This Tough, Sporty Automatic Chronograph Uses a Rare Seiko Movement

The watch world used to feel like an exclusive club, but it has grown exponentially over the past couple of decades through a network of communities uniting over a shared passion.

Fostering community is the driving force behind Split Watches, a British brand that debuted in June 2025 with a chronograph that blends G-Shock-style durability and aesthetics with a classic mechanical movement.

Split

Founder Ed Margulies was a third-generation luxury watch dealer who worked for his family’s business from the 1980s into the 2010s. According to an interview with Esquire, he stepped away after feeling burnt out by the egos and stress of operating at the top tier of the luxury watch industry.

A few years ago, at his wife’s urging, Margulies started building his own brand to highlight the aspects of the watch industry that he loved and missed.

Gradually, piece by piece, he designed a watch that is as functional as it is beautiful. The case and bracelet blend elements from the Swiss brands Margulies worked for (Longines, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin) with the Japanese brands he personally enjoys.

Split

Another point of emphasis is that the watch is as affordable as he can make it without sacrificing performance. Using synthetic materials and a Japanese movement keeps Split watches approachable.

The result is the MC bi-compax automatic chronograph, which features a case made from a proprietary ceramic and polymer fusion called Ceramod+ and uses a seldom-seen Seiko-made movement.

Split

Split Watches launched with five colors in the MC, named one through five. Each watch comes on an FKM synthetic rubber strap that appears integrated but is actually removable.

Two more limited-edition colors have since been released and quickly sold out, with the brand promising more to come.

A rare Seiko bi-compax

For the community that Split Watches embraces, the most interesting feature of the MC is the movement. It is the seldom-seen caliber NE86A produced by SII, Seiko’s wholesale movement manufacturer.

Split

The NE86A is the publicly available version of Seiko’s caliber 8R46 movement, which was introduced in 2021 with the Speedtimer SRQ035 and SRQ037.

It was designed as an homage to the caliber 6139, Seiko’s original automatic chronograph movement released in 1969 with a single 30-minute totalizer.

A couple of years later, Seiko abandoned the bi-compax design — meaning two subdials — in favor of the three-subdial layout in the current Speedtimer lineup.

Split

The SII caliber NE86A has a single 30-minute totalizer at nine o’clock and a running seconds dial at three o’clock. The MC has mushroom pushers flanking the cog-shaped crown, with the upper starting and stopping the chronograph timer and the lower resetting it.

Despite the progressive materials, the MC’s dial has a classic 1960s chronograph design. The chapter ring has a tachymeter scale, and the hands and hour markers feature lume.

Giving time

Margulies’s other goal for his watch brand is to encourage and provide the mental health resources that got him through his struggles, but aren’t accessible to everyone.

With each watch sold, Split Watches provides funding for one therapy session to young people in the UK who cannot afford it. This is done through a partnership with Britain’s Anna Freud charity.

Split

Another feature that Split Watches offers to promote community and self-expression is space for custom slogans or messages printed on the underside of the strap. Any words within a set limit can be chosen at checkout and are hand-painted by a London calligrapher before the watch is shipped.

Margulies told Esquire that he only got back into the watch industry because his wife demanded he do something with his time. But the industry he returned to is far more positive and inclusive than he one he left, and now he’s doing all he can to foster the community.

Every Split Watches reference is marketed with the hands set to 7:20 because, as Margulies insists, it’s best to always be open with those around you, even if that means showing a sad face once in a while.

Availability and price

The Split MC series is available now from Split Watches for $2,062.

Currently, only the beige MC-1, black MC-2, blue MC-3 and olive green MC-4 are available.

The price does not include import duties for buyers outside of the UK.

Split

Split Watches MC-2

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	SII caliber NE86A automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $2,062 at Split Watches

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