Let me just say that watch collecting can be a strange hobby and watch blogging even stranger, but both in a very good way. Case in point, the manner in which this Serica 5303 made its way to me for this review.
I got an email from someone who had recently bought a Serica and asked if I might like to review it. I thought I remembered him from one of my DC watch dinners, so I agreed to meet for coffee to collect the watch. It was not until I was walking to the coffee shop and reading his text describing himself that I realized this was not the person I was thinking of and, in fact, I hadn’t any idea who he was. It turns out he is a very nice fellow, an accomplished advocate for democracy and humanitarian relief, and a longtime Time Bum reader who shares my taste in watches. We drank our coffee and had a pleasant chat. I pocketed the Serica, and we went about our separate ways.
The strangeness of our meeting didn’t dawn on me until I told my wife. “Wait,” she said incredulously, “you two are total strangers, and he just handed you a $1000 watch?”
Ok, technically, that’s true, although the watch actually sells for $1216. He let me borrow a prized possession so I could tell the world about it, something for which he will derive no benefit whatsoever. I realize that may seem illogical and overly trusting to some, but watch people get it. When you find a watch that you think is something special, you want to share it — and the Serica, my friends, is one of those exceptional watches.
Serica is a French brand headquartered in Paris. They have one other watch in their stable, the ref. 4512 field watch, which makes the 5303 their sophomore effort. It is their dive watch, rated for 300m water resistance and equipped with a unidirectional timing bezel, a 2mm double-domed sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown and case back, and bright C3 SuperLuminova. While I’m tempted to call the 5303 a vintage-inspired design (and I’m sure it is), that seems to sell it short as it is more than just a recycling of familiar 1960’s dive watch elements. Instead, it is the sort of watch that could have been created in a cutting-edge watchmaker’s studio in 1965 but wasn’t.
The 5303 has followed the current trend towards more compact cases and a smaller-wristed guy (6.75″), and I could not be happier. Measuring 39mm wide, 46.5mm long, just over 12mm thick, and 20mm between the lugs, the 5303 sits nicely on my wrist and neatly under a shirt cuff.
A combination of brushed and polished surfaces keeps things interesting, but my favorite aspect of the case would be those polished bevels that start at the tips of the lugs and arc outward to disappear into a fine sliver at the bezel. In true tool watch fashion, they have engraved the usual specifications in the case back and left it otherwise unadorned.
Inside is a Newton automatic, Soprod’s new 23-jewel, 28.8bph movement. Released in 2020, this Swiss unit is designed to compete with the venerable ETA 2824 and its clones. It boasts a double-cone Incabloc shock absorber and a cross-through bridge.
And let’s talk about that polished bezel. We’ve got a bisected insert similar to that on a Doxa Sub 300, but arguably more interesting because it is two-tone brushed steel and glossy black ceramic. The black outer ring is engraved with a conventional dive timer, the inner steel ring with a 12-hour index for use as a poor man’s GMT. They are respectively marked “Minutes” and “Heures,” bien sur. The coin edge provides a proper grip, but you won’t need to pinch too hard as the action is perfectly smooth. Perhaps too smooth? I’ll admit that I worried that it might slip out of place, but that didn’t happen while wearing it.
Serica saw fit to give the 5303 The Time Bum’s favorite kind of crown: broad enough (8mm) for easy grip, short enough not to disrupt the sleek lines of the case, and domed simply because domed heads look better. A polished finish ties it to the polished bevels. It is unsigned, and that is consistent with another of the designer’s choices; the brand name is conspicuously absent. Indeed, they left a blank space at the top of the dial as if the logo had been deleted for a mil-spec version. They did include the water resistance rating in the lower half of the dial, right where you expect it. Curiously, they printed “S167” just below it. Why S167 and not 5303? I have no idea. Moreover, they offer no clue as to S167’s significance. Other reviewers say it is the designation of a French submarine. I have no reason to doubt that, and if true, that makes its inclusion even stranger. I mean, I get the connection between dive watches and submarines, but it’s a bit esoteric.
Let’s not get bogged down in definitions. Instead, take a step back and check out that dial. First, notice how small it appears. This is a function of both the lighter inner ring of the bezel insert against the glossy black dial, and the positioning of the non-cardinal hours towards its center. Those fat circles tuck in close, trailed by thin stems linking them to the index at the perimeter. It’s kind of like a George Nelson clock in reverse. Conventional bars represent 3, 6, and 9. At 12, we find a bar flanked by circles in a manner reminiscent of the orientation mark on a pilot’s watch. White arrow hands provide its most obvious link to the 60s. I dig this dial. It’s distinctive, vaguely retro, and yet still refreshingly contemporary. The fact that one views it through a 2mm tall domed crystal doesn’t hurt either.
Everything is pad-printed, but there are enough layers of SuperLuminova to give the markers some weight, preventing the dial from looking disappointingly flat. The glow, as you might imagine, is potent.
Has Serica stopped here and fitted that head to a leather or rubber strap (and they do offer those as well) or a conventional Oyster or H-link bracelet, they would have had a damn fine watch, but then they said, “why not do something different?” The designers went with a 20/16mm fine mesh, a style I both love and hate. I love that mesh offers the utility of a bracelet combined with the low profile of a strap. I hate mesh because such bracelets often have unnecessarily fiddly clasps and abrupt transitions between the bracelet and case. Serica addressed both issues. First, they fitted a simple pass-through clasp that tucks the tail end under the bracelet for a smooth appearance and snaps down firmly into detents on the underside.
Next, they styled a proper transition with female end links meeting a male center link that joins a matching female link at the end of the mesh. It reminds me of the Tudor P01, except it is neither ugly nor pointless. Serica’s is a clever solution that also looks every bit as slick and purposeful as the rest of the watch.
Buyers can have a 5303 with black or silver dials, and Serica even offers your choice of left- or right-hand crowns — but not right now. It is sold out and will not be available again until next year. So, if you are smitten by the 5303, I’d suggest you head over to SericaWatches.com and sign up for notifications. I promise you; it will be worth the wait.
