Depancel has made its name with automotive watches that don’t hide their love of speed, gauges and circuit culture.
The Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue takes that familiar language and cools it down, swapping overt racing attitude for a paler, more dressed-up take inspired by elegant road cars of the 1940s.
It’s still recognisably Depancel, but the mood is more grand touring than pit wall.
At a glance
- Depancel has released the Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue as a numbered limited edition of 100 pieces.
- The watch uses an ice blue dial, a 316L stainless steel case and a Peacock SL-4801 automatic chronograph movement.
- It is priced at $1,495 excluding tax and is currently shown as sold out on Depancel’s website.
A 1940s road-car influence with a softer edge
The shift in tone is the interesting part here.
Depancel’s Série-R line already has a strong identity, so the Ice Blue edition isn’t trying to reinvent the watch from the ground up.
Instead, it reframes the chronograph through colour and atmosphere, using a cool silvery-blue dial that feels more restrained than a traditional racing-livery execution.
That matters because the automotive watch category can quickly become visually loud.
By drawing from the elegance of 1940s road cars rather than track-day aggression, this edition gives the Série-R a broader wardrobe and a calmer daily-wear presence.
The Série-R platform in a limited ice blue edition
The watch is built around a 316L stainless steel case measuring 40 x 36mm, with a 48.5mm lug-to-lug and a 13.3mm total thickness.
It’s fitted with sapphire crystal, C1 White Super-LumiNova and a 22mm lug width, keeping the practical side of the specification in line with what enthusiasts expect from a serious microbrand chronograph.
Inside is the Peacock SL-4801 automatic movement, offering chronograph functionality and a stated 55-hour power reserve.
Water resistance is rated to 50 metres, and the watch is assembled in France.
The Ice Blue edition is limited and numbered to 100 units, which gives it a clearer collector angle than a standard colour addition.
Positioning for microbrand chronograph buyers
At $1,495 excluding tax, the Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue sits in the more considered end of the enthusiast microbrand market.
The appeal is less about chasing a single headline specification and more about the whole package, from the automotive design language to the automatic chronograph movement, French assembly and five-year warranty.
It also speaks to a buyer who likes Depancel’s car-led identity but wants something easier to wear outside a motorsport context.
The brand lists availability through its own website and authorised retail partners, though Depancel’s site currently shows the model as sold out.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Depancel |
|---|---|
| Model | Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue Limited Edition |
| Edition | Limited and numbered to 100 pieces |
| Case material | 316L stainless steel |
| Case size | 40 x 36mm |
| Lug to lug | 48.5mm |
| Thickness | 13.3mm, or 12.4mm without glass |
| Lug width | 22mm |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Lume | C1 White Super-LumiNova |
| Movement | Peacock SL-4801 automatic |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph |
| Power reserve | 55 hours |
| Water resistance | 50m / 5ATM |
| Assembly | Assembled in France |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Price | $1,495 excluding tax |
| Availability | Depancel website and authorised retail partners, currently shown as sold out on the brand website |
The Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue works because it doesn’t abandon Depancel’s automotive character.
It simply trades some of the usual trackside volume for a cooler, more elegant register, and that makes this 100-piece edition one of the brand’s more versatile recent releases.
