SPEEDWAY is the one watch in CrownCraft's Atelier line that doesn't fit neatly into "automatic" or "quartz" — it's both, in a specific and deliberate way. Understanding meca-quartz technology explains exactly why, and why it's the right movement choice for an affordable chronograph.
What meca-quartz actually means
A meca-quartz movement is a hybrid. The base timekeeping — the hour and minute hands — runs on a quartz crystal and battery, exactly like any quartz watch, giving you quartz-level accuracy for everyday timekeeping. The chronograph function — the stopwatch sub-dials — is driven by a mechanical module rather than an electronic one.
The specific movement inside SPEEDWAY is the VK63, one of the most widely used meca-quartz calibres in this price segment. It was originally developed by Seiko and is now produced under license, which means it carries the same track record for reliability and parts availability that makes the NH-series automatic movements a safe, well-supported choice.
Why this hybrid design actually matters to a buyer
There are two concrete reasons a meca-quartz chronograph is worth choosing over the alternatives, and both come down to feel and cost.
The pushers feel real. On a meca-quartz watch, the chronograph pushers have genuine mechanical resistance and a satisfying, tactile "click" when you start, stop, or reset the stopwatch — something a fully electronic quartz chronograph simply can't replicate, because there's no mechanical module behind an electronic chronograph's pushers, just a switch triggering a circuit.
It's actually affordable. A fully mechanical chronograph — where both the timekeeping and the chronograph function are driven entirely by mechanical parts — is one of the most complex and expensive things a watch movement can do. Building that complexity into a watch would push the price far beyond SPEEDWAY's 219 EUR. Meca-quartz is the practical middle path the affordable-chronograph segment has converged on for exactly this reason: real mechanical pusher feel, at a price a fully mechanical chronograph movement genuinely couldn't hit.
What you're trading off versus a true automatic
Compared to DEEPMASTER's NH35A or MERIDIAN-GMT's NH34A, SPEEDWAY does use a battery for its base movement — it's not a pure mechanical watch in the same sense as the rest of the Atelier line. You also won't get the smooth sweeping second hand a mechanical caliber produces; SPEEDWAY's running seconds hand ticks, as on any quartz watch. In exchange, you get sharper day-to-day timing precision than a fully mechanical movement would offer, and a lower likely long-term maintenance cost than a genuine mechanical chronograph movement would carry — mechanical chronographs are notoriously more expensive to service than simpler three-hand automatics.
The rest of the package
SPEEDWAY pairs the VK63 with a tachymeter bezel — used for calculating speed over a measured distance, by starting the chronograph, stopping it when you pass a known distance marker, and reading the speed directly off the bezel scale where the second hand lands — and a tri-compax dial layout, the classic three-sub-dial chronograph look that chronograph enthusiasts specifically look for. Sapphire crystal is standard, matching every other watch in the CrownCraft catalog.
Who SPEEDWAY is for
If you want the mechanical feel of operating a chronograph — the resistance in the pushers, the audible click, the sense of controlling something physical — without paying several times SPEEDWAY's price for a fully mechanical chronograph movement, this is exactly the watch that combination was built for. It's also CrownCraft's most accessible Atelier model at 219 EUR, making it a reasonable entry point into the automatic-adjacent side of the line even for buyers who'd otherwise start with a simpler three-hand NH35A watch like DEEPMASTER or CENTRE COURT.
If pure mechanical purity matters more to you than chronograph functionality — no battery anywhere in the watch, full stop — DEEPMASTER, CENTRE COURT, BELMONT, ROADSTER, and MERIDIAN-GMT are all genuinely mechanical, battery-free watches. SPEEDWAY is the one deliberate exception in the line, and it's an exception made specifically to make a real chronograph experience achievable at an accessible price.