Over the years, we’ve reviewed quite a number of different styles from SevenFriday (you can see those here). They’ve maintained their own unique way of telling time, usually with discs pointing out the time. Now, with the SevenFriday ME1/02, it’s just the discs, giving us an analog way to tell time digitally.
SevenFriday ME1/02: what it is
If you can count on one thing from SevenFriday, is that it’s going to be a square-cased watch (excluding their 3D-printed ones, of course). The SevenFriday ME1/02 keeps that going, with a bit more of a rounded aspect to the corners than I recall from prior models.
You’ve got additional, almost organic, curves and swoops coming over from the sides as well, segmenting off the sapphire crystals covering the dial. The left-most segment displays the hour (with the half-hours indicated, so you can tell which way it’s moving), and the upper segment shows off the minutes. For each, you’ve got a large arrow indicating where to read.
What does the lower segment get you? Well, actually, it doesn’t display anything, it’s just a bit of architectural dressing. Our guess here is it was done for balance, as well as to cover up the repeating minutes on the disc, so it can calmly just rotate around. It feels weird at first, but you get used to it, and I’d rather have this than having a view of that disc when it’s not actually indicating anything in that segment.
The movement
Packed inside the SevenFriday ME1/02 you’ve got the TMI NH70, which is a movement made by Seiko. This gives a known quantity inside, as well as the ability for maintenance and replacement if need be. In terms of accuracy, it’s not anything you’re going to write home about (-20 / +40 seconds per day), but it will get the job done. Past that, you’ve got a 41 hour power reserve, so it should easily keep running if you’re wearing it every other day.
Wearing the SevenFriday ME1/02
While SevenFriday doesn’t publish the thickness specs of the SevenFriday ME1/02, it seems to my memory of prior models to be one of the thinner ones we’ve reviewed. Sure, it’s got the curves on top (as well as on the caseback), but it wore quite well, slipping under the cuff easily.
Coming as it does on the included leather strap, you’ll be locked into the sizing they have with where the holes are for the buckle. On my 7.25″, I found it to hit the right mark in terms of how snug I tend to like to wear a watch. And, of course, the deployant clasp keeps that same size time after time.
Wrapping things up
The SevenFriday ME1/02 definitely presents a unique way to read the time, and it’s one we’ve seen a few other brands do to varying levels of success. In terms of overall aesthetics, I find this watch to be visually interesting, and appreciate how it feels a part of the larger SevenFriday family.
That said, I do wish that the minutes disc printing was a bit larger. Sure, if could be my eyes, but I was not able to get as quick a read off of this watch as I would have liked. The hours, yes, that was nice and crisp. Minutes though, that took a bit more to get a handle on what was indicated. Perhaps something with different colors or patterns in each 10 minute block?
That’s my one complaint about the watch, and your mileage may of course vary (particularly if your eyes are better than mine). The SevenFriday ME1/02 is available for $1,617, as is the blue version (the ME1/01). Check out the details, and order yours, at sevenfriday.com
SevenFriday ME1/02 Tech Specs
- Case: Stainless steel case
- Size: 44.5mm (3H-9H) x 44mm (12H-6H)
- Bezel: Bezel grooved line refilled with Green Berlac lacquer. Top domed part of the bezel horizontally satined. Engraved SEVENFRIDAY Logo in the center
- Caseback: Polished caseback
- Dial: Five layers construction. Middle Layer with circular brushed cutout in gun metal with triangular pointers at 12H and 9H, both polished in 3N gold and filled with matt white painting. Top layer: Horizontally brushed 3N gold with area lacquered in green
- Discs: Matt hour disc with relief white color printed numbers and tracks. Fine sandblasted rhodium galvanic treated minute disc with relief printed numbers and tracks in green.
- Glass: Three sapphire glasses with anti-reflective coating at the bottom
- Strap: Green Genuine calf leather strap with black stitching and SEVENFRIDAY in the back. Stainless Steel butterfly clasp with engraved SEVENFRIDAY logo.
- Water Resistance: 5ATM
- Engine: Automatic Skeleton TMI NH70 (M). 41 hours power reserve
