Pellikaan Hits The Track With The Speed Of Sound Racing

Late last year we had the pleasure of showing you the latest watch presented by Dutch indie watchmaker Hubert Pellikaan, the Speed of Sound. Under the name of Pellikaan Timing, Hubert presented his first-ever chronograph in his typical robust and highly legible style. Form follows function is key to the Dutchman, as he once again demonstrated with the Lorentz Speed of Sound, as it’s officially named. Through clever spacing of the indices and markings, you can measure elapsed time down to 1/8th of a second, which is not often seen in chronographs. Now, almost 12 months on, there’s a second edition that’s bound to be a hit with any car or racing enthusiast, aptly named the Speed of Sound Racing.

From the outside, nothing has changed. The Speed of Sound Racing still comes in that sizeable 45mm stainless steel case as it was presented a year ago. This rock-solid exterior is enhanced by a fully brushed finish, giving the watch a very distinct wrist presence. The height is substantial too, at 15.4mm top to bottom, and even though there’s a distinct shift towards smaller sizes, a large sports chronograph still has tremendous amounts of appeal. The large knurled crowned is flanked by stout pump-style chronograph pushers, and the watch has a sapphire crystal on both the front and the back.

The layout of the dial is the Speed of Sound’s strength, and this Racing edition adds the fluorescent orange to the otherwise purely black-and-white display. This doesn’t affect the legibility of the Speed of Sound one bit but does add a frivolous touch to it. The colour is limited to the chronograph hands only, as the rest of the dial is untouched. The clever seconds track on the outer edge of the dial still shows markings for 1/2 and 1/4th seconds, which makes it possible to determine down to 1/8th of a second when timing something with the chronograph function. When the central chronograph second hand lands in between two of the 1/4th of a second markers, you know it’s stopped at 1/18th of a second, it’s that simple.

Just as with the non-racing variant of the Speed of Sound, you get the bulletproof Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph as the engine of the watch. Hubert modifies this movement from three to two indications, as well as removing the date. The movement still runs at the familiar 28,800vph frequency and provides 43 hours of autonomy. Visible through the sapphire crystal caseback is the finished rotor, the only aesthetical touch-up to the movement.

You get three strap choices to fit the Pellikaan Timing Speed of Sound Racing to the wrist. First up is a NATO strap in a range of colours, of which I think the iconic Gulf Oil blue-and-orange is a perfect fit for this racing-themed watch. Then there’s the smooth black or blue leather strap, both fitted with a steel pin buckle. And lastly, there’s the option of a black alligator leather strap. Prices range from EUR 1,500 on the NATO straps, EUR 1,580 on the black or brown leather straps, and EUR 1,700 on the black alligator strap. The Speed of Sound Racing is available to order as of now, with deliveries scheduled to commence on December 1st 2023.

For more information, and to put down an order for the new Pellikaan Timing Speed of Sound Racing, please visit Pellikaantiming.nl.