One of my favorite things is when a brand releases a watch that feels like the watch they always should have made. I’m sure we can all point to examples of this – that feeling that a new watch really belongs in the brand’s catalog, and we’re kind of surprised it never existed in the first place. That’s sort of how I think about the latest release from Serica, the Ref. 7505 Field Chronometer. Doesn’t it seem like Serica always had a 35mm field watch in their collection?
More than any other watch the brand has released to date, this feels like a distillation of what the brand is really about. You’ll recall that they launched with a collection of military inspired field watches all the way back in 2019, which at the time felt like they were already going a little against the grain at just under 38mm in diameter. In the years since, they’ve iterated on this general idea, with an ongoing series of sporty selections rooted in a kind of imagined vintage world, never borrowing too much from any one classic reference, but pulling from a variety of sources to create something that is uniquely their own. Part of that has always meant keeping the watches fairly compact. Looking over the press materials for this watch and thinking about the direction the brand has gone in, I wonder if, if circumstances had been different, they may have started here, with a 35mm field watch, to begin with.
This is unquestionably the right time to introduce a watch like this, at a moment when enthusiasts seem more open than ever to experimenting with smaller case sizes. The 7505 is a smart downsizing and re-interpretation of Serica’s 6190, now featuring not just a smaller diameter, but a broader bezel and redesigned lugs that give it as much presence as possible for a watch at this size.
Serica is launching the 7505 in three new enamel dial variants. The “Minute Critical Dial” is available in black and olive green, and features large, lumed Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9 with circular lume filled hour plots elsewhere. The dial’s perimeter has a contrasting white minute track with Arabic numerals at ten minute intervals. The third option is the “TXD” dial, the brand’s take on the classic tuxedo-style dial, with black sectors in the interior and exterior framing a tan section with lumed hour plots.
Serica has also redesigned the Bonklip bracelet that has become synonymous with the brand’s field watches since their introduction. The bracelet now features curved end pieces which lend a more coherent look to the area where the case and bracelet meet, matching the 7505’s new lug profile. The bracelet also has a more dramatic taper, and a new “Safe-Lock” clasp that is easier to position and adjust when putting the watch on and taking it off. We’ll also note here that lug width remains at 20mm, which is important for a watch of this size and its ability to maintain a strong, sporty wrist presence.
Serica remains committed to not sacrificing specs for appearances or style with the 7505, and to that end the case still has a full 200 meters of water resistance. It runs on a Soprod M100 automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve, and like all movements in new Serica watches, it has been COSC certified as a chronometer.
The 7505 starts at 1,090 euros for the Minute Critical Dial variants, and 1,190 euros for the TXD variant. Serica
