Farr + Swit Solar Chrono Vice 2.0 - A review

With the recent resurgence in 80s culture and aesthetics, I guess it was only a matter of time before someone would have the bright neon idea to infuse a retrowave design onto a watch dial. In this case, the microbrand Farr + Swit beat everyone to the punch with a unique piece that fits right at home on an arm perched on the door of a Testarossa or Porsche 928. A quick rundown of the Retrowave/Synthwave aesthetic:

Take some neon lines, a grid, an interlaced sunset with a gradient background, and you have a familiar image seen on all kinds of product packaging like toys, audio/video media, and Velcro laden stationery in the 80s. It’s an art format born out of fast cars and hazy neon lights that was often accompanied by synthesized music (looking at you Miami Vice, Knight Rider and Sega’s Outrun). And oftentimes it employs a retro-futuristic take on technology and culture as seen from back then, and so makes liberal use of computerized displays with LED digits and lighted buttons that dominated consumer electronics at the time. Along with it, the emergence of the modern Synthwave music scene has further rekindled the retro vibe that takes people back to a more optimistic outlook on the future.

Farr + Swit’s Solar Chrono Vice Edition is a horological take on the nostalgic return to that era. I myself was on the lookout for timepieces or other products hopping on this lightspeeding bandwagon… It was hit or miss. There really weren’t any new or vintage timepieces that hit the mark. Not even on aliexpress would you find anyone capitalizing on this retro trend by churning out cheap throwaway watches with a stolen synthwave image printed on it. So when the first edition of the Solar Chrono Vice made the rounds on social media early last year, I had to find out more.

Knowing nothing of the brand, I wasn’t sure whether to brace for a department store expendable that would break down in a matter of years (that admittedly I likely would’ve picked up), or froth at the mouth over a luxury timepiece that was financially out of reach. To my pleasant surprise it ended up somewhere in the middle – a well crafted design that didn’t break the bank. A sturdy stainless steel case, sapphire glass, a Seiko solar “mecha” quartz movement (more on the quotes later) and two different straps on offer. A few months later and half a grand shorter, it was in my hands.

Fast forward to November of 2023 and version 2.0 was announced. Dubbed the “Bubblegum” edition, the colors on the grid pattern and chronometer would be reversed. Expecting more of the same service, I went ahead and pre-ordered. It finally showed up a few days ago, so let’s dive in.

The Presentation:

As with all of their timepieces, the Bubblegum Vice came packed in a Farr + Swit branded dry bag and boxed in a sleek black case. The Bubblegum Vice wears a light blue FKM rubber strap by Strap Habit. The 2nd strap is packed alongside a foil sticker of the brand and fittingly, a stick of Bazooka gum. Also included is a signature card with matching number that is etched on the watch caseback (each watch is numbered and you can choose which number you get, with two fallback options). Overall an unboxing worthy of a high end timepiece without getting too carried away, and a little fun thrown in to keep it fresh.

The Watch - Movement

At the heart of this 80s love affair sits a Seiko Solar “Mecha” Quartz movement. Accurate for months at a time without much fuss. You get lumed minute and hour hands with the seconds counted on the bottom subdial. Perhaps not a conventional arrangement but there's really no learning curve involved here. A small date window adorns the right side that isn't too small for me to read, but YMMV. Finally the iconic sun comprises the dial used to count the minutes of the chrono, which takes us to the "mecha" portion.

I put the mecha in quotes as unlike traditional mechaquartz watches, the chronometer doesn’t seem to be of actual mechanical construction. Usually a mecha quartz movement contains a mechanical stopwatch that's activated by the pushers at two and four o'clock to physically set the mechanism in motion. Thus there's somewhat of a tactile response to hitting the buttons that elicits a physical response out of the watch. That's not the case here as a press of the pusher silently sets off the chrono hand on its journey. Also resetting the stopwatch with the other button would normally snap both the second and minute hands of the stopwatch back to the starting position on a true mechaquartz. In this case they wind back over to the starting point in a speedy fashion, but not mechanically "snappy". This appears to be a simulated mechaquartz where the chrono hand sweeps like its mechanical counterpart (it's actually 1/5 second increments) and the buttons employ the same functions. So for those looking for the true feel of a mechanical chrono, this might be a miss.

Finally there's the solar aspect. Beneath the retro dial surreptitiously sits the solar panel. The website claims 5 hours of sunlight yields 4 months of charge - impressive return on photon investment. I've never had to give the charging aspect much thought and in seven months' time the original Vice has never died on me.

The Watch - Appearance

Pulling it out of the box you can already tell it’s made to last. The thick 12.5 mm brushed stainless steel case is weighty but not unwieldy. At 42mm (50.5 lug to lug) it's gonna be on the larger side of life but barely within limits for my wrist size. The polished area around the crystal gives a standard but notable contrast to the brushed areas. The screw-type caseback is also brushed and the WR 10 ATM text lets you know this watch can handle the rigors of jumping in the water to catch a perp off Miami Beach.

They spared no expense on the crystal, offering a flat AR coated sapphire glass to complement the case and presenting you with a clean, undistorted view of the star attraction of this show – the dial. In keeping with Synthwave tradition, a horizontal line bisects the dial, forming the top of a pink 3D grid pattern converging to create an artificial horizon. Upon close inspection you can see that it's immaculately printed on a layer that sits over the solar panel of the movement, thus creating a slight shadow which adds an element of depth. And on top, the chronometer subdial (sundial?) forms the basis of the printed sun, itself half pinstriped by purple lines, simulating a sunset. Each hour is indicated by a lumed baton, and outside of that sits a lumed blue ring to mark the seconds on the chronometer. Beyond that you get a tachymeter scale that while you might not remember how to use one, it’s certainly at home on a dial that encourages you to race into the sunset. The other inhabitants on the dial - the seconds subdial and date window - are small enough not to distract from the overall aesthetic.

The Straps

Two strap options are part of the package. The Solar Vice will come wearing the light blue FKM rubber strap which has a soft flexible feel to it. The matte finish, while contrasting from the flashy case and dial, is in line with the bright pastels associated with the era. It's also pretty thick so it should last a long time. The bright pink strap in the photo is an alternative Strap Habit offering that if you're man enough you might consider springing for. But either one suits the watch well.

And since Farr + Swit already know that real men do wear pink, the included canvas black strap has pink accents on it which give the watch a much sleeker look. But as I posted before, this piece is a pretty good strap monster so it wouldn't be hard to find worthy alternatives.

The Lume

For night viewing they opted to coat the seconds ring, subdial rings, indices, and all hands sans the big chrono hand with C9 teal lume. They shine pretty well, taking a good while to dim out, so checking the time on a midnight cruise won't be an issue. The earlier version sported the C3 green lume and the juxtaposition is reminiscent of scenes in another galaxy, far far away...

For fun here's the Bubblegum Vice paired with a luminous mint nylon strap.

Final Thoughts

Overall I'm pretty stoked about this piece. It does justice to the Synthwave aesthetic without compromising on craftsmanship or materials, so it's something you can be proud to wear, with solid accuracy and charging that make this a low maintenance wrist queen. A fashionable non-fashion watch that's ready to ride into the neon sunset (cue freeze frame and Duran Duran).