Latest Review
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” It’s been 235 years since Ben Franklin wrote those words, and I think it’s fair to say he pretty much hit the nail on the head with them. That said, he lived in a different time, so I’d like to offer an update for 2024. “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and new Seikos.” Isn’t that better?
For the last five years or so, Seiko has slowly been expanding its lineup of mechanical chronographs, and nowhere is this more apparent than in its line of automatic Prospex Speedtimers. Last year, we saw that line expand with the introduction of the 1970s-inspired SRQ047 and limited edition SRQ049. This year, Seiko is building on that model’s success with a fresh pair of reverse panda–dialed chronographs, the SRQ051 and SRQ053.
The mechanical Prospex Speedtimer lineup is split into two distinct designs, a slightly dressier bi-register design somewhat reminiscent of the Hamilton Intra-Matic Chrono, though very much an interpretation of Seiko’s original chronograph, the 5719, and a tri-register layout with a sportier case. The SRQ051 and SRQ053 belong to the latter group and feel like the big brother to the immensely popular Solar Speedtimer chronographs we’ve seen iterated upon in the last few years.
These latest Seiko chronographs are well-sized, measuring 42mm across, 14.6mm thick, and 49.5mm lug-to-lug. Having spent some time with last year’s models, I can say that while these are not tiny watches, they wear nicely, and are well-proportioned and comfortable. Both models are powered by Seiko’s 8R48 chronograph movement, a vertical clutch, column wheel chronograph caliber introduced last year. With the 8R48, these new chronographs come with a 45 hour power reserve and are accurate to about +25 to -15 seconds a day.
The SRQ051 and SRQ053 introduce two new colorways to the Speedtimer line. Both drop the orange-tipped chronograph hands from last year’s releases in favor of red and drop the blue-gray colorway for… well, blue and gray (sort of). The SRQ051 has a reverse panda layout with a blue dial, silvery white subdials, a silver minute track, and a black tachymeter ring. The SRQ053 swaps the blue dial for black and the silvery white accents for what seems to be an off-white, but the watches are otherwise identical. Both models come on the same nine-link bracelet as last year’s releases.
The SRQ051 and SRQ053 will each retail for $2,500 and will be available as part of Seiko’s main catalog from October 2024. Seiko
