When they were announced in 2021, watch enthusiasts got more excited about Seiko‘s Speedtimer chronographs than you might expect for solar-charging quartz watches. They reference the brand’s chronograph history, but they also just look great. The “panda dial” version was particularly popular, and now the brand has announced new variations with a slightly larger case but equally classic colors.
While the first round of Speedtimers took design cues from the brand’s 1964 chronographs, the new models recall the brand’s famous automatic chronographs from 1969. We’re just talking about the colors here, as the designs themselves are modern. And the new watches feel a bit more modern too with case sizes upped from 39mm to 41.4mm — despite that the smaller diameter is still very on-trend with current tastes.
The three new models are the SSC911 with silver dial and contrasting (“panda”) subdials and bezel, the SSC915 with a black and red colorway and the SSC913 in a “Pepsi” blue and red. The SSC911’s got a little bit of a Daytona vibe, but they each look pretty great in their own way.
Watch enthusiasts are still bullish about last year’s Speedtiimers, and they should perk up for these new versions, as well. Unlike, say, the Seiko 5 Sports collection, which sees new colors and models seemingly every week, Seiko has been restrained with the Speedtimer. The brand has taken its time and carefully considered the design and release (which was only announced in Japan, but is on the Seiko USA site with availability coming soon) of the new colors.
Seiko’s Solar watches might typically be more affordable than automatics (and these are far more affordable than automatic chronographs), but these are still in the relatively premium tier of Prospex watches with plenty of details and materials like sapphire crystal. Each of the three new Solar Speedtimer watches comes on a steel bracelet and has a price of $700.
