Watches Appreciation And Resouces: Hands on with SEVENFRIDAY Q2/01 Regulator

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Hands on with SEVENFRIDAY Q2/01 Regulator

Since their first watch release of the P1/01 back in 2012, I have always been intrigued by SEVENFRIDAY. Their funky dials housed in odd shaped cases make all their models stand out and call for attention. Up to now I have only seen them in pictures and had to admire them from afar.But now, after getting into contact with SEVENFRIDAY I am pleased to be able put one on my wrist for this review. Right away I can say they are even better in person, so lets check this out.

The Dial

On this model the dial is a 3 hand regulator with date. This is the first model that offers a date. The colors on this model are inspired from the old 1800’s steam boats so there is a good use of copper and brown colors. The crown also looks as though it could be a steam valve knob. None of the SEVENFRIDAY watches are simple. Learning to tell the time is part of the fun of these watches. Each model has their own fun quirks. So, to tell the time on this one you have the large center minute hand, a large hour sub dial, and a small seconds sub dial. Ok so the minutes are easy, but that’s it. For the hour you need get used to military time since its a 24hour dial. The seconds is fun. As the seconds disc rotates around you need to add the number on the red arrow portion of the disc to the 0 to 20 second scale on the dial. For example on the image above you would add 40 on the disc to 13 on the dial to get 53 seconds. Simple right? Well not really, but that’s the fun.

The Case

This SEVENFRIDAY Q2/01 is a large watch measuring in at 44.3mm high, 49.7mm wide, and 11.3mm thick. Although being a large case it fits very well on the wrist. I had no problems wearing it all day long. The case is made from stainless steel with a mix of brushed and polished finishes. Protecting the dial is a thick hardened domed mineral glass. One very nice touch is the brushed sunray bezel. A very cool feature that was carried over from their V series is a fast strap changer. There are spring loaded button on the left side of the case, each marked by arrows. All you do is push the button with a pen or small pointed abject to release the strap. Very nice feature if you are the type that loves to switch things up.

One of the most interesting things about this case is one you can not see. There is an integrated NFC chip in the case back. NFC is a near field communications chip that contains all the information about each watch for authentication. To register this watch through the SEVENFIDAY app you actually use your smartphone to scan the NFC chip. A cool way to add a modern touch to an old school mechanical watch.

The Strap

Strapping on such a large heavy watch takes a good thick leather strap. Made of suede calf skin leather this strap is soft and comfortable. There is a large pin and buckle clasp with the same fast strap button to make removing the clasp quick and easy.

Transparency

So many watch brands out there seem to like to hide the origin of their parts. Its hard to find any info on where they are made except maybe where the movement is from. SEVENFRIDAY has always been open to where their parts ar sourced from. So open that they print all the info on their case back. Design and Concept from Switzerland. Construction from Hong Kong and China. Movement from Japan. They even put all the watch specs on that case back. No need to question anything here.

Overall Impression

The SEVENFRIDAY Q2/01 is large, heavy, hard to tell time, and I love it. They have taken a simple and sometimes boring three hander watch and made it interesting. The finishes on this watch are excellent. The movement is a reliable Miyota 8219 non hacking movement. The stainless brushed and polished case looks great, and that hardened mineral glass is very clear. At $ 1450 this is a very reasonable price for a very unique, nicely finished watch that is sure to gets lots of attention. You can check this one out at sevenfriday.com.

REVIEW SUMMARY