by Tyler Frederick – Photography by Brent Robillard
Beauty in Gulf Livery Blue
I’m back with yet another review, and I’m stoked to get into this one. My last Sheffield watch was the pretty-in-pink Allsport 1A 38 Pink Steel—a budget-friendly pleasant surprise that felt great on the wrist, and that pink dial popped. Now, we’re heading down the route of a chronograph.
Earlier in the year, or maybe it was late last year, I made a comment that I’m not usually a chronograph guy, spoke that into existence, and suddenly had a smattering of chronograph watches in for review to experience. I’ve since been converted and love them in the same way I love a great diver or Explorer-esque watch. I’ve had a couple of weeks to experience the Sheffield Chrono II, their take on a mecha-quartz powered chronograph with a brilliant blue dial that has quite a racing feel to it.
Check out the Sheffield Allsport 1A 38 Pink Steel
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Check out the Sheffield Allsport 1A 38 Pink Steel
Track ready
If you’ve read my reviews before, you know what I’m about when it comes to chronographs: motorsport. I’ve basically made every chronograph review I’ve done about racing, and I’m going down the same path because I love it, and you can’t stop me.
Every time I see a chronograph, I’m transported back to fast cars, the smell of rubber and race fuel, and with testing starting for the Canadian karting season, this will very much be a track watch. With a vintage-inspired chronograph comes vintage racing, and the first thing that caught my eye was the refined aesthetic and that beautiful blue dial.
Key Features of the Sheffield Chrono II
It screams vintage racing
What followed were the following cars that shade of blue reminded me of: Richard Petty’s NASCAR Plymouth Superbird with that beautifully large rear wing, Steve McQueen’s 1970 Gulf Porsche 917K, and the 1997 CART Lola Mercedes T9700 driven by the legendary Greg Moore. Cars I’ve loved and cherished since I was a kid, and now that we have the sentimental element, it’s time to give this a proper review.
I was quite surprised by the quality and feel of the Chrono II; I had similar feelings when unboxing the Allsport 1A 38 Pink Steel. The case construction feels great, the rubber strap feels supple yet robust, and the dial is oh so clean. This is another budget-friendly option courtesy of Sheffield, and for the price, you’re getting a pretty great watch for either the track or to time your cooking, laundry, or whatever else you do in life to justify why you own a chronograph.
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Dressed up, dressed down, strap monster
The Chrono II measures 40 mm in diameter with a 48 mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 13 mm. Overall, it is a pretty standard size for a chronograph that doesn’t feel too large and allows the watch to sit comfortably on my 6.5-inch wrist. From a distance, it looks like a tall watch, but the curvature of the lugs remedies that, adding to the wearing experience and making this a really comfortable wear.
The finishing on the case is high polish; all of it. As I’ve said many times, anything with a mirror-like shine makes me shiver, but when it comes to the Chrono II, it adds more elegance and dresses it up a little bit. While it carries that rugged racing design, the polish makes it easy to swap straps and dress it up for a night out. Seriously, this watch can take on any strap, and it looks amazing. Leather, rubber, I have a stretch steel bracelet, and this watch ate that up; there are so many combinations that look phenomenal.
In saying that, I don’t want to take away from the FKM rubber that comes with the watch, because it’s actually fantastic. I’m a fan of more durable rubber straps, and the stock strap that came with the Chrono II is supple while also being the perfect thickness; it’s hard to explain. It’s like an in-between of the Seiko SKX resin straps and a super light and flexible FKM rubber. It feels really damn good, and like it’ll last a lifetime, so well done, Sheffield, on choosing such a great strap. It’ll definitely withstand the track this season.
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Azure panda
The dial is the best part of the Chrono II. The glistening Gulf livery blue, which isn’t the actual name—that’s just what I’ve been calling it—is such a treat to experience on the wrist and is quite a unique colour choice. I know other brands have done similar blues, but there’s a slight metallic sheen to this blue that makes it look like I’m staring at bodywork on a car.
The bi-compax layout is a personal favourite of mine regarding chronograph dials. It’s a simple and highly legible layout, and the inclusion of these beautifully polished numerals and indices adds to the “dressed up” factor I mentioned earlier. The contrasting blue dial with silver indices and black subdials makes for what I’m also calling the “Azure Panda,” because it’s fun, and Sheffield did the Chrono II in both a Panda (white dial, black subdials) and Evil Panda (black dial, white subdials) variant, so let’s add a third to the panda family.
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SPECS
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel 40mm Diameter 48mm Lug to Lug 13mm Thick 20mm Lug Width 100m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Sapphire Crystal “Gulf Livery” Blue |
| Movement | Seiko VK64 Mecha-Quartz 4-year Battery Life |
| Strap | FKM Rubber Strap |
Sheffield Chrono II
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Quibbles
Going back to my review of the Sheffield Allsport 1A 38 Pink Steel, I referenced the dial text and use of negative space, and it’s the same with the Chrono II. The Sheffield logo could be made a little bit bigger, the sans serif “chronograph” text could be brought down to the bottom above “WR10ATM,” and “Japan Movt” could be placed under the water resistance rating, as it looks crammed beside the numeral at 6. Again, this would allow for more breathing room on the dial and create a better use of space.
The other part is there’s no second hand. I know how people feel about it, but I love accuracy with my watches, and not having a seconds hand, or even a seconds subdial, drives me a little crazy. It does add more cleanliness to the dial, but I would have preferred to see a second hand or subdial so I can set the watch correctly.
The third is, once again, the level of high polish. I feel tool watches should often be brushed with some accents that are polished. For a track watch, this is very susceptible to scratches and scuffs. If it were a brushed case and lug tops with a polished bezel, that would be perfect, but again, I understand where Sheffield was taking this.
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Final Thoughts
The Sheffield Chrono II has a lot going for it, and hits a sentimental sweet spot. It looks like a chronograph pulled directly from the greatest era of motorsport in a modern-contemporary format, and sits amongst my other chronographs beautifully. To be honest, this has been my go-to for a track watch since it arrived at my door, and I’ve been pleased with it the entire time.
The lack of a seconds hand or even a subdial is a bit sad, and the high polish does make me a bit anxious, especially being at the track, but for the most part, it’s spec’d well, looks great, and feels phenomenal. It’s a lot of watch for $220 ($303 CAD). Yeah, that’s right, it’s under $250.
For more information or to get yourself a Chrono II, please check out the Sheffield website.
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts and opinions on another watch! Have a fantastic morning, afternoon, or evening, wherever you’re reading from, and I’ll see you in the next one!
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About the author
Born into a family obsessed with motorsport, Tyler Frederick became enamoured with speed and beautiful cars at a young age. His love of Formula 1–and all things mechanical–eventually lead him to horology. You can follow him on Instagram.
Check out these other articles from Tyler:
Tone & Time – The Misha Mansoor Interview
Pulsar P2 2900 vs Hamilton PRS
30th Anniversary Casio G-SHOCK DW-6900TR
Off The Cuff articles are full-length, hands-on reviews of the watch in question and represent the opinion of the author only. All photos are original, unless specified otherwise. If you would like to have your watch reviewed on this site, contact us here.