SevenFRIDAY came on the scene a few years ago, and have carved out a unique niche in watches, making pieces that don’t look like anything else. The S3/01 is one such watch, and we were fortunate enough to review the S3/01 SEVENFRIDAY.
What makes aSEVENFRIDAY watch special? It isn’t the movement:SEVENFRIDAY uses a Miyota 82S5 regulator style movement, as found in other watches. It isn’t the case: that’s made in China. It’s the design, concept, and transparency, which come from SEVENFRIDAY in Switzerland. When it comes to transparency, they place the dimensions, model, and country of origin on the case back for all to see. This is a bold move. Other manufacturers will call a watch “Swiss made” when the case is stamped out in China, provided it has a Swiss movement. Here, we know where all the parts come from, and there’s no shame to it. The value is in the quality of execution and whether or not you like the design choices.
Additionally, one problem SEVENFRIDAY have solved is how to prevent replica confusion. After all, if the cases are made in China, and the movements aren’t exclusive to them, what’s to prevent a replica from masquerading as a proper SEVENFRIDAY? Technology, that’s what. SEVENFRIDAY have an Android app which which allows you to authenticate a watch – there’s an NFC chip in the back of every SevenFRIDAY watch, and the NFC reader in the Android handset will read the chip, communicate with SEVENFRIDAY’s app and servers, and report back the watch model and whether or not it’s authentic. The iOS version of the app won’t do this, because NFC in the iPhone is restricted more heavily due to Apple’s use of the secure element chip to protect NFC transactions, and not exposing the NFC functionality to third party applications.
The watch itself is very nice. It shares a lot in common with the Hot Rod limited edition watch they released last year. The case sides are wrapped in Black EPDM that look like tire tread. The crown is not a screw-down version, and it’s protected by the black rubber that acts as crown guards. It is decorated to look like a tire, with tread engraving and a rim on the end of the crown. The dial has grille-like elements. The balance wheel is clearly visible, as is the escapement ticking away just under the seconds wheel. The gun metal satined dial with rhodium “SEVENFRIDAY” plate is excellent. The rest of the dial is a matte gun metal sunray brushed dial ring with black printed minute track markings and 12 applied indexes, each filled with Super-LumiNova. The hour and minute hands are wide and a little stubby, with good Super-Luminova lume.
I love the strap. The strap is silicone rubber, with red stitching accenting the middle of the strap. On the undersides of the strap are the words UP on the portion with the buckle and DOWN on the longer tongue. The words SEVEN are on the up side and FRIDAY on the down end. The raised portion of the strap on the top side with the red stitching look great, and make this one of the best silicone straps I’ve had the pleasure to wear.
A SEVENFRIDAY is not a small watch. They’re 47.6 wide and 47 lug to lug, even as the lugs are hidden under the case. The strap tapers gently from 28 at the lugs to 24 at the clasp. The caseback is secured with four screws, and the midcase is held together with an additional four screws. This is not a dive watch. It’s capable for 3ATM, or perfectly good for hand washing and showering.
The SEVENFRIDAY S3/01 is an excellent example of what can be done with otherwise fairly workhorse movements. You dress it up in a good case, put a lot of thought into how the dial can look well executed and be skeletonized without looking overly complex, and top it off with smart use of silicone. You take advantage of technology to allow users to register the watch, add it to a collection, and potentially get digital goods that reinforce how cool it is to wear a SEVENFRIDAY. The SEVENFRIDAY S3/01 is available for 1,450.00, from SEVENFRIDAY.com.
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: S3/01
- Price: $1450 USD
- Who we think it might be for: You like a watch that isn’t like any other.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Yes.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: I wonder what a 43 would wear like.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The dial design
Tech Specs from SevenFRIDAY
- Case size: 47.6mm (47mm lug-to-lug)
- Height: 14mm
- Case material: steel
- Crystal: domed mineral
- Strap: silicone, pin buckle clasp
- Movement: Open balance wheel on Miyota 82S5 with 40H power reserve
