Seiko makes fantastic watches. Pure and simple.

From the rare as hen's teeth Hi-Beat 6159 to the film-famous 6105 and 6309 models to the economy workhorse SXK007, Japanese watchmakers perfected incredibly well made tool watches decades ago — and at prices that make the most diehard Swiss watch fans question their spending habits.

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, Seiko was experimenting with some of the first automatic chronograph movements ever made.

Unlike the Swiss, who were creating their own automatic chronographs in the form of the Heuer-designed Chronomatic and the Zenith El Primero, Seiko — being used to producing in scale — were able to keep their costs for their chronographs more accessible through mass production. Featuring a wide variety of case and dial designs, the 1970s were very much the golden age of Seiko sports watches.

This chronograph, a Reference SRQ029, was released in 2019 to commemorate 50 years of automatic Seiko chronographs. It features a 41mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a polished & brushed finished bezel, 'pump' pushers, and a luminous brushed silver dial with recessed sub registers, a black tachymeter rehaut, and a matching 'syringe' handset.

Fitted to one of our Analog:Shift brown vegan straps (yup!) with a steel pin buckle, this piece is powered by Seiko's fantastic Calibre 8R48 automatic winding chronograph movement — visible through the individually numbered sapphire exhibition caseback.

Limited to just 1000 pieces, this sporty piece blends legendary Japanese reliability with vintage chronograph styling — and from one of the best names in the game, full stop.

So, whether you're looking to add a stout mechanical chronograph to your collection, or you're entirely new to mechanical watches, this piece is going to be tough to beat.

Have at it!