We watch consumers are a demanding bunch. We want emerging brands to stand out from the pack, but not so much that their watch is too strange. We demand innovation and creativity but balk if they cost more than watches with familiar designs that are easier to produce. Then people like me get a hold of them and nitpick every aspect. Yet somehow, every so often, a brand manages to thread this needle and create a watch that is different enough, attractive enough, and affordable enough to break through to even the most persnickety of watch fans. For me, the SYE MOT1ON I’m reviewing today ticks all those boxes.
SYE stands for “Start Your Engine,” so you can expect the French brand will deliver some motorsport flair, but the MOT1ON is neither a liveried racing watch like an Arpiem or a Trafford, nor a vehicle-inspired design like the WT Author No. 1968 or a Roebuck Divisio, nor a vintage-style race timer like those produced by Nezumi and Straton. Instead, it is an everyday sport watch that channels the emotion and style we associate with taking a long drive on a winding road for the pure joy of it.
The MOT1ON collection consists of the Miyota 8217-powered Automatic 24 ($781) and the Seiko VK64 MechaQuartz equipped Chronograph ($636). We at The Time Bum got to sample one of each. Both watches use a 5-part, 40.5mm wide by 13.4mm thick lugless case with small crown guards, an AR-coated sapphire crystal, and 50m water resistance. The multi-part construction is most apparent in the left side and three-quarter views, where you can appreciate the chamfered gap between the upper and lower sections. A polished bezel contrasts with the otherwise brushed body. The signed crown and the chronograph buttons are polished as well.
The watches also feature SYE’s unique Fastback strap system. I don’t usually discuss a watch’s strap before its dial, but in this case, the strap really is the defining feature of the watch. At first glance, the MOT1ON reminded me of my beloved Omega Dynamics, if perhaps in a rounder, thicker form. Indeed, like the Dynamic, the MOT1ON’s strap attaches with the aid of a removable backplate, something SYE calls the Fastback system. Where the Omega used a single flat piece of Corfam sandwiched between the case and plate, SYE employs a two-piece strap made from calfskin molded around semi-circular steel brackets that fit into recesses at both ends of the case. You unscrew the plate with the aid of a SYE-supplied tool, the business end of which looks like the knockoff hub of an old center lock wheel.
It’s a clever approach, albeit a risky one. Non-standard attachments often put buyers off as they restrict the ability to swap straps with aftermarket units and are often little more than novelties that do nothing to enhance the watch’s design or its ownership experience. I’d say the Fastback system defies the odds. Other watches have used spring bars in lugless cases, but this is undoubtedly more secure than a spring bar. Moreover, the thickness of the padded leather and the way it flares around the bracket visually integrates the strap and watch body in a way that could not have been achieved with a conventional mounting. It is uniquely SYE and really quite cool.
This is an exceptionally well-made strap that holds a few surprises in addition to its novel attachment, like the way the stitching bows inward as it nears the head, the quick release for the deployant clasp, and the sturdy quality of the clasp itself. Jean Rousseau Paris makes the straps, and SYE has arranged for the atelier to continue distribution, even if the brand were to fold, thereby eliminating a significant source of angst among the propriety-strap adverse. SYE sells Fastback straps in a wide range of colors so buyers can get the most out of the quick-change design. They cost $145, which isn’t cheap, but it is entirely fair given the high quality and unique construction.
On my 6.75″ wrist, the SYE’s head looks relatively compact (lugless designs will do that), while the stout case and thick strap felt satisfyingly substantial. There is a downside, however. The Fastback strap only has so much give where the narrow part of the strap meets its attachment, so its angle is far shallower than that of most conventional straps. That, coupled with beefy thickness, makes it fatter than I would prefer. The strap is contoured to bend around your wrist, but how well this works depends on the size and shape of your wrist. As they say in the automotive world, your mileage may vary.
Finally, we get to the dial, likely the most conventional aspect of the MOT1ON but quite handsome in its own right. SYE offers both the automatic and the MechaQuartz in silver and black. I sampled one of each. On both auto and chrono watches, applied, polished, chisel-nosed markers and polished hands sparkle against a vertically brushed surface with a pronounced grain. Bright blue accents lend a touch of color, and radially textured subdials provide yet another way to bounce the light. They look fabulous, although I must note that there is little to appreciate when the lights go down. Only the hands are lumed, and while it is SuperLuminova, there is only so much surface area on those hands and no lume at all for the markers.
The Chronograph wears its tachymetre scale on its chapter index. All ticks and text are printed in white except for “1/5th Central Second,” a nice nod to the MechaQuartz inside. Only the 60-minute dial gets a blue needle; the 24-hour’s is polished. A 6 o’clock date displaces that marker, but those at 3 and 9 are present and accounted for, even if truncated. I love the way the date window frame is beveled to mirror the shape of the markers. A rich Tundra brown strap grounds it.
Lovely as the Chronograph may be, I preferred the Automatic. The asymmetry of the one 24-hour subdial at 9 o’clock, the openness of the dial, and the way the 3 and 9 o’clock markers are differently sized to accommodate the other elements in those positions just seemed appropriate for the distinctively modern case and strap. I also liked the way the silver surface allowed the blue elements to pop. Tan Impala leather warms up the otherwise cooly industrial face.
I found the SYE MOT1ON watches to be great fun. To my eye, they seem like a more modern and athletic incarnation of my beloved Omega Dynamics, and coming from me, that is high praise indeed. The MOT1ON collection isn’t for everyone, but those who appreciate its unique charms will be rewarded with a uniquely attractive watch at a very reasonable price. If the MOT1ON has caught your interest, head over to syewatches.com for more.
