Seiko Velatura SPC007P1

Cal. 7184T

Details:

Pre-set yachting countdown timer (5, 6, 10 min.) with automatic chronograph start function

Free-set countdown timer up to 15 minutes set in 1 minute increments, countdown in 1 second increments

Chronograph up to 12 hours in 1/5 second increments

Split time measurement

Local time display

Daily alarm and one time alarm

Summary:

-Pro

-great design

-great build quality

-nice set of features

-Cons

-this model comes with only 1 choice of rubber strap.

-a choice of stainless steel bracelet would have been great.

Intro:

This is my 4^th Seiko watch (different models all together) and I believe it is the best so far.

Seiko did a great job with this model.

The display has been design for high visibility and the crown protective system.

Unboxing and first impressions:

The watch comes in the traditional silvery-grey box which became the norm for Seiko watches.

Inside you’ll find the watch strapped to a cushion to protect it during transport. It also allows the watch to be displayed in a nice position.

User handbook and Warranty papers are included as well.

Design aspects:

The most striking feature is the new crown design created by Seiko.

The rotating crown is cone shaped and mounted inside a steel frame which is nicely bordered by the buttons. There is a smaller button , in the same axe as the crown , which needs to be pulled out in order to operate the crown.

The new crown design works nicely with the general design of the watch.

I believe it can become a little irritating for people wearing the watch on left hand as the protruding crown/frame sticks out more than other models/designs.

I didn’t find it a problem as I wear the watch on my right hand.

The crystal glass which protects the face is fixed within frame with a ring Titan Carbon Nitride treated held in place by horizontal screws.

I read somewhere the design tries to imitate the windows on boats. If it’s true, then they did a great job.

The back of the watch is Stainless Steel with an interesting design as well.

Intersecting lines try to suggest a boat steering wheel. Again nicely done.

The case itself is curved and follows the hand shape nicely. I believe a straight case would have been a poor choice as the weight of the watch would have pressed against the external parts of the case instead of the back of the watch as it does now.

The rubber/ resin band was designed with nice strips running along the strap which help improving the quality impression. Also the holes for fitting the strap were drilled under an angle to accommodate the fixing pin.

This is where a choice of various bands would have made a real difference. The metal strap with resin insertion (used for SPC005P1) or the leather one (used for SPC041P1) would have complimented nicely the choice of colours used for display and hands.

On the plus side the rubber seems very strong and remained without marks even after I hit it against few objects (by mistake of course)

Functions:

The main functions are clearly visible and easily accessible on the main display.

The central hands are indicating hours and minutes, while the seconds are shown on a small dial at 9 o’clock position.

The third central hand (the red one) is used in Countdown and Stopwatch modes to show minutes and seconds.

The small dial at 6 position is used as a second watch showing the current time, one time alarm, local time and daily alarm.

At 12 o’clock position there is a mode indicator

To change the modes you have to pull the button of the crown to first position and press the top button.

Each time you press , the indicator will switch to next position.

The Seiko website describes Velatura Series as created with the completion sailors in mind.

The countdown function -starting at 5, 6 and 10 minutes respectively- is complemented by a stopwatch function which starts when the countdown reaches 0 mark.

I tried this function and the sound which marks last 5 seconds of the countdown plus a long audio signal for 0 mark is a nice addition.

You can go From Time to 5 Mins Countdown, 6 Mins and 10 Mins (these are presets and work in combination with Stopwatch).

Next on the dial is a free set-up Countdown which can go from 1 min to 15 mins. This will countdown to 0, but will not start the Stopwatch.

Next on dial is Stopwatch which can measure up to 12 hours in 1/5 seconds with split and resume times.

The alarm function can help you set-up a daily alarm as opposed to the one time alarm which is set-up while the indicator is at Time position.

Local Time function lets you follow up a second time zone.

Conclusion:

The new addition to Velatura series proves once again the team at Seiko is on top of their game.

This is a nice watch in a class of it’s own.

If you like “busy” watches, you should definitely check this one out.