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Alongside Seiko’s rich and ever-growing sporting heritage in the field of professional diving most of us are vastly familiar with throughout the Prospex collection, producing high-precision timing instruments has also been a forte for the Japanese brand as one of the earliest brands to produce an automatic chronograph in the watchmaking industry. That being said, Seiko introduces a series of six new stunning chronographs models to the Prospex line up, consisting of two mechanical models and four stunning solar-powered models that joins the collection.
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Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph Mechanical Full-Black - Ltd Ed 600pcs Ref. SBEC019 |
Inheriting a design inspired from some of Seiko’s most historical chronograps including the 1964 Crown Chronograph, Seiko’s and Japan’s first chronograph wristwatch, and the 1969 Seiko Speedtimer chronograph which was powered by the innovative in-house Cal. 6139 automatic chronograph movement, these new releases alluringly revisits Seiko’s prodigious tradition in sports timing while flexing their modern watchmaking expertise in producing some really good-looking, yet performance-oriented chronographs — Seiko definitely hit a home run with this one.
Seiko set a stage for themselves on a international level with the endorsement of their incredibly accurate time-measuring equipments by sports federations worldwide in many of the world’s leading sports events, this success was made possible with the incorporation of Seiko’s “heart-shaped cam” mechanism, a revolutionary development which delivered a level of precision once thought unachievable by manual sports timing devices. Following the release of the 1964 Crown Chronograph during the Summer Olympics, in May 1969, Seiko launched the Seiko Speedtimer, the world’s first mass-produced automatic chronograph timepiece driven by a column wheel and vertical clutch, an especially favored feature that became widespread in today’s scene of high-end chronograph watches. These were phenomenal watches that allowed Seiko to be established as one of the leaders in wristwatch chronograph technology, and these series of newly-released models certainly pays a strong tribute to the mighty performance and visual beauty of their eminent forefathers.
Seiko Calibre 8R46 with (MEMS) technology |
Constructed out of 316L stainless steel, the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph Mechanical Full-Black Ref. SBEC019 is presented in a well-built full black case with a rounded geometry alongside a set of compact and slender lugs that provide a comfortable fit on the wrist. Measuring in with a case diameter of 42.5mm, a thickness of 15.1mm and a lug to lug distance of 45.5mm, the watch pops with a ton of character with its bold sporty appearance. As expected from Seiko, finishing is executed immaculately, displaying an entirely brushed case contrasted with a brilliant highly-polished bezel. To further enhance scratch resistance, the case is treated with Seiko’s proprietary super-hard coating, preserving the sleek beauty of the fine case finishes.
The Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph takes on a different visual style compared to its previous iterations with a spectacular matte black dial that differs from the 1964 Seiko Crown Chronograph, Seiko’s and Japan’s first ever chronograph wristwatch, which marked the brand’s journey in manufacturing chronographs. Featuring painted red “ice-cream-on-stick” hour markers and Lumibrite-filled sword-style handsets, the dial bestow distinctive sporty elements than the original while incorporating it in an elegant bi-compax layout. The dial exhibits a pleasing symmetry with an overall balanced layout, featuring a 30-minute “roulette” counter at the 9 o’clock subdial, a running seconds subdial at the 3 o’clock position and a well-positioned date window at the 6 o’clock position.
Constructed out of 316L stainless steel with bi-compax layout dial |
Encompassed by a sloped black rehault for the tachymeter scale, the dial adopts a particularly sporty approach while leveraging on historical prominence of the 1964 Crown Chronograph. Regardless, functionality is not compromised with the tip of the chronograph second hand gently curving down towards the dial to be as close as possible to the dial’s markers, ensuring time can be read accurately at a glance. The dial is then complete with a dual-curved sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating on the underside.
At the heart of the 600 pieces limited edition Speedtimer Chronograph Mechanical lies Seiko’s latest and most advanced automatic chronograph caliber introduced in their 8R series of movements — the Seiko in-house Cal. 8R46. Featuring all the hallmarks of the Cal. 8R48 such as a vertical clutch and a column wheel for the highest levels of precision. The 8R46 movement’s performance is enhanced by the use of micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology to produce the escapement, resulting in an improved stability for the watch’s mechanical precision. Beating at a rate of 28,800 beats per hour (BPH), the movement houses an astonishing 34 jewels and a capable power reserve of approximately 45 hours. As a result of this new caliber, operation of the pump chronograph pushers feels incredibly gratifying with crisp and defined actuations.
Seiko's LumiBrite luminous |
Maker | Seiko Japan |
Movement | Caliber 8R46. Seiko Automatic. |
Accuracy range | +25/-15 sec per day |
Dial | Black |
Luminous | Lumibrite |
Case | Stainless steel (super hard coating) |
Crown type | Screwdown |
Lug width | 20mm |
Crystal material | Dual-curved sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating on inner surface |
Strap | Stainless steel (super hard coating) |
Water resistance | 100m |
Dimensions | 42.5mm in diameter, 45.5mm lug to lug, 50mm thick |
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Published by: Fahmi Ebrahim