By Brent Robillard
How it all comes together
Certain brands take up a disproportionate amount of my attention. I try to stay abreast of developments in the watch world, of course. But the enthusiast in me plays favourites. And Serica is just one of those brands that lives rent free in my mind. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small outfit, but one that feels unusually considered. Looking at their catalogue, you get the sense that nothing is rushed, and very little is done without reason.
Remember when they released the Expedition bracelet on its own last year? Not as an accessory to a watch, but as something worth considering in its own right? That told me quite a bit about how the brand thinks. It’s not just about the watch as an object. It’s about how all the pieces come together.
That same thinking runs through the new Ref. 7505.
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Beautiful tools
As a brand, their aesthetic leans into elegance, but in the case of its divers, field watches, and GMTs, this elegance is backed by function. The word that comes most readily to mind when I think of Serica is “harmony.” This is followed quickly by balance and unity. But then these are all some of the most basic tenets of good design. I would dare even use the word, simplicity. For I think that the greatest designs boil down the superfluous to the essential, without rendering the final result banal or austere. And in doing so, this brings a certain clarity of purpose.
This is no easy task. But Serica have achieved it yet again with the new Ref. 7505. Here, Serica use proportion and scale, contrast and rhythm, to create a watch clearly cut from the same cloth as the Ref. 6190 before it… but also very much a model all its own. Its strength lies in its ability to communicate the essential (as a field watch should)–but it transcends the idea of a tool watch, really. The watch isn’t only visually pleasing as a result but almost feels intuitive–as though in some far-off platonic universe, it has come down to us that this is how a watch should look.
In this way, it reminds me of something Dieter Rams once wrote, “Good design is as little design as possible.” This is in no way a knock. Far from it. In fact, it is meant as the highest form of compliment. Serica is making watch design look easy–from the case, to the dial, to the bracelet, to the clasp. When I am sure it is anything but.
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Key Features of the Serica Ref. 7505
Case design
At a glance, it’s easy to place the Ref. 7505 within the existing field watch line. The connection to the Ref. 6190 is obvious. But the longer I’ve spent with it, the more it feels like a reset rather than a reduction. Yes, it’s smaller—35mm across, 9.6mm thick, 41.5mm lug-to-lug—but it doesn’t feel like a scaled-down watch. It feels like one that has been recalibrated.
On my 6¾” wrist, the proportions make immediate sense. The dial remains open and easy to read, the bezel doesn’t crowd it, and the case sits low without feeling slight. There’s a compactness to it, but not a lack of presence.
A lot of that comes down to how the case has been handled. The bezel is wide and flat-topped, with a crisp, polished edge that catches the light just enough to define it. There are no external chamfers on the case itself, which keeps the lines clean, but the contrast between the brushed surfaces and polished flanks does the work instead. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
Then there are the four small half-sphere markers around the bezel. They extend the cardinal points of the dial outward, creating a rhythm that carries across the entire watch. But visually they do something else. They break up the expanse of surface just enough, and paired with the domed sapphire crystal, they give the watch a slightly nautical feel. I kept coming back to the image of a ship’s porthole—those small, precise fixings holding something curved and organic in place. It’s not a literal reference, but it’s hard not to see it once it’s there.
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Dial
The dial on my review piece—the black “Minute Critical Dial”—is where the watch really settles in. The full 60-minute track is pushed forward, and it reads exactly as you’d hope. There’s no hunting for information. It’s immediate.
But it’s the details within that layout that hold your attention. The enamel surface has a depth to it that shifts as the light changes, while the printed track remains sharp. The lollipop seconds hand, in particular, is very well judged. It threads the space between the minute track and the hour markers with just enough clearance to feel precise without looking forced into such a small space. It’s a detail, yes, but it’s the sort of detail you notice after a few days of wear, even if you don’t pick up on it in a quick glance.
To me, this is where the watch starts to feel intuitive. Not in an abstract sense, but in a practical one. Everything is where it should be, and everything does what it needs to do without drawing unnecessary attention to itself.
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Bracelet
The bracelet is another area where Serica has clearly spent time. The Bonklip was already one of the more distinctive options out there, but the revised version here feels more complete. The curved endlinks are the first thing you notice. They mirror the contour of the case edge, which helps the bracelet feel like it belongs rather than simply attaches.
From there, the comfort becomes more apparent as you wear it. It draws the watch in slightly without feeling abrupt, and the squared, polished links add a bit of structure without taking away from the flexibility that defines the Bonklip in the first place. I must also say that most watches of this size would have run with a lug width of 18mm. Serica have wisely gone with 20mm, instead, and allowed an immediate one-time taper to achieve the visual they were after: robust at the watch head and more delicate and refined at the bracelet.
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The new Safe-Lock clasp is, for me, the biggest improvement to the wearing experience. I own two different variations of the Bonklip and this adds a sense of security that was previously a bit more removed. It still allows you to wear the bracelet slightly loose should you prefer it that way, but now you can so with a bit more confidence. It’s a small change on paper, but it makes a notable difference day to day.
Movement
Inside, the Soprod M100 does its job without fuss. COSC-certified—practically de rigeur at Serica—4Hz, 42-hour power reserve. It’s a solid, dependable movement, and it fits the watch. There’s no need to overcomplicate things here.
The same goes for the rest of the specifications: 200 metres of water resistance, a double-domed sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating—everything you’d expect is present, but nothing feels excessive.
Specs
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel 35mm Diameter 41.5mm Lug to Lug 9.6mm Thick 22mm Lug Width Screw Down Crown & Caseback 200m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Double-domed Sapphire Crystal Black Enamel Dial Printed Markers Sword and Arrow Handset Super-LumiNova |
| Movement | Soprod M100 COSC-Certified 25 Jewels 28 800bph 42-Hour Power Reserve |
| Strap | Bonklip /w Safety Lock Clasp |
Serica Ref. 7505
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Final Thoughts & Pricing
What I keep coming back to, though, isn’t any single specification. It’s how everything fits together.
There’s a consistency here that I find myself appreciating more the longer I wear the watch. The case, the dial, the bracelet, the clasp—they all seem to have been worked on with the same level of attention. There aren’t any obvious weak points, nor are there any elements that feel like they were included just to tick a box.
And that, more than anything, is why I enjoy what Serica is doing at the moment. There’s a sense that the people behind these watches care about the same things enthusiasts do. And that they are progressing forward with considered steps and small decisions—the ones that shape how a watch actually feels on the wrist.
The Ref. 7505 isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. The 35mm size alone will see to that. But on its own terms, it makes a strong case for itself. It’s compact without feeling slight, functional without feeling clinical, and detailed without becoming busy.
After spending time with it, it’s one of those watches that makes you nod a little. Not because it surprises you, but because it confirms what you were hoping to see.
The Ref. 7505 is priced at €1,090 for the Minute Critical Dial (both the Black, as reviewed here, and the Olive Green). The Tuxedo dial retails for €1,190. All three are available directly through Serica’s website.
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About the Author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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