Worn & Wound
Seiko Looks to the Early 1970s for their Latest Speedtimer Release
When we last checked in on Seiko’s Speedtimer line, we saw it in an unusual execution that made us think (fondly, for the most part) of funky watches from the 80s and 90s. Like their dive watches, Seiko’s chronographs have run the gamut over the years from the straight laced and traditional to the truly absurd, but unlike the brand’s dive watches, the chronos have never truly become ubiquitous. Nevertheless, there have been some wonderful chronograph designs from Seiko over the years, and a new release looks to a classic from the 1970s as inspiration. This one is just slightly more traditional than the reference linked above. The SRQ047 is a three register chronograph with a tried and true “panda” dial execution. The white main dial here is a gentle cream color with a subtle vertical brushing, and blue-gray subdials each have raised outer rings on their perimeters, providing depth to the dial as a whole. The orange tipped chronograph second hand and panda layout are both callbacks to specific features from the vintage Speedtimer from 1972 that served as design inspiration. The case is 42mm in stainless steel, and measures 14.6mm thick. It borrows its case lines as well as the unusual bracelet design from the original 1972 Speedtimer. The watch runs on the 8R48 automatic chronograph movement, which features both a column wheel and vertical clutch. It has 45 hours of power reserve with a minutes-hours-running seconds configuration at the 9, 6, and 3 positions. ...