This is love....
I fall in love with the Seiko Velatura SRQ001 for quite sometime. It was first introduced in Basel 2008 and made limited to 2000 unit only. I believe all has been officially sold out. Not sure whether you can get any BNIB from anywhere.So the pre owned unit is the best bet, and that is how I get it
The Seiko SRQ001 powered by 8R28 chronograh Seiko's in house unit. The movement come with 34 jewels, column wheel and vertical clutch for the chronograph function that ensure great efficiency and beat at 28,800 hz.. The power reserve stand at respectable 45 hours though I do hope it could last longer. One innovation that would make the swiss peole at awe would be the thin one piece three pointed hammer that allow all three chronograph hands reset instantly. Yuo can wind and hack the movement as well.
Praise from all around the world saying that this watch could beat any good swiss made in any day....My opinion, it is one hell of a movement
I love the overall design. The 45mm case is huge in size, but dont look too monstrous like those by Invicta. It is a good balance of size and design that would make it wearable even for those with tiny wrist. Moreover with my gigantic ......... sigh.....In fact this is the smallest 45mm I ever had.? Weird, well the case though monstrous does not look goes beyond your wrist size (albeit the chunky look) However one thing for sure the case is really thick.
The basic principle of the watch consist of having a cushion case, with big and non rotating bezel that differentiate the two. Bazel come with element of Carbon Fiber that add class and appearance to the watch.The dial is also made of carbon fiber.
On the case, the blue sub dial is for the second hand, whilst the two red subdial to measure time. The second counter on top of the hand and minute hands will start moving once the push button on the right hand side pushed. What make it unique, to avoid unintentional pressing of the counter, both start and reset pusher are guarded with screw. If you want to use the pusher, screw down the cap until you see the red line. If you want to turn it off, screw up the cap till the red line gone...at that stage you wont be able to press the pusher
I am not the big fan of the bracelet. I don't really like the black urethane center panel, but the overall feeling is right.It felt comfortable.I am surprised that they don't use any clasp lock like a diver watch. Perhaps it was never meant for the sport.
The watch come with nice certificate, personally signed by the C.E.O of Seiko.It is hand signed, not printed. I can only imagine the pain that come for signing 2000 certificate...That is hardcore but something I do appreciate.
This watch is like a dream come true, my first automatic chrono and my first true limited edition unit. (Other than my G Risemen)
FOLLOWING IS THE ADDITIONAL WRITE UP, TWO DAYS AFTER I GOT THIS WATCH
Previously I wrote about my Seiko Velatura but in general
term. The basic of how it looked like and the specification. Mostly internet
stuff. After a while, I feel obliged to continue my writing. To share about
what do I feel about this watch?
One could ask, with the price tag slapped on it, I could
have easily gone with the Ananta series or the Grand Seiko… or, I could get any
entry level swiss made…. They way I see it, you choose your watch base on
personality…. You understand what you
like more than others…if you were to invest on something you like, make sure
you like it not for the sake of following the crowd… The Velatura work fine
with me. The size, the design and the movement. And I love the fact that most
people wouldn’t know how much it would cost, unless you are a true WIS or so
happened you just visited a shop selling Vel which rather rare…(so I heard one
selling in bukit bintang now)…. Secondly, I don’t pay big money for this…I got
it at good price….hahahahha
Design
The Velatura, or Vel (as I always like to give girly name to
my collection) is not like any others. It doesn’t have the gorgeous looking of
Rolex watches, neither being sexy like Panerai. Instead it is very masculine in
style. The complex geometry, attention to details, materials used and the size
itself contribute to the macho looking. It is designed to suit male testosterone.
However despite the bulky size and look, it feels really comfortable on my
wrist. It stand firm and solid on my wrist. Almost majestic.
The case made of solid stainless steel and for sure there is
no lazy thought on it. Combination of brushed and polished technique from one
angle to another gives dramatic effect to the whole appearance. The comfortable feeling is direct result of
the cushion case. The curvature of the cushion case, allow it to perfectly wrapped
my wrist. In typical flat watch you watch would lay flat on your wrist but this
one feel that it really wrap you around firmly. I love the fact that even when I
make the bracelet a lil bit lose , most of the time the case stay at firm position.(I
really don’t like it when my watch is not at the center of my wrist)
If you look at the watch from side view, it is obvious that
the bezel and the case are two different part. First base on the design. The
case is curved downward whilst the bezel is straight. Thus the line where the
two meet is visible. And it look odd. Good odd. Second down to the color. The bezel
with its huge size is black in color. In a way it look like a crown on top of a
bald head. Like a King…indeed a king it is
The movement
The key strength on the 8R28 movement is the vertical clutch
and single three headed hammer..I have heard about the vertical clutch and its
properties against the traditional lateral clutch. You can google it to know
more about it thus I wish not to elaborate the technicality of it. But from my observation,
It really is different. For the traditional lateral clutch, the second counter
will jump the first second it tick. Not for the vertical clutch on this 8R28
movement. The second counter that stand on the same pinion of the hour and
minute hands move smoothly the moment your press the trigger. No jumping
whatsoever. And the movement throughout the whole minute is smooth enough for
you to realize that this is some high end shit…. No joke about it. And when you
press the reset , at a blink of an eyes, all three hands reset back to zero
thanks to the innovative hammer design
On the dial, there is three sub dial. As I mention the red
color dial are for hour and minute counter, and the blue color dial is for the
normal second hand. I ran an experiment, I start the chronograph function
exactly when the second hands reached/passed 60 seconds…I want to know would
there be any difference between the second hands rotation and the second
counter rotation. I let it run for 6 hours, and throughout the 6 hours, it is
exacty the same, second to second, hour to hour…
I have yet to test the accuracy of the watch… I will run a
test soon and keep you guys posted…..
As I mention yesterday, the attention to details is great.
Simple thing like the certificate personally hand signed by the CEO is a great
thing for me. Even the serial number on the certificate is not printed but hand
written by the CEO himself. I find it cool. That show how much love and passion
poured into development of this model….
I did mention earlier about me not liking the bracelet
design. I don’t like the black urethane mid section of the bracelet. I tried
this watch with very nice dark brown hand made leather strap and tried it as
well with light brown hand made calf leather….both doesn’t look nice on Vel.
Especially when I put it on my wrist. In the end , I decided that Vel look nice
as is. The design of the bracelet is well thought to suit the case.
Overall, I wont say this a perfect watch. But this one suit
me well (It answer almost all my prayer)It is also quite a heavy watch, a trait I would typically fall in love
with. Knowing my tendency to flip, I hope this one would stay for long….
