Vaer · Microbrand · United States

Vaer RS1 Rally Chronograph 40mm

In production · Chronograph, Racing

Vaer RS1 Rally Chronograph Panda 40mm on black waffle strap
Photo: Vaer
  • Vaer RS1 Rally Chronograph Cream 40mm on black waffle strap
  • Vaer RS1 Rally Chronograph Panda 40mm on khaki nylon strap
From $279 to $399
  • Seiko VK63A
  • 40 mm × 13 mm
  • Sapphire crystal
  • 100 m water resistance

Movement

Type
Meca-quartz
Tier
Mid
Complications
Hours, Minutes, Small seconds, Chronograph
Frequency
n/a
Power reserve
n/a
Hacking
n/a
Accuracy (factory)
-20 / +20 s/month

Case

Diameter
40 mm
Lug to lug
48 mm
Thickness
13 mm
Lug width
20 mm
Material
Steel (316L)
Hardening
—
Water resistance
100 m
Crown
Screw-down
Case back
—
Bezel
Fixed

Crystal & dial

Crystal
Sapphire
Shape
Flat
Anti-reflective
Yes (side not stated)
Lume
Super-LumiNova on dial and hour/minute hands (grade differs by colourway, see notes)

Bracelet & clasp

Style
Oyster
Links per row
3
Solid end links
Yes
Solid links
—
Link attachment
Screws
Taper
20 → 16 mm
Quick release
Yes
Half links
—
Clasp
—
Micro-adjust
Tool (pin holes), 4 positions
Diver extension
—

Straps

Strap 1
Silicone, quick release, Included primary black silicone "Ocean" strap; a second strap or a bracelet is chosen at checkout
Strap 2
Nylon, quick release, Khaki quick-release nylon strap, the free second-strap choice

Weight

Head only
—
On bracelet
—
On strap
—

Prices

VariantConfigurationTypePriceUSDAs ofSource
Pandasilicone strap + nylon strapMsrp279 USD$2792026-10-21link
Pandasilicone strap + Premium steel braceletMsrp369 USD$3692026-10-21link
Pandasilicone strap + Premium jubilee braceletMsrp399 USD$3992026-10-21link
Creamsilicone strap + nylon strapMsrp279 USD$2792026-10-21link
Creamsilicone strap + Premium steel braceletMsrp369 USD$3692026-10-21link
Creamsilicone strap + Premium jubilee braceletMsrp399 USD$3992026-10-21link

Variants

NameReferenceDial
PandaRS1-PND40black with cream outer tachymeter ring and coloured subdials
CreamRS1-CRM40cream with black outer tachymeter ring and coloured subdials

About this entry

89% of key specs known. Missing: weight, hardening.

Hong Kong-assembled meca-quartz racing chronograph on Vaer's 40mm field-case proportions, a lower-priced counterpart of the USA-assembled R1 Rally of 2024 (USD 399-469; its store listings are gone); the R1 Racing and R1 Oceanracer are separate cases. Brand spec list (both pages): 40mm, 48mm lug-to-lug, "11.8 mm case thickness (no crystal)" (13mm with crystal per the sizing paragraph; Time+Tide also gave 13mm for the 2024 R1 Rally USA), 20mm lugs, 10 ATM, 316L steel, locking screw-down crown, flat sapphire with AR coating (side not stated), Seiko VK63, 40-month battery life, -10/+20 sec/month, "Assembled in Hong Kong" (the page title still says "RS1 Rally USA Chronograph"; the spec list is used). Flat crystal recessed in the bezel per Vaer's side-profile photo (Time+Tide described the 2024 USA version's crystal as double-domed). The sizing paragraph's "case weight of 64 grams" is the C5 40mm field-case figure repeated across Vaer's pages, so no weight is recorded. Layout from the photos: chronograph minutes at 9, 24-hour indicator at 3, small seconds at 6, tachymeter scale on the outer dial ring, plain fixed steel bezel, no date window (the VK63 has a date, so complications are set), pushers with knurled guards and not screw-down. Lume: the Panda spec list says 25 layers of C3 on the dial (lume rating 9/10), the Cream list 15 layers of BGW9 (7/10), both with Grade A BGW9 on the hour and minute hands; Vaer's night photos of both colourways show the same blue-green glow, so the Panda's C3 grade is not recorded as confirmed. Caseback not shown or described for the RS1 (the R1 Rally USA guide describes a stamped screw-down caseback), so it is left blank. "Panda" is Vaer's name for the black-dial version. Every RS1 ships with a black silicone strap plus a free khaki quick-release nylon strap or a paid upgrade; bracelet recorded is the Premium Steel Bracelet (+USD 90; "S5 / C5 / A5 / A12 / RS1 (40mm cases)" fitment): screw links, solid custom-fit end links, quick-release pins, 20-16mm, milled clasp, four spring-bar micro-adjust positions (Vaer bracelet page and FAQ). A Premium Jubilee (+USD 120) is also offered; an FKM waffle strap (+USD 30) and a "Rally" leather strap (+USD 35) are not recorded as prices. Listings created 26 December 2024; release year not recorded. No independent review of the RS1 was found. Both colourways in stock on 2026-10-21. No hardening treatment is mentioned.

Last verified: 2026-10-21. Edit or correct this entry.

Sources