The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

Iconic watch art prints. Made in Switzerland, lifetime guarantee

This Molnia (lightning bolt in Russian) pocket watch from the Chelyabinsk factory, a city in the Urals that serves as a bridge between Europe and the vast Siberian wilderness, is based on an 18-jewel, type 3602 movement with a frequency of 2.5Hz. The advantage of this type of case is that it offers ample space for the dial. The chrome-plated brass case is 45mm in diameter. The dial is minimalist; there are markers for each minute, the hours are indicated by Arabic numerals, and only a double axis marks the seconds. It is admittedly a little dirty but retains a great simplicity.

The music that could be associated with this watch would be Ennio Morricone's score for the film *The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*, for its impression of space and immensity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvE1AzktGMY

The calm and the dazzling beauty of wide open spaces

The Return of Abstraction and the Four Pillars of Light

This "Spectrum" watch is conceived as a design that returns to symmetry, one might even say double symmetry (top to bottom and left to right), while the current trend is to make asymmetry fashionable. The idea is also to create a watch based on light and its spectral decomposition, but not through a direct approach that would show a white beam decomposed into a continuous spectrum (like the excellent cover of Pink Floyd's album). No, this is an abstract, discontinuous approach. The spectrum is decomposed into primary colors: red, green, blue, or magenta, yellow, and cyan, depending on the system used. And yet, the dial is not divided into thirds, but into four, due to this double symmetry imposed as a manifesto. And then there's the quarter-hour, the most common unit of time in everyday life, far more so than twenty-minute intervals (which form the basis of Raketa's Atom model but are generally quite rare). Even etymologically, the word "cadran" (dial) comes from "quart" (quarter), so it's natural to divide it into four parts. Therefore, we understand that the spectrum is not to be taken literally but figuratively. These four basic colors are the Google logo. They represent access to knowledge, to universal wisdom. But they also represent access to freedom of thought through the philosophical movement of the Enlightenment that emerged in the 18th century. At the dawn of the 21st century, many believe the Enlightenment is "outdated," that Rousseau has fallen into the mire, that D'Alembert is backwards, that Diderot is a lost cause, that Voltaire is a goner... That today, all that matters is artificial intelligence, robots, transhumanism, and the philosophical current of the "dark enlightenment," or neo-reactionary (NRx), as these oligarchs who want to impose their power call it. So let's recall these four pillars, since they occupy the quadrant.

1. Reason: Considered the primary tool for understanding the world, it replaces superstition and blind faith.

2. Liberty: Defense of individual rights, freedom of thought and expression, as well as the critique of absolutism.

3. Tolerance and Freedom of Belief: The fight against religious fanaticism and the promotion of the coexistence of beliefs, championed notably by Voltaire.

4. Equality of Rights: A challenge to the privileges of the nobility and clergy, valuing merit and natural law.

Before these four colors, this humanist declaration of faith, is a grid upon which rests a reflective metal circle. The grid rises from the center of the circle. The hands also have this metallic reflection, but in addition, they have a white center painted with luminescent material for reading the time in the dark. This creates an impression of dazzling light, as if seeing a white light that forces the wearer to squint, like a near-death experience, a luminous tunnel, an intense peace... The strap with its seven rows of rice grains is also highly reflective. Two other discreetly branded rubber straps are included, one black and one orange.

The case is also very elaborate, with lugs that extend dramatically, like four small cartoon characters walking over a precipice and suddenly plummeting. While the case is only 38mm in diameter, the lug-to-lug measurement is 47mm. The case is 11.4mm thick, including a 1.7mm crystal that sits on the watch like an eyepiece on a telescope.

The movement is a Miyota 9015 with a 4Hz frequency and a 42-hour power reserve. A reliable and robust movement. The oscillating weight is customized with the light grid already featured on the dial. This is, of course, a reinterpretation of the ancient solar symbol of the prehistoric swastika. The swastika's use is admittedly very subtle, as it is a symbol, even in its left-handed form, that has been taboo in Western design since the end of Nazism. Yet, it is a universal symbol for humanity. This mass spins like a veritable turbine as soon as it moves even slightly.

Ultimately, it's a highly successful exercise in abstract style for a very simple watch, a three-hand timepiece without any markings or logo. This design borders on the absolute; every detail is deliberate. It embodies the simplicity and absoluteness of white light, broken down into four pillars that have accompanied us since the dawn of light, but also the four arms of the swastika, which has accompanied our perception of sunlight since at least the Neolithic era. In short, it's a manifesto to wear on your wrist to say no to NRx.

The soundtrack for this watch would be Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon," not only for its cover but also for its content, its songs that explore the different elements of the spectrum of human life in a philosophical way.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=FEacDWPWfJU&list=OLAK5uy_lrCrcAdxFG4aMzMrebs7o9TU384xyF240

A daring attempt to reach the absolute

Watches based on IN16 Nixie tubes aren't the most practical to make or wear, yet they possess an inimitable charm, something that evokes a deep retro-futuristic vision. These tubes represent a technology that was abandoned before becoming widespread. In 2021, I was considering a Nixoid watch, which had announced more advanced models, but unfortunately, during the winter of 2022, science fiction became reality, and the inhabitants of Kyiv experienced a true nightmare: a large-scale war engulfed Europe, impacting watchmakers as well. As the years passed without any real improvement in the Ukrainian capital, and with Ukrainians specializing in defense technologies rather than watchmaking out of necessity, I turned to a Hong Kong company that worked with Nixie tubes.

It's truly unique; there are two tubes that alternately display the two digits of the hour and minutes, or the day and month. Blue LEDs illuminate the background when the minutes are displayed, preventing confusion with the hours. A button must be pressed to display the time, as the tubes wear out when illuminated and consume a significant amount of energy, meaning the time is only displayed when needed.
Recharging is done via a standard wireless charging system.

Its main drawback is its considerable size (44x47x16mm), which may not suit all wrists. However, this isn't a daily watch meant to be worn under a shirt cuff, so this isn't necessarily a significant issue. Setting the time can be tricky. Double-clicks are required to confirm a selection, but the buttons are not very responsive, and it often interprets a double click as two clicks, forcing you to restart the time setting process. Unfortunately, as soon as the battery runs out, if you haven't remembered to recharge it, or if you switch to daylight saving time, you have to reset the time. The battery lasts relatively long, typically 1000 activations, so several weeks.

Pressing one of the buttons displays the hour and minutes, shown twice. There are other modes for the date or the stopwatch, but they're not very practical, unless you want to make your watch flash like an emergency vehicle in the middle of a traffic jam. The back shows the circuit board layout. The case itself is inspired by old televisions.

You can choose from various soundtracks for this watch. There are many science fiction works with a retro aesthetic. The soundtrack to Blade Runner by Vangelis, for example, is masterful (https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=RScZrvTebeA), as is Alice's return to the future from the famous Soviet film "The Visitor from the Future" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNH99xAWXBo), but I prefer the haunting soundtrack to "The City of Lost Children" by Angelo Badalamenti, who chose Marianne Faithfull for the film's theme song.

https://youtu.be/G7f4941xM84?si=tC3JpWFtMzd0hVBC

A retro-futuristic dream

As a lover of minimalist watches, this post-Soviet Chaika (with the inscription "Ёделано в России" in gold lettering at 6 o'clock) is obviously very appealing to me. It has only the essentials: a black dial with 12 gold hour markers, like stars in a deep sky. Like Europe, one might say, but only a dream, a dream repeated every twelve hours. The bezel divides the time into four parts with five notches at the quarter-hour marks. The rest of the case is chrome-plated, and the case back is steel with a six-pronged bezel.

What's remarkable is the sound of the 17-jewel, 3Hz Chaika 1601A movement, which chimes very softly, when it chimes at all, because it clearly has a slight delay in starting. This is actually one of the problems with a two-hand watch: you don't immediately notice starting problems. You have to listen carefully, and with a low-noise movement like this, you need good hearing.

With this watch, I'll be listening to "1000 Dreams" by FR Miss Kittin & The Hacker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mJSewIWxZc

A deep night of 10E3 dreams

This commemorative pilot's watch, marking the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight, is very dear to me. I loved it back in 2011. It was also an important commemorative year for the Raketa factory, which had just received a new impetus. The factory in Petrodvorets was celebrating its 290th anniversary, and the first manned flight with a watch, and the first human flight with a watch, were also commemorated. Of course, Raketa watches didn't exist for these three events (the factory cut stones in 1721, the first watch on a manned flight was a Pobeda, and for the first human flight, a Sturmanskie). Nevertheless, the commemoration was very significant, and the factory was blessed and placed under God's protection (https://youtu.be/4pejb8x31hw?si=IQKj7GhTffaOpCvx&t=289).

The movement in this pilot's watch is a 2623N, a 24-hour mechanical movement. The crown is also quite easy to grip, even for those with larger fingers.

At the time, mechanical movements weren't yet part of Petrodvorets' lineup; many of their models featured quartz movements and were distinguished by their creative designs. This one, however, was a commemorative tool watch, more in keeping with the brand's historical spirit.

It has the advantage of being very legible thanks to its black hands and the highly luminous red seconds hand on a silver background.

Midnight is symbolized by a 0, not 24. This can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the watch, as it's not immediately obvious that it's a 24-hour dial. But the 0 is emblematic for Raketa, the best-known brand of "big zero" models, although it's not the only one. Everything starts anew at zero when a new day begins. Midnight is therefore in the upper position and noon in the lower position. This logically divides the dial, with night at the top and day at the bottom. But the reverse is also true; the Sputnik watch, for example, has midnight at the bottom and noon at the top. Other brands, such as the Yes Watch V7 and the Louis Jeansol, also have noon at the top and midnight at the bottom.

The dial features an illustration of Yuri Alekseyevich's profile and his rocket launching in front of a few stars. The strap is a well-made, relatively rigid leather, as is typical of Raketa, black on top and red underneath.

This is a limited edition of 300 pieces.

The soundtrack for this watch is said to be "Gagarin" by the British group PBS.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=L-BRsQQOshs The Vostok 1 mission of April 12, 1961, became emblematic for all of humanity. A man succeeded in orbiting the Earth in a space rocket for the very first time.

Head in the stars, feet on the ground

Okay, let's be honest, this review isn't about praising the build quality. But that's beside the point. It's a fun watch for kids. It's necessarily inexpensive, easy to read, educational, and makes children want to visit archaeological museums (the Egyptian antiquities at the Louvre, in this case). And we can say that it succeeds.

Each hand is unique, and there are markings for both hours (inside) and minutes (outside). And most importantly, there are three Barbapapas: Barbibul (the brilliant little inventor boy dressed as an Egyptian Hippopotamus), Barbotinne as a scribe, and Barbidou as a cat. Of course, Barbibelle as Cleopatra, Barbalala as an Egyptian musician, Barbidur as the Pyramid architect, and Barbouille as the sculptor of the wonders displayed at the Louvre are missing... but we get the idea, and it works well.

The watch I received unfortunately had a defect that suggests a somewhat lax quality control system: a small eyelash on the dial was moving around with the hands. Fortunately, customer service kindly replaced it.

Why not base the next watch on Babylonian (2000 BC), Akkadian (2300 BC), and Sumerian (3400 BC) antiquities? This 2x12-hour and 60-minute system we have on our dials isn't very natural for us, as we use a base-10 system. It's a legacy even older than Ancient Egypt. It's a legacy of long-vanished civilizations, but magnificent remains of which are on display at the Louvre. Of course, there are revolutionary watches, decimal watches, watches with 10 hours, 100 minutes, and 100 seconds, but overall, the vast majority of watches operate on a 2x12-hour scale. So it would be nice to pay homage to the Sumerians.

Naturally, the music to listen to is from the Barbapapa family, that cult cartoon from the 70s, where the wildest imagination and kindness are at the heart of everything. These characters, created by Talus Taylor, an American in love with France, have captivated generations of children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4CjVZIRYs

With Barbibul, science has no limits

La marque&nbsp;Serica a &eacute;t&eacute; cr&eacute;&eacute;e en 2019 par J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Burget et 3 amis &agrave; Paris, en France. Le nom Serica vient d'une r&eacute;gion perdue au bout de l'Extr&ecirc;me-Orient que les Grecs et les Romains avaient baptis&eacute;e ainsi. Ce lieu fait &eacute;cho &agrave; la gen&egrave;se de la marque, qui vise &agrave; concevoir des montres m&eacute;caniques de qualit&eacute; au style n&eacute;or&eacute;tro, pr&ecirc;tes &agrave; vous suivre aux confins du monde.
La gamme comprend des montres telles que la <a title="Page Serica 4512" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/4512">Serica 4512</a>, la <a title="Page Serica 5303" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/5303">Serica 5303</a> et la <a title="Page Serica 8315 GMT Chronom&egrave;tre" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/8315">Serica 8315</a>. L'une des particularit&eacute;s de cette marque est que son nom n'appara&icirc;t nulle part sur le cadran, afin de pousser le passionn&eacute; &agrave; acheter un design, des finitions et des proportions, et pas seulement un nom. En juillet 2023, Serica a lanc&eacute; la Serica 5303 COSC une version chronom&egrave;tre certifi&eacute;e par le Contr&ocirc;le Officiel Suisse des Chronom&egrave;tres.
Leur avant-dernier mod&egrave;le est la <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/6190">Serica 6190</a> surfant sur les bases de la 1&egrave;re r&eacute;f&eacute;rence de la marque, la Serica 4512. Cette 6190 &eacute;pouse les codes stylistiques de la marque, des anses lyres, un choix de cadrans diff&eacute;rents et la possibilit&eacute; de choisir la position de la couronne &agrave; 3 heures ou en mode "Destro" &agrave; 9 heures. Cette Serica 6190 est &eacute;quip&eacute; du calibre Soprod M100 certifi&eacute; COSC (Contr&ocirc;le Officiel Suisse des Chronom&egrave;tres) &agrave; l'intar des productions actuelles des autres mod&egrave;les 5303 et 8315.&nbsp;
La Serica Parade est quand &agrave; elle une collection audacieuse lanc&eacute;e en novembre 2024...&nbsp;Une montre habill&eacute;e sortant des sentiers battus nomm&eacute;e "Parade" sous la r&eacute;f&eacute;rence 1174. Ces 4 chiffres, comme toutes les autres r&eacute;f&eacute;rences Serica, propose une symbolique issue du nombre d'or ou divines proportions dont le ratio entre la longeur et la largeur sont de 1,174... Une montre tr&egrave;s &eacute;l&eacute;gante propos&eacute;e &agrave; 1,490 &euro;.
11 mars 2026 est la date de lancement d'une nouveaut&eacute; attendue par les collectionneurs... Enfin une Serica avec la fonction Date. La <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/5330">Serica 5330</a> reprend les codes de la 5303 avec de multiples &eacute;volutions esth&eacute;tiques permettant d'int&eacute;grant le guichet date tout en subtilit&eacute;, comme Serica nous en donn&eacute; l'habitude. Patience, les pr&eacute;-commandes viennent d'ouvrir pour une 1&egrave;re livraison pr&eacute;vue d&eacute;but mai 2026, au prix de 1,690 &euro;.
<h2>Quel est le prix d'une montre Serica ?</h2>
Les prix des montres Serica &eacute;voluent et diff&eacute;rent selon les mod&egrave;les. La plupart co&ucirc;tent entre 990 &euro; et 1,890 &euro; selon les mod&egrave;les et finitions. Le mod&egrave;le GMT de la marque, Serica 8315 GMT Chronom&egrave;tre co&ucirc;te 1,890 &euro; tandis que le dernier mod&egrave;le lanc&eacute; par Serica, la r&eacute;f&eacute;rence <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/6190">6190</a> est propos&eacute;e &agrave; 990 &euro;.
Serica est ind&eacute;pendante et produit environ 5,000 montres par an, tous mod&egrave;les confondus. Serica fait partie du <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_marques_de_montres_francaises">Top 10 des marques de montres fran&ccedil;aises les plus populaires</a>, ainsi que du <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_micro_marques_de_montres">Classement des meilleures micro-marques de montres</a>. Pour choisir le mod&egrave;le Serica qui vous correspond le mieux,&nbsp;les avis clients Dialicious sont une ressource essentielle pour &eacute;valuer les diff&eacute;rents mod&egrave;les &agrave; travers l'exp&eacute;rience r&eacute;elle des clients
(Mise &agrave; jour Novembre 2024)

The brand Serica was created in 2019 by J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Burget and 3 friends in Paris, France. The name Serica comes from a lost region at the end of the Far East that the Greeks and Romans named it like this. This place echoes the genesis of the brand, which aims to design quality mechanical watches in a neo-retro style, ready to follow you to the ends of the world.
The range includes watches such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/4512">Serica 4512</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5303">Serica 5303</a> and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/8315">Serica 8315</a>. One of the particularities of this brand is that its name does not appear anywhere on the dial, in order to encourage the enthusiast to buy a design, finishes and proportions, and not just a name. In July 2023, Serica launched the Serica 5303 COSC, a chronometer version certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute.
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">Serica 6190</a> surfing on the bases of the brand's first reference, the Serica 4512. This 6190 follows the stylistic codes of the brand, lyre lugs, a choice of different dials and the possibility of choosing the position of the crown at 3 o'clock or at &ldquo;Destro&rdquo; mode at 9 o&rsquo;clock. This Serica 6190 is powered with the Soprod M100 caliber COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Certification) certified, like the current productions of the other 5303 and 8315 models.&nbsp;
The Serica Parade is a bold collection launched in November 2024... A dress watch that breaks the mold, named &ldquo;Parade&rdquo; and bearing the reference number 1174. These four digits, like all other Serica reference numbers, embody the symbolism of the golden ratio&mdash;or divine proportions&mdash;where the ratio of length to width is 1.174... A very elegant watch priced at &euro;1,490.
March 11, 2026, marks the launch date of a new model eagerly awaited by collectors... Finally, a Serica with a date function. The <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5330">Serica 5330</a> builds on the design of the 5303 with numerous aesthetic updates that allow for the date window to be seamlessly integrated, as we&rsquo;ve come to expect from Serica. Be patient&mdash;pre-orders have just opened for a first shipment scheduled for early May 2026, priced at &euro;1,690.
<h2 dir="ltr">How much does a Serica watch cost?</h2>
The prices of Serica watches change and differ depending on the model. Most cost between &euro; 990 and &euro; 1,890 depending on the models and finishes. The brand's GMT model, Serica 8315 GMT Chronometer costs &euro; 1,890 while the latest model launched by Serica, the reference&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">6190</a> is offered to &euro; 990.
Serica is independent and produces around 5,000 watches per year, all models combined. Serica is part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://preprod.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_french_watch_brands">Top 10 most popular French watch brands</a>, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_micro_watch_brands">ranking the best micro watch brands</a>. To choose the Serica model that best suits you, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5303">Serica 5303 reviews</a>, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/4512">Serica 4512 reviews</a>, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">Serica 6190 reviews</a> or <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/8315">Serica 8315 reviews</a> are an #1 resource for evaluating different models through real customer experience.
(Updated December 2025)

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