Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph for Budapest World Athletics Championships The addition of four new solar-powered chronographs to the Seiko Prospex collection marks the company's association with the World Athletics Championships to be held in Budapest, Hungary in August 2023. Officially known as the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph, all four watches feature Seiko's new Caliber 8A50 movement, a 1/100-second chronograph with a monthly accuracy rating of +/- 15 seconds.
The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph is 42mm wide and 12.9mm thick, with a lug-to-lug distance of 48.3mm, which is a reasonable thickness for a powerful chronograph, commensurate with its 42mm diameter. Proportional. All offer 100m water resistance and 4,800 A/m magnetic resistance for peace of mind. The four watches share the same case and bracelet design, but are executed differently and presented in true Seiko style, with slightly different prices and naming schemes. In the gallery above, from left to right, you see the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph SFJ001, the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph SFJ003, the Seiko Prospex Analog Quartz Chronograph 40th Anniversary Limited Edition SFJ005, and finally the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph ograph World Athletics Champion Budapest 23 Limited Edition SFJ007.
The Seiko Prospex Analog Quartz Chronograph 40th Anniversary Limited Edition SFJ005 (above) exudes a strong field vibe, a tribute to the world's first analog chronograph displaying time increments in 1/100th of a second in 1992. Seiko calls it "a particularly epoch-making development in the history of Seiko analog quartz chronographs." That watch had a more traditional subdial layout of 6-9-12 with a day-date indication for 3. In comparison, the new Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph watch has a rather odd layout, doing away with the centered hands and display secondary dials for everything. I review the fantastic Seiko Kinetic Sportura with the same layout in this No Longer Made article, and it's one not to be missed.
During the 100m final, one might try to read the full name of the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph World Athletics Championship Budapest 23 Limited Edition SFJ007, but the first runner might finish before reaching the reference number. It is the only all-black version with black "hard coating" on the case and bracelet. A curved sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating protects the uniquely textured dial. Seiko doesn't specify where this texture comes from, but it reminds us of the special paving found in gyms and stadiums.
Regular production models include the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph SFJ001 and SFJ003. The former is a charming panda dial version, while the latter is a black dial with white contrasting markers. The case and bracelet are both steel, as they are on all four models, and of course, the case dimensions remain the same.