The Moto Koure micro brand is offering a 70s era racing watch that makes you think a Heuer Silverstone and Monaco had a baby.  At least, that’s what the Moto Koure MK I calls to mind for me.

Moto Koure MK I.blue

I was ready to adopt it the second I saw its photo. The Moto Koure MK I comes from the new Australian brand offering two motors in their racing inspired watches: a mecha-quartz and an automatic.

Moto Koure MK I.blue2

Both the mecha-quartz and the automatic and are the same size; a healthy 40mm wide and 44mm long and 15mm high in the stainless steel case. Each version also comes with a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating and a German-made perforated leather strap.

Moto Koure MK I.brown

The case has a polished bezel that steps down to the leather racing strap hiding under the brushed stainless steel base. The case’s unique shape and height give depth to the dial that makes you think of an instrument panel of your favorite vintage racer.

Moto Koure MK I.1

The version with the automatic movement features a wooden, oval layer framing the twin registers. It looks like a dashboard, as it was intended, I’m sure. The hour and minute hands are high gloss and punctuated by orange luminescence, which is also on the chronograph hands and hour markers.

The Moto Koure logo is applied to the dial base at the 12 o’clock position along with the model name. At 6 o’clock are the date window and the word, “automatic”. Use this as your key to the movement options in the photos. The automatic’s dial color is offered in blue, green, brown and champagne.

Moto Koure MK I.ksilverleather-mechaquartz

The mecha quartz is a hybrid of quartz and mechanical with the quartz operating the watch’s time and the mechanical module operating the chronograph. This watch will come in two styles of oval layers around the registers. One is a black leather texture and the other is a diamond plated texture. The dial options for these two variants are black and silver options for the black leather and silver and burgundy for the diamond plated version, all of which offer contrast, layers and visibility.

Moto Koure MK I.kblackleather-mechaquartz

There are some other clever elements I’m eager to see in person including the crown and pushers, along with the strap integration into the stamped case back.

Preorders are available for January with the automatic retailing at $979 USD and mecha quartz retailing at $444 USD. http://www.motokoure.com

Watch Overview

  • Brand & Model: Moto Koure MK I
  • Price: $979 Automatic, $444 Mecha quartz
  • Who we think it might be for: This is for the fan of the 60s and 70s style watches.
  • Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I like the design, color and am eager to see more images or the watch to see the detail work.
  • If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: I wonder if the high gloss case next to the tachymeter will make it difficult to read.
  • What spoke to me the most about this watch: The clear vintage look was my first hook.

Specifications:

  • Brand Model: Moto Koure MK I
  • Movement (technology): Seiko NE88 self-winding automatic movement  and Seiko VK series mecha quartz movement
  • Size of case diameter (mm): 40x44mm
  • Height of case: 15mm
  • Weight: NA
  • Case material: 316L Stainless Steel
  • Case Back: Solid case back with stamping
  • Crystal/Glass material: Sapphire crystal lens with anti-reflective coating
  • Crown:Stainless steel
  • Water resistance (m/ft/atm): :5 ATM, 50 meters
  • Strap/Bracelet material: German made perforated leather strap
  • Illumination: Super Luminova
  • Warranty: 24 months

ByJohn Biggs

John lives in Brooklyn and has loved watches since he got his first Swatch Irony automatic in 1998. He is the editor of WristWatchReview.

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