Silca’s $800 GPS bike computer – too cool, too expensive

Silca has bought Omata, the maker of the analogue-dial GPS bike computer, and is selling a limited run of the device again for $800. Silca hand-assembles each unit at its Indianapolis factory, sells it only in the US, and says the run ends when its stock of discontinued Seiko movements is gone.

Omata launched on Kickstarter in 2016 at $550 and never sold in big numbers. When I took a first look at Omata One in 2019 I called it a discount Rolex for your bike, and the description still fits. It is a round, machined aluminium dial with sweeping hands, and on the bars it looks like a sports-car gauge rather than a screen.

What Omata does on the bike

The dial shows four things while you ride: current speed, distance, total ascent and ride time. There are no maps, turn prompts, notifications or training targets. Behind the dial, GPS and a barometric altimeter record the ride, and paired ANT+ power, heart rate and cadence sensors are logged in the background. The finished ride saves as a FIT file and goes to Strava or any other platform through the Omata iOS app or over USB-C.

A rotating bezel switches between ride, stop and phone-sync modes. That makes Omata a computer for rides you do for their own sake: the coffee loop, the commute, the long day on a steel bike. It is a poor tool for intervals, because power and heart rate stay hidden until you get home. The original Omata user guide covers the controls in full.

What Silca changed

Silca has kept the dial and the Seiko movement and rebuilt most of what surrounds them.

• A new circuit board, battery system and outer housing.
• A triple-barrier lip seal on the bezel and a Gore-Tex membrane over the barometric sensor, to keep water out on wet rides.
• A square mounting cleat that fits the Garmin and Wahoo mounts already on your bike. The original shipped with a K-Edge out-front mount.
• A Silca Chisela 3D-printed titanium mount of your choice.
• Sensor pairing is now ANT+ only, so Bluetooth sensors no longer connect, and the app runs on iPhone only.

Why Silca bought it

“At Silca, we are obsessed with the intersection of beauty, precision, and performance. Omata is a masterpiece of functional art. We acquired Omata because we believed it was a product that should continue to exist in this world. Sadly, it relies on a finite supply of legacy Seiko components; so, each unit carries the weight of rarity.” Josh Poertner, Silca CEO

Silca has not disclosed what it paid. The real constraint is the Seiko mechatronic movement that turns digital data into moving hands. Seiko no longer makes it, so Silca is releasing Omata in small batches until its supply runs out.

Who Silca is

Most cyclists know Silca from its free Pro Tire Pressure Calculator, which turns rider weight, tyre width and road surface into a pressure for each wheel. It works best with the measured width of the tyre on your rim rather than the number on the sidewall, which is why I use a cheap digital calliper before trusting it with a race tyre such as the Pirelli P Zero Race SL-R.

Felice Sacchi founded Silca near Milan in 1917, and the company was the first to put a pressure gauge on a pump. Josh Poertner, formerly Zipp’s technical director, bought it in 2013 and moved it to Indianapolis a year later. The range now covers floor and frame pumps, chain wax and 3D-printed titanium parts. Omata is its first bike computer.

Who should buy one

$800 is more than Garmin charges for Edge 1050, which has maps, climb profiles and every metric a racer could want. Omata buyers are paying for the object. It suits the rider with a steel or titanium build who already cares how the cockpit looks, wants every ride recorded, and does not want a screen asking for attention. Anyone training to numbers should start with the best cycling computers instead.

UK and European riders cannot buy one from Silca. It sells Omata only in the US and has given no UK price.

What happens when the movements run out

Silca has not said how many units it can build. Once the Seiko movements are used up, Omata either ends or needs a new movement and a redesign around it. Silca still sells spare parts for pumps it made in the 1960s and 70s, so keeping an old design alive is in its habits. My guess is that a quick sell-out would push Silca to look for a replacement movement, but it has promised nothing.

Thoughts

I like the look of it, but I suspect I’m not cool enough to ride with one, and I don’t own a bike cool enough to match it. Plenty of riders do, and some will like the rarity too. When Omata first launched, I thought it would sell to a small niche. Maybe that niche was too small, or maybe the original team lacked Silca’s marketing reach. I hope it does well, but at $800 it needs buyers who care more about looks than value.

Quick answers

How much does the Silca Omata cost?
Silca Omata costs $800 in the US, including a Silca Chisela 3D-printed titanium mount of your choice. There is no UK or European price.

Can I buy the Silca Omata in the UK?
No. Silca sells Omata only in the US, in limited batches.

Does Silca Omata show power or heart rate?
No. It records ANT+ power, heart rate and cadence into the FIT file, but the dial shows only speed, distance, ascent and ride time.

Does Silca Omata work with Android phones?
No. The Omata app runs on iPhone only. Rides can also be copied off over USB-C.

Does Silca Omata fit a Garmin or Wahoo mount?
Yes. The new square cleat fits existing Garmin and Wahoo mounts.

How long does the Silca Omata battery last?
Up to 17 hours of riding, and it charges over USB-C.

Is Silca Omata a new design?
No. It keeps the original Omata One dial and Seiko movement, with a new circuit board, battery, housing, seals and mount.

Source and original research by: the5krunner and Bikerumor

Last Updated on 16 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner

tfk the5krunner

tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID