Seiko's $540 panda is a blast. Keep it out of the sink
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago · · Seiko
OK. This one's fun.
Seiko's design team made a pair of quartz chronographs where the subdials are, I'm not kidding, panda faces. Two black eyes on a white dial. The internet has named it the Pandagraph. Seiko didn't put that name on the dial or in the press release, which honestly is a missed opportunity, but everybody's going to call it that anyway.
The white one is the HHK001, limited to 3,000. The pink one is the HHK002, limited to 2,000. Both are $540 and they're supposed to show up in November.
Specs. Steel case, 43 mm wide, 14.6 mm thick, 44.1 mm lug to lug. That short lug-to-lug is good news, it means the 43 wears smaller than it sounds. Hardlex crystal, not sapphire. 20 mm leather strap. Movement is Seiko's 8T61 quartz chronograph, 1/5 second timing up to 60 minutes, about three years on a battery, rated at plus or minus 15 seconds a month.
Now the catch. Seiko lists it as SPLASH RESISTANT. Not 30 meters, not 50. Splash resistant. Some sites are saying 30 m but Seiko's own page doesn't, and I'd go with Seiko. I spend half my week in wet basements. I would be nervous.
Also, 14.6 mm thick for a quartz watch is chunky. That's mechanical-chrono thickness. You're getting quartz convenience without the slim case that's usually the bonus.
Is it worth $540? Here's my honest math. You're paying for the design and the limited run, not the hardware. A Speedtimer Solar gets you sapphire, 100 m and solar for not much more. That's the sensible buy.
But nobody buys a panda watch to be sensible. My niece saw the pink one over my shoulder and has already asked for it for her birthday. Renee says I'm not allowed to buy it "for her" and keep it. Renee knows me too well.
Dave Kowalski is a pen name of The Watch Quest editorial team. Opinions are based on the published specs, the brand's own information and the watch's reputation, not a long-term test.