It’s hard to believe, but this year marks the fifth anniversary of Serica, one of our favorite small brands to emerge in the affordable, independent watch scene. In a relatively short period of time, Serica has developed a truly distinct design language that bridges the gap between vintage sports watches and casual elegance, often with just a hint of a military inspired aesthetic. They’re really quite unlike any other watch on the market, and yet they’ve always felt immediately familiar. Their newest release, the 6190 M.S.L Chronometer, isn’t exactly a watch made to celebrate the brand’s fifth year of existence, but it’s impossible to see it and not reflect on the path they’ve taken and growth they’ve experienced over the last half decade.
The new 6190 is an updated take on what many fans of the brand would surely say is Serica’s calling card, the simple, military inspired field watch. When the brand launched their very first field watch, it showed promise but was perhaps a little rough around the edges. In the ensuing years, everything about the brand’s output has been slowly and subtly tweaked, and the 6190 feels like a culmination of that constant improvement.
The specs, of course, are more robust than Serica’s watches of five years ago. This, in a lowkey, watch nerd way, is perhaps the most exciting recent development for the brand. Since last year, Serica has made a commitment that all of their watches will be certified as COSC chronometers. This, I think, is something that might easily be taken for granted by some, but is a big step for a small brand like Serica. There are actually very few brands that commit to certifying all of their watches, and by doing so Serica puts itself in the company of Swiss luxury brands that may well have inspired them over the years, but sit at a price point that is significantly higher that what Serica offers.
While the chronometer certified movement (a Soprod M100) might be the spec that’s most telling about the brand’s overarching philosophy, there’s a lot more here that’s new and worth diving into than the caliber. The big headline to enthusiasts who have been with Serica from the beginning is that a clean white dial is back with the 6190 M.S.L. Serica also gives you the option of a traditional glossy black dial as well as an all new “Storm Gray” dial variant that the brand says is meant to evoke shades of gray, green, and beige, and recall the colors of rock and sky in the mountain wilderness.
The new “Storm Gray” dial
The other big development on the dial front is that these are the first Serica field watches to not feature numerals of any kind. While purists might point out that this kind of defeats the purpose of a traditional field watch, it’s important to remember that Serica is not really in the business of making watches that strictly adhere to any particular watchmaking tradition. They have always borrowed bits and pieces of historic design tropes, and adapted them into a style that is very much their own.
For the 6190 M.S.L Serica has added new applied and lume filled hour markers, with rectangles arranged horizontally at 3, 6, and 9, a larger triangle at 12, and small circles elsewhere. I had a chance to go hands-on with the new 6190 in the days before the public launch, and upon seeing these watches in person, this design element really stood out to me, and adds a level of depth and visual complexity to these dials that hasn’t really existed in a Serica field watch before. The spindly lines that connect the circular hour markers to the outer minute track give the dial a ton of character. I don’t know if it’s the fact that there are eight of them in total, but they are almost spider-like, and contribute to lifting this iteration of the field watch outside the realm of pure military inspiration.
The case wears exactly as you’d expect if you’ve ever strapped on a Serica in the past, which is to say it’s clean and discreet on the wrist, well proportioned, and feels like a vintage watch, at least for me, in the best way possible. It measures 37.7mm in diameter, which feels like a perfectly neutral size for just about anyone, and is about 10.5mm tall including the sapphire crystal. It has a lightweight and airy quality on the included Bonklip bracelet, but these watches would of course play well with all kinds of straps. The finishing is well thought out and makes sense visually, with brushed elements taking visual prominence via the flat top bezel and case sides.
The evolution of Serica has been exciting to watch as they’ve gradually developed their brand and a dedicated fanbase to support it. The new 6190 isn’t a revelatory new direction or anything, but another piece in a puzzle that will likely play out over the course of years. Observing the brand’s earliest watches against their newest, you can visualize a shift toward something more refined and design forward than your typical vintage inspired tool watch, which makes the next stage for the brand all the more exciting.
The new Serica 6190 M.S.L has a retail price of 1090 EUR. All three variants are available for pre-order today on the Serica website, with delivery expected in September. Only 500 pieces will be produced this year, with more to follow in 2025. Serica
