The tri-compax dial and inner tachymeter bezel feature plenty of color — I love that bold orange seconds hand — and the brand’s logo as the 12 o’clock index adds some additional flair (even if it kinda looks like a domino).
The sides of the case provide additional visual interest, with a screwed-on, serial-engraved plaque on the left and an octagonal crown flanked by two grooved piston-shaped pushers on the right. The crown also features an orange ring around it, which I do find attractive but took some getting used to since, on many watches, an orange ring on the crown serves as a warning that your crown is pulled out.
Inside the watch is the now-classic Seiko VK63 meca-quartz movement, which explains how Depancel was able to keep the price of the watch well below $1,000. The movement combines quartz timekeeping with a mechanical chronograph module featuring a sweeping center seconds hand.
As with any watch featuring this movement, the subdial layout isn’t ideal — the 24-hour register at 3 o’clock is largely useless — but Depancel has done a good job making each subdial look different and yet somehow cohesive. I especially like the wording on the running seconds subdial to distract from the quartz ticking.
