"I have always wanted a chronograph to bear the Speake-Marin name."
Peter Speake-Marin has been creating mechanically superlative, aesthetically distinctive high-end timepieces out of his atelier in Switzerland for over a decade. In this time, the Speake-Marin collection has grown to include complications such as jumping hours, perpetual calendars, tourbillons and minute repeaters. But no chronograph – until now.
In addition to the Spirit Seafire's chronograph counters (central elapsed seconds; elapsed minutes subdial at 12 o’clock; elapsed hours subdial at 6 o’clock), the timepiece features central hours and minutes; date at 3 o’clock; seconds wheel at 9 o’clock in the form of the Speake-Marin ‘topping tool’ logo; and a signature Piccadilly case in polished grade 5 titanium with straight-grained sides.
The Seafire’s three-dimensional hour markers, minute chapter ring, chronograph subdials, date and tips of the hands are all in a bright white Super-LumiNova that contrasts against the matte black dial. The white Super-LumiNova glows an atmospheric green in the dark, creating an exceptionally legible display, both day and night.
“I have always wanted a chronograph to bear the Speake-Marin name,” says Peter Speake-Marin. “It was just a matter of finding the right platform. The Speake-Marin Spirit collection struck me as the perfect environment.
"I have christened it the Seafire, after the iconic plane formerly deployed by the British navy to protect its fleet.”
“I felt I could harness the Spirit’s casual style and clean aesthetics to create a highly original chronograph design. A chronograph is also in keeping with the Spirit’s military inspiration – and that’s why I have christened it the Seafire, after the iconic plane formerly deployed by the British navy to protect its fleet.”
The Seafire was the first modern carrier-based airplane fielded by the British Royal Navy to protect its fleet when it debuted in 1942. The Seafire was, in essence, a seaborne version of Supermarine’s Spitfire – Seafire was a contraction of ‘Sea Spitfire’ – and the two aircraft shared many design features including an elliptical wing shape.
Peter Speake-Marin has put considerable thought into optimising the Seafire’s legibility. Not only has he skeletonised the central Speake-Marin signature ‘Foundation’ hour and minute hands, but he has also designed the counterweight of the central chronograph elapsed seconds hand as an open circle. Such design features ensure clear, unobstructed views of the chronograph counters.
It is rare to see Roman numerals feature on chronograph counters, but here Peter has used them for the subdial at 6 o’clock. This touch of refinement echoes the other models in the collection and helps to distinguish elapsed hours from the elapsed minutes in Arabic numerals at 12 o’clock.
And the Seafire would not be a Spirit without Peter Speake-Marin’s rousing call-to-action “Fight, Love & Persevere” engraved on the solid caseback. It isn't just the Spirit motto – it’s a way of life.
Seconds can be monitored via the circular cut-out in the white-lacquered ‘topping tool’ wheel at 9 o’clock – set flush with the dial – as it passes by a vertical Super-LumiNova white line. This line is set into the surface, as are the Speake-Marin name and chapter ring railroad-tracks, while the Roman and Arabic numerals as well as the hour and minute indicators are in three-dimensional Super-LumiNova, creating a multi-level dial profile.
To create the Seafire’s dial, a three-dimensional mould of the multi-level dial elements was produced to make a negative mould in which lacquer and Super-LumiNova masks were successively applied by hand, ensuring the correct materials and colours were in the right places. When set, the one-piece dial face was removed from the mould and bonded to the dial plate.
When the heat is on and the chips are down, the Spirit Seafire comes up trumps in both performance and attitude, thanks to its workhorse integrated chronograph movement. Automatic winding and a 48-hour power reserve ensure there’s always enough energy on tap for even the most testing conditions.
As the first Speake-Marin chronograph, the Spirit Seafire required a new Piccadilly case. Polished pushers gleaming at 2 o’clock (start/stop) and 4 o’clock (reset), bear testament to the complication within, while the bezel has been raised to accommodate the additional hands. The three-position fluted crown enables manual winding, rapid date change and hacking seconds. And for added protection, Peter Speake-Marin has set the crown slightly into the caseband.
The Speake-Marin Spirit Seafire is available with a grade 5 titanium case.
