Last Updated on December 25, 2023 by swisswatchreview
The VH31 watch movement is an affordable meca quartz watch movement from Seiko. This VH31 watch movement review will take a dive into the specification of the VH31 watch movement, before taking a look at some of the key features of the VH31 and examples of watches using this movement. This should be eye-opening for anybody that plans to pick up a watch with a VH31 in it.
VH31 v VH31A
VH31 was the original design for the watch movement. Newer watches may list their movement as VH31A. This is a slight upgrade on the original, although Seiko has provided no indication as to what these upgrades are. This means that it is likely to be a very minor upgrade. Chances are, there isn’t a massive difference between the VH31 and the VH31A.
Those looking at a VH31 may also note that they can be made by one of two manufacturers:
- SII
- TMI
Both are Seiko-owned companies. So, both of these manufacturers are producing the VH31 to the exact specifications. However, the watch movement would have been produced in different locations. The SII watch movements in Japan, and the TMI watch movements in Hong Kong. There is no practical difference between the two, and it doesn’t really matter which company manufactured the watch movement. They both work in exactly the same way and thus this VH31 watch movement review is going to be covering both of them.
VH31 Specification: At a Glance
Here is an overview of the VH31 specification. Some of these elements will be covered a bit later on in this VH31 watch movement review:
- Type: Quartz (Mecaquartz)
- Jewels: 2
- Battery Life: 2 Years
- Lignes: 10.5″
- Hands: seconds, minutes, and hour
- Diameter: 23.7mm
- Height: 3.45mm
The dimensions of the VH31 watch movement are fairly self-explanatory and probably don’t need much in the way of extra discussion. Although, the other features absolutely do need to be covered, particularly the Mecaaquartz function.
VH31: Mecaquartz Movement
Quartz watch movements are cheap to produce. This is why all cheap watches will feature quartz watch movements. There is no sense in explaining fully how quartz watch movements work. All that really needs to be known is that quartz watches have a battery. This battery produces electricity, which causes a quartz crystal to vibrate. The vibration is sent through to a motor, and after a bit of technical wizardry, the watch hands move.
The more eagle-eyed will notice that the VH31 doesn’t just work like a quartz movement, though. It is something called a Mecaquartz movement, a system devised by Seiko and perhaps the main reason why so many people love this movement in their watches.
The Mecaquartz is actually a hybrid between quartz and mechanical systems. The bulk of the watch movement is driven by quartz technology. This results in a watch movement that has a sweep second hand like a mechanical watch, but the slim profile of a quartz watch.
VH31: Hands
There are just three hands on the VH31; seconds, minutes, and hours. Unfortunately, there is no date display on the VH31.
On a traditional quartz watch, the second hand will be ticking. So, you have a small pause between each second. While this is fine, a lot of people don’t like it. A lot of people prefer the more sweeping motion of a mechanical watch. Something that is almost impossible to replicate in a quartz watch due to the way in which the mechanism works. However, Seiko has managed to come very close to replicating this movement in their VH31, and this is all down to the Mecaquartz movement.
The VH31 second hand ‘beats’ at 4 times per second. Not as high as the typical mechanical automatic watch (they beat at 6 times per second), but much faster than normal quartz watches which beat once per second.
This means that the VH31 second hand doesn’t really appear to ‘stop’. It just sweeps around. It is a very smooth movement. Granted, if you compared the VH31 to an actual automatic watch, you would probably notice the difference. But, if you compared the VH31 to any quartz-powered watch, then you will likely notice just how smooth the movement on the VH31 is. This is why so many people love it. There is no other watch movement that provides such a smooth second hand at an affordable price.
VH31: Jewels
This is where the ‘discount’ nature of the VH31 really does show. Most of the top quartz watch movements average between 5 and 7 jewels. They don’t need as many as automatic watches, but they still need those jewels to prevent wear and tear on the mechanism. Unfortunately, the VH31 only has 2 jewels.
This does mean that the VH31’s lifespan is going to be significantly lower than some other quartz watches. Although, it does help to keep the price down if the VH31 movement needs to be replaced. Still, there will be several years of life in the VH31, and there are very few complaints about it just ‘breaking’.
It is unknown why Seiko opted for just 2 jewels. It could be a cost-cutting measure (although, jewels don’t cost that much), or it could be a way to help support their Mecaquartz system.
VH31: Battery Life
The VH31 uses an SR920SW battery. You may sometimes see this listed as 371. It certainly isn’t the most popular watch battery, but it should never be too difficult to find.
The battery of the VH31 lasts for about 2 years, which is a reasonable length of time. Although, some people will replace it after about 18 months to ensure their watch stays accurate.
VH31: Accuracy
Once again, the Mecaquartz movement is helping out here.
Quartz watches are very accurate. Most people would need to adjust them every few months to ensure they are not wildly out of sync with the real time.
The VH31 watch movement is accurate to within +/- 15 seconds every month. This is fantastic. It means that, at the most, it would lose about 3 minutes of time per year. This is about on par with some of the more expensive watch movements out there.
This does assume that the battery is replaced in the VH31 every 18 months or so. If it isn’t, then it may start to get a little bit less accurate once the battery has been drained of most of its power. Thankfully, the batteries aren’t too expensive to replace.
VH31: Availability
The VH31 watch movement is available from all good watchmaker suppliers but is unfortunately not used in that many watches, we will take a look at some examples below (some watches coming in sub-$100), a lot of serious watch fans have fallen in love with the Mecaquartz ticking movement on the second hand, and they love how fluid it looks in comparison to other Quartz watches. There are lots of forum posts about this.
VH31 Watch Movement Review – Is The VH31 Worth It?
Considering the VH31 from Seiko is a very affordable for a meca quartz movement, it has caused a major splash in the watch-loving scene. People love the automatic looking sweeping second motion of the VH31. Sure, it does lack a date dial, but not many people use that anyway.
Watches with the VH31 Movement
Seiko does not use the vh1 movement on its own watches except for some models in the Wired Seiko sub brand that is only marketed in Japan.
Here are some examples of watches with the VH31 movement:
Seiko Wired SOLIDITY AGAJ407
Officially only available in Japan but can sometimes be found on ebay
Addiesdive 36mm (Rolex Explorer Homage)
Pilot Watch (Luftwaffe Flieger)
Farr and Swit The Wayfinder
USA made microbrand available from Farr and Swit website.
Kingsbury Monarch II
Minimalistic dress watch $89 on Kingsbury website
Pagani Design PD-1731 Grand Seiko homage
is available on aliexpress or Pagani website for around $70
Berny Titanium Field Watch
$60 from aliexpress
Steelflier / Steeldive 39mm VH31 Quartz Pilot Watch SF740
$70 from aliexpress and steeldive website
QM “Vietnam” / Platoon US Special Forces UDT Military Men’s 300M Diver Watch
from Aliexpress 100$ (Marathon navigator homage)
Gallant Meca Quartz
available from Aliexpress and Amazon for 30-40 $ Minimalistic 41mm dress watch with arabic numerals.
Escapement Time
This China microbrand offers VH31 powered watches on their Aliexpress official store. 38 mm field watch with nylon strap, 38mm with numbered dial and black strap 10 ATM water resistant, 40 mm stainless steel available in many colors.
