew? Well, the people at Crafter Blue did. But what about the name with the word Macaron in it?The vacation-ready Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super ChronoAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, a macaron is a small round cake with a meringue-like consistency, made with egg white, sugar, and?powdered?almonds?and consisting of two?halves?sandwiching?a creamy filling. I knew that, but I had to check. The watch’s name got me thinking macaron could also mean something else. Extensive research, however, taught me that a macaron is just a macaron and nothing else. Well, and a Crafter Blue watch, that is.Crafter Blue says the Macaron Super Chrono has a captivating macaron color scheme. I guess the designers must have had a chewy cookie with a pale blueberry top, a darker blackberry bottom, and sweet beige almond filling on their minds when devising this watch.Is it as sweet on the wrist as it looks?The Macaron Super Chrono’s foundation is a 316L steel case measuring 42mm in diameter, 51mm in length, and 13.4mm in thickness. That nicely swooping case with polished and brushed surfaces has a 20mm lug spacing. More importantly, it features a screw-down crown, screw-in case back, and a 100m water resistance rating. That's vital information when determining whether this Crafter Blue is an ideal holiday watch.The watch also has a domed sapphire crystal over a rugged-textured navy dial showing beige Arabic numerals and markings, white stick hands with Old Radium Super-LumiNova, and a date window at 6 o'clock with a creamy beige outline. A matching beige sub-dial at 3 o’clock is a 24-hour indicator, while the baby blue sub-dial at 9 o'clock counts the chronograph’s elapsed minutes up to an hour. Surrounding all this is a steel bidirectional 12-hour bezel.A meca-quartz traveling watchWhile the origins of the Macaron part of the name of this particular Crafter Blue chronograph might remain a bit of a mystery, the Bon Voyage part certainly won’t. Its aesthetic brings vintage pilot’s watches and traveling to mind. Most often, pilots fly with people who are going on a holiday. And what’s one thing people say when wishing others a great vacation? That’s right, “Bon voyage!”? Powering the Macaron Super Chrono the reliable and accurate Seiko VK64 meca-quartz caliber. For those allergic to the jerking quartz beat, there's good news: the Macaron doesn't feature a running seconds hand. Because of the movement's hybrid mechanical chronograph structure, operating the pump pushers ensures a smooth and mechanical-like sweeping of the chronograph’s seconds hand. This caliber also allows that hand to reset instantly.Have your Macaron and eat it tooFor many, the price of a watch is the deciding factor in whether it is a proper vacation piece. Looks, functionality, and versatility are often of lesser importance. So, without further ado, here's the price of the Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono. It costs US$255. That's $20 less than you pay for a certain Bioceramic quartz chronograph. That plastic watch might come in the color of your favorite macaron, but its water resistance is inferior, and it doesn't come on a genuine Italian leather strap like Crafter Blue's steel Macaron does.Speaking of the strap, leather is not ideal for warm summer vacations involving water fun. Luckily, the strap has quick-release spring bars, and finding a more water-resistant 20mm strap is easy. On top of that, a strap of your choosing makes the watch an even more personal object. Take a look at my Instagram to see what strap I put on the watch to make it completely vacation-ready.To answer the question raised in the headline, the Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono is indeed a sweet holiday deal you can't afford to miss. The price sure is nice, for instance. Yes, the flavor must be to your liking, but in the case of this Crafter Blue, I think you can have your Macaron and eat it too.For more information and availability of the Crafter Blue Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono, please visit the brand's official website. Watch specifications Brand Crafter Blue Model Bon Voyage Macaron Super Chrono Reference BVSS002.M Dial Navy blue with grainy texture, light blue and beige sub-dials, date window, beige printing, and white hands with Old Radium Super-LumiNova Case Material 316L stainless steel Case Dimensions 42mm (diameter) 51mm (lug-to-lug) 13.4mm (thickness) Crystal Domed sapphire Case Back Stainless steel, screw-in Movement Seiko VK64 meca-quartz chronograph Water Resistance 100 meters Strap Light brown Italian leather (20/18mm) with light blue vintage-style stitching, quick-release spring bars, and stainless steel tang buckle Functions Time (central hours and minutes, 24-hour register), date, and chronograph (60-minute register and central seconds), 12-hour bidirectional time-zone bezel Price US$255