SEVENFRIDAY PE Series Review

For the most part I'm not a fan of a watch that looks like ninety percent of other watches out there. For that reason I've shied away from personally collecting brands like Rolex and Omega. While it's not their fault, they are the most copied watches out there. I really like my collection to comprise of watches that you just never see. In that vein I also really appreciate it when a brand has a unique look and design to it, Sevenfriday is definitely one of those brands.

Previously we've reviewed the M2/05 Action Talks and ME1/02 from SEVENFRIDAY and were very impressed with both pieces. Both watches were completely different from each other yet shared the same designed language that SEVENFRIDAY is known for.



Today we're going to look at two of the newest pieces from the brand in their newly launched PE series. Before we get into those watches, let's first go over the history of SEVENFRIDAY. SEVENFRIDAY was founded by Dan Niederer in Zurich Switzerland in 2012. Niederer original had the idea for what SEVENFRIDAY would become in 2009 when he thought of creating more accessible Swiss watches that featured distinctive designs. SEVENFRIDAY's name is even a reference to enjoy everyday like it is Friday, similar to the Latin "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day".

Niederer's background was not in the watch industry having received his masters in law and then working in the IT industry. Niederer sort of fell into the watch industry when he was hired to restructure the offices of a Swiss trading house in Asia and the Pacific which handled various watch brands. After spending a decade doing this work, Niederer decided it was time to move back to Switzerland with his family which he did in 2010. After moving back home, Niederer established a watch design studio which eventually turned into SEVENFRIDAY.



Like I've mentioned before, the hallmark of great watch design is being able to see a watch from across the room and know what brand it is. SEVENFRIDAY is definitely one of those brands, their watches really don't resemble anything else on the market. SEVENFRIDAY draws strong influence from industrial elements such as architecture, engines and other types of machinery. Their cases are typically square with rounded corners and over time have become more organic in their appearance. SEVENFRIDAY dials are often complex comprising of multiple layers. Their dials often forgo the traditional three hand layout found throughout the industry and rely on such unique components as discs to tell the time.

SEVENFRIDAY initially took more of a grass roots approach to getting their name out there. The brand focused on using social media, especially Instagram, to grow the awareness in their watches. This tactic worked extremely well and gave SEVENFRIDAY a cult following. Today the brand still enjoys an extremely close relationship with their followers and customers and uses their feedback to help develop new products.



Initial Thoughts

The new PE Series is the next evolution for the "retro-futuristic" design for SEVENFRIDAY. These watches show heavy influences from both brutalism as well as aerodynamism. The case of the PE Series has now evolved into an organic shape which by design is extremely aerodynamic. The dial brings to mind the vision of a spinning hard disk drive and the look of a classic speaker. SEVENFRIDAY uses the MAYA (Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable) principle in this series design which allows for a bold design while still staying somewhat familiar.

SEVENFRIDAY sent us two versions of the PE Series in the PE1/01 M and the PE2/01. The PE1/01 M has a stainless steel case and comes on a Milanese bracelet while the PE2/01 is also crafted out of stainless steel but has a coffee brown PVD treatment on a brown leather strap. The PE1/01 M has the steel look of the case carried over to the central disc on the dial while the PE2/01 has this disc in matching brown.



When the watches arrived the first thing I noticed was the coffee brown finish of the PE2/01. Brown and in particular this hue is not commonly seen on a watch case. It definitely is very unique and SEVENFRIDAY also uses various finishing techniques on the case to make it even more dynamic. The bezel is brushed while the upper case is done in high polish. The lower case then reverts back to brushed. The overall effect is stunning and the polished section of the case almost looks iridescent in some lighting.

The next thing I noticed was the Milanese bracelet on the PE1/01 M. The bracelet like all Milanese bracelet offers exceptional articulation that remains stiff yet conforms well to the wrist. The bracelet is also very substantial, it adds around 50 grams of weight to the PE1/01 M over the PE2/01 with its leather strap and deployant clasp. Since the PE Series don't have traditional lugs, it looks like the bracelet is a natural extension of the case.



The last thing I noticed during my initial time unboxing the PE Series watches was the unique way of telling the time on the dial. I have to say it would have been very easy for SEVENFRIDAY to just use the same combination of discs and hands on all their dials and still have a very unique collection of watches. They definitely don't do that and each of the three different SEVENFRIDAY pieces we've had in for review displayed the time in a different manner. For the PE Series, the watch has an aperture at 9 o'clock that has a disc that reads from 1 to 12 with 30 minute increments in-between that is used to display the time. A centrally mounted hand is used to show the precise minutes and there is a date window at 4:30. Part of the fun of a SEVENFRIDAY watch is the initial time you spend figuring out how the dial works.

Technical Specifications

Both the PE1/01 M and PE2/01 are crafted out of stainless steel with the PE2/01 getting a coffee brown PVD treatment. The watches have a square shape with rounded corners which measure 44 mm tall by 44.5 mm wide. Since the strap connects under the case there is no difference between the lug to lug measurement and the case height of 44 mm. The thickest part of the case measures 13.7 mm which is very proportionate to the case diameter. The biggest difference between the two watches comes when you compare the weight of each watch. The PE2/01 on a leather strap with deployant clasp weighs in at 121 grams, while the PE1/01 M on the stainless steel bracelet comes in at 170 grams.



The PE Series uses a doomed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating applied to the bottom of the crystal. The practice of putting the anti-reflective coating on the bottom side is favorable since this coating scratches easily and can show unsightly marks if applied on the exposed side of the crystal. Underneath the crystal is a black area that is recessed and contains raised SEVENFRIDAY branding at 12 o'clock.

In the center of the dial there is a circular disc that has a cutout between 8 and 10 o'clock. This disc is done in brushed steel on the PE1/01 M and brushed coffee brown PVD on the PE2/01. Inside of this cutout is the time disc that goes from 1 to 12 with 30 minute intervals in-between. On the PE1/01 M the text is in white and on the PE2/01 the text is an off-white beige. At 9 o'clock there is a stick marker that is used to indicate the current time. The color of the marker mirrors the text on the time disc.



Centrally mounted is a minute hand which allows you to more precisely tell the time. The minute hand is mounted with a large three spoke wheel that leads to a triangular minute hand that has a lumed tip. The only luminous material on the watch is found on this hand, with the lume color matching the other marker color of the dial. In low light the minute hand has a strong bluish-green glow to it.

At 4:30 there is a trapezoid that contains the white backed date window. Above the date window is the only other text besides the SEVENFRIDAY branding with a simple "Automatic". While at first glance the dial might look complex, in reality the PE Series couldn't be easier to decipher. The more time I spent with the watches, the cleaner and simpler the dials became to me.



Moving on from the dial, both PE Series watches have a brushed finished bezel. The bezel is separated from the main case with a deep groove that follows the shape of the case and is filled with black Berlac lacquer. The main case is highly polished and in the PE2/01 the polished coffee brown PVD really comes to life giving off a rainbow of iridescent colors depending on the lighting.

Looking at the profile of the case on each side the case dips down in the middle where on the left hand side you have SEVENFRIDAY branding and on the right is the crown. The bottom half of the case is then once again done in a brushed finish. All these variations of finishes really gives the cases of the PE Series a lot of visual interest and something different catches your eye each time you look at the watch.



The PE Series features a non-screw down crown that is nicely scalloped and features the SEVENFRIDAY logo on top of it. In the crown's resting position you can manually wind the automatic movement. Pulling the crown out to position one allows you to set the date while pulling the crown all the way out to position two lets you set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minute hand either.

Both PE Series watches feature a screwed down solid caseback that contain an embedded NFC chip that allows the watch to be authenticated and registered on the SEVENFRIDAY App for iOS and Android. The caseback also tells the story of how the watch is designed at SEVENFRIDAY's headquarters in Switzerland, contains a Japanese movement and is constructed in China. Many brands aren't this honest with what is in their watches or where they are produced, just wanting customers to assume since the brand is Swiss, that everything is done in Switzerland with Swiss parts. With the solid case back and non-screw down crown the PE Series has a water resistance of 50 meters.



Under the caseback is the TMI (Seiko) NH35 Japanese made automatic movement. The NH35 beats away at 21,600 vph (3Hz) and has a power reserve of 41 hours. The movement is generally rated at -20 to +40 seconds per day of accuracy, but we recorded much better results on our timegrapher. The PE1/01 M showed an accuracy of +5 seconds per day when averaged out over several positions while the PE2/01 recorded an accuracy of +2 seconds per day. Both of these results are much better than the quoted accuracy of the movement and within Chronometer specifications.

The lug width on the PE Series is 26 mm which makes finding aftermarket straps a bit of an inconvenience, but the straps SEVENFRIDAY produces are always top notch. A 24 or 22 mm strap on the 44.5 mm wide case might have looked a bit small to be honest. The PE2/01 comes on a brown leather strap that flares out from the lugs to 28 mm and tapers down to 22 mm at the brushed stainless steel butterfly clasp featuring a SEVENFRIDAY logo and branding. The strap is extreme well made and the brown hue compliments the coffee brown PVD nicely. The strap also required very little break-in to be comfortable.



On the other end of the spectrum is the stainless steel Milanese bracelet on the PE1/01 M. The bracelet goes from 26 mm at the lugs down to 22 mm at the end of the bracelet. Like other Milanese bracelets the bracelet on the PE1/01 M has a very nice range of articulation. When on the wrist Milanese bracelets tend to have more of a solid form almost like a cuff bracelet. The top half of the clasp is brushed in finish and features the SEVENFRIDAY logo and branding. The bottom half of the clasp slides along the bracelet to allow for extremely precise sizing. By flipping up a lever near the middle of the bottom half of the clasp, the clasp is allowed to freely move until a desired position is found. Pushing the lever back down locks the clasp in place. The top half of the clasp hooks on to the bottom half of the clasp and when pushed down locks in place. Putting the watch on the first few times took practice to get right, but after putting the watch on and taking it off a few times I found the procedure much easier.

On The Wrist

Typically square watches wear much larger than standard round watches. This is not the case with the PE Series since there are no lugs on the case. The watches basically wear as if they were round watches with a 44 mm lug to lug. Watches with this lug to lug measurement are typically in the 39 to 40 mm range. Being that I prefer watches with over a 50 mm lug to lug measurement the watches felt a bit small on my 7.25 inch wrist with a 55 mm flat area. The trend of smaller watches is strong today and the PE Series allows the wearer to have a large 44 mm cased watch that wears much smaller. This means the PE Series will fit a huge range of wrist sizes.

In general I'm also not a fan of stainless steel since it adds a lot of heft to a watch. I personally only collect watches that are crafted out of titanium, ceramic or carbon where possible. This allows me to have a larger watch that is still lightweight. I also tend to really prefer straps over bracelets since growing up wearing bracelet watches with no micro-adjustments in the Texas Summers was a nightmare. For these reasons I ended up preferring to wear the PE2/01 more often than the PE1/01 M.



Besides the lighter weight of the PE2/01, the strap and deployant clasp of the watch are excellent. I also tend to prefer watches that are a bit more out there in terms of appearance. The coffee brown PVD of the PE2/01 especially the polished areas with their iridescent colors really look like nothing else I've seen on a watch case. The more muted look of the PE1/01 M along with the Milanese bracelet makes that watch the better choice for a daily wearer though.

The way which I test a watch's legibility is to try to tell the time just at a glance while driving. It probably won't come as too much of a surprise that the PE Series didn't do that well in this test. These watches are meant firstly to show off their design instead of being highly legible tool watches. While it is easy to glance at the watch and tell what minute it is, having to focus on the window at 9 to see what hour it is can be tricky, especially if the time is near 30 minutes when the hour numerals are near the edge of the window. If these were dive watches I'd say legibility was most important, but they aren't. Also in low light with only the minute hand being lumed it can be very hard to make out the hour.



Running errands and going out for dinner and drinks I ended up preferring the PE2/01 over the PE1/01 M. I like to have a watch mostly disappear when on the wrist and the heft of the PE1/01 M meant it was always present on wrist. Most collectors actually see this as a positive and equate weight with quality. I wouldn't say the PE1/01 M is a heavy watch, it actually has a similar weight to the common sports watches that come on a full stainless steel bracelet. The 50 grams or so shaved off by going with a strap over the bracelet put the PE2/01 more in line with the higher side weight wise of watches I typically wear.

I did notice oddly enough that the PE1/01 M received more attention than the coffee brown PVD PE2/01 when being worn out. I actually thought the coffee brown PVD would attract more attention, but I guess the super interesting look of the Milanese stainless steel bracelet along with the polished stainless steel case made more of an impression. I had a few people ask me about the watches and also showed them to some friends of mine we met while out. Everyone thought the case shape was super interesting and people really liked the color of the PE2/01, especially in the sunlight. Everyone pretty much thought the watches cost more than they actually did as well.

Value and Position in the Market

Speaking of price, the PE1/01 M retails for $1,170 while the PE2/01 costs $1,280. For those prices you are getting extremely unique designed watches that truly look like nothing else on the market. The NH35 movements used in these watches are shown to be extremely accurate and can be worked on by most watchmakers. Now would be a good time to look at some other watches that offer either similar features or design and see how the PE Series stacks up in terms of value. With such a unique design, finding near one to one comparison watches will be tough though.



First up we have the BR-03 from Bell & Ross which is crafted out of stainless steel and has a 41 mm case diameter. When I think about square watches my mind goes to Bell & Ross pieces. The BR-03 has a square case with rounded corners like the PE Series. The BR-03 has double the water resistance at 100 meters and is powered by a movement based off of the Sellita SW300. The BR-03 has a more straightforward design and retails for much more than the PE Series at $3,600.

Next up we have the True Square Skeleton from Rado which has a 38 mm case made out of ceramic. The case of the True Square is also more of a rounded square with an integrated bracelet. The watch also has a skeletonized dial giving it a unique look. The True Square Skeleton has a matching 50 meters of water resistance and runs on an automatic movement from ETA with 80 hours of power reserve. The True Square Skeleton is also much more expensive than the PE Series at $3,200.

Moving on is the Multifort TV Big Date from Mido which has a 40 mm case and is crafted out of stainless steel. The Multifort has a more traditional looking integrated case with a rounded square bezel. The watch has double the water resistance of the PE Series and runs on an ETA movement with 80 hours of power reserve. The Multifort doesn't have the interesting dial design of the PE Series but does feature a big date complication. The Multifort is a bit more expensive than the PE Series at $1,330.



Finally we have the Retrovision 47 from Hautlence which has a 44 mm case made out of grade 5 titanium. The watch is built to resemble a classic television and features a screen with the hour and minutes hand on the right and a speaker grill covering a tourbillon on the left. The Retrovision runs on an in-house HAUTLENCE caliber with 72 hours of power reserve. The Retrovision 47 is orders of magnitude more expensive than the PE Series at 60,000 CHF.

As you can see from the four watches we compared the PE Series to that these watches offer exceptional value for what they provide. While their unique design doesn't allow many direct comparisons, these other four watches do also provide interesting designs not seen every day with many of them having square cases. In this comparison the SEVENFRIDAY PE Series offered specs comparable to the other watches and were also the least expensive.

Closing Thoughts

So in the end are the PE Series for me? While I'm a huge fan of the design of the PE Series I feel they are just a bit too small for me personally. This is completely just my bias towards larger watches and nothing against the watches. SEVENFRIDAY does offer larger watches that do suit me better, but I felt these watches looked a bit too small on my wrist.



In that case, would I recommend the SEVENFRIDAY PE Series to other collectors looking for a unique piece? I really would recommend the PE Series for a collector looking for an interesting watch to add to their collection. While my personal taste might be towards larger watches, most collectors actually would think a 44 mm lug to lug length is just perfect. The PE1/01 M would be a much better everyday watch with its more traditional brushed and polished stainless steel case and Milanese steel bracelet. The PE2/01 would work much better as an additional watch to a collection with its more out there coffee brown PVD case.

The case shape and dial layout of the PE Series so just so different from anything else out there that these watches are perfect for somebody that doesn't want what everyone else has. The NH35 movement is just a workhouse as well and can be serviced by local watchmakers, as a bonus both watches' movements showed amazing accuracy. The price SEVENFRIDAY asks for these watches is also more than fair. Even regardless of price, there isn't much you can fault these watches on besides legibility, which isn't that important to the design of the PE Series.



The PE Series is the third collection of watches that we have reviewed from SEVENFRIDAY. Each of these collections have been very different from each other and all showed amazing design. On top of that the watches are well built and run on very accurate movements. The asking price of SEVENFRIDAY pieces are beyond fair and offer a lot for the price, typically watches with such interesting designs cost much more. I'd really like to thank SEVENFRIDAY for sending us these watches to review and hopefully in the near future we can get some more pieces in from them to review. Maybe something a bit larger and out there like the PS3/03 or one of their 3D printed watches.

For more information about the PE Series please visit : SEVENFRIDAY

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: PE1/01 M and PE2/01

Retail Price: $1,170 (PE1/01 M) and $1,280 (PE2/01)

Case Size: 44 x 44.5 mm

Lug to Lug: 44 mm

Thickness: 13.7 mm

Weight: 170 grams (PE1/01 M) and 121 grams (PE2/01)

Case Material: Stainless Steel (PE1/01 M) and Coffee Bronze PVD Stainless Steel (PE2/01)

Bezel: Stainless Steel (PE1/01 M) and Coffee Bronze PVD Stainless Steel (PE2/01)

Strap: Stainless Steel Milanese Bracelet (PE1/01 M) and Brown Leather Strap (PE2/01)

Movement: TMI (Seiko) NH35 Automatic Japanese Made Movement

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Date

Power Reserve: 41 Hours

Water Resistance: 50 Meters