This review was originally written for the SNK803K2. The only difference is the color of the dial. But I bought this on too.
For me this watch is fantastic. If you know auto-winds (automatics), then you know their little idiosyncrasies. So let's start there...
Timing:
It's not a chronometer, it does gain (or lose) more than 0.5 seconds/day. In fact, on some days it seems to gain as much as a minute. Gaining time seems to be a common observation with other owners and reviewers. My guess is that it is "set fast" at the factory, with the idea that "if we can't get it perfect out of the box, then it's better to be early than be late." For this, you could probably go down to your local watch repair and get the timing set. Having said that, My watch normally runs about a minute fast over the course of a month and that doesn't bother me. In fact, true to all automatics, it gains and loses a little time each day or so and it is generally the same "one minute" ahead of the current time for several months.
Quality:
The watch is obvious quality. Seiko is quality and they obviously get a great job on this one too. It's quite rugged. I regularly ride a both a mountain bike and road bike to work, which is 12 miles in one direction. The watch take a vibrational beating, but never really misses a beat (outside of the range mentioned in the previous paragraph).
Looks:
I wasn't keen on the style of the band that came with the watch, although it is tough and will probably never come apart. I went a got a leather band, and this thing is beautiful. No kidding, totally styling.
Trivia:
The numbers on the watch dial are definitely unique: minutes on the outside; hours on the inside... Okay - but is a great way to help little kids to tell analog time, "The little hand tells you the hours and the big hand tells you the minutes." Was it planned?
Recommendations:
I went out and got two more. Another for myself, with a green dial (that my oldest son commandeered) and another with a blue dial for my daughter in the Coast Guard. I was able to spend $64 a piece for these, so really, I think they were a great deal.
I have an older, beautiful Omega Deville that I wear when the occasion arises, but to tell you the truth, I end up feeling just a little guilty leaving this watch behind for some event, when it really is my trusted time piece.
However, after this... An Omega Planet Ocean. Seiko Men's SNK805K2 Automatic Green Dial Green Fabric Strap Watch
Just got mine a week ago and I love it. A lot of people say the band looks cheap but I think it's in comparison to the watch. The band looks like it would be on a 80 dollar watch and the watch looks like a 200$ watch. The band is a little too glossy but all the hardware on the band looks great. I have a thin wrist cause I'm 6'4 and lanky and I think the watch is a perfect size. New watches are huge but that's trendy. If I still have this watch in 20 years it will still look great what about those giant things. It looses 4 seconds a day and once every couple weeks I don't wear it long enough and it dies so I reset it to the atomic clock and all is groovy. I like doing that it makes it almost like a pet I have to care for and gives me a more of a sense of contact with it than one would have with perfect items that never give you any trouble. It's like an old Volkswagen you feel more connected cause you have to adjust the valves not just change the oil. It really feels like a quality item and has a decent heft to it but not too much, just enough to know it's built well. I also wear a Wenger Swiss army but I like the look and feel of this better. It's a work watch and cheap enough that if I break it in a year I will just buy another one. I may buy another one just to throw a better band on it for a dress casual watch. I work as a bellhop and it's common for me to have 50 pounds of crap hanging of my hand and wrist and it holds up to it. I'm constantly banging it into things and its fine. I decided to wear a cheap timex digital for a while to save my good watches but the band broke within a month and I decided I'm an adult and vain so I needed an analog that looks good. I hope it will last at least a couple years and think it will. People constantly compliment me on it. I've bought 50 things online and have liked half of them a lot loved about 5 of them and this is the first one I had to review.
The bezel is a classic size, not like the many gaudy over-sized bezels that are being churned out by every watch company these days. It's not tiny as suggested by some other reviewers, i'd say it's about the size of your average Timex Iron-man digital watch. It's thickness makes up for the smaller bezel diameter. I would sorta understand the size complaints if it were small and thin, but it's sits on the wrist with ample thickness to convey that it is indeed a mans timepiece. Not dainty by any means.
The green face is very unique yet understated. There is the option to view the day in English or French. So far it keeps very accurate time, I've only owned it for a few days so i'll update this review if anything changes. The watch is very light and comfortable to wear. Overall, i'd say you can't go wrong with this one in any color.
Days after buying this watch, one of the pins holding the hasp of the band popped off --- not necessarily a problem, unless you're in the process of opening a car door to re-shut it tight while driving. Needless to say, I watched helplessly as the watch bounced down the median of the road for several yards while I muscled the car to a stop on the shoulder. After scooping up the watch while dodging traffic, I see that the watch itself didn't miss a beat, a few shallow scratches on the bezel edges, but otherwise in fine shape. However, the hasp of the band went missing, and I immediately replaced the band with something more sturdy and appealing. So thumbs up on this great value watch, and hisses for the cheap pins used on the otherwise basic but serviceable band. All in all, still a worthy purchase for the watch alone, but a couple of better quality pins could have earned another star for outstanding value. - Military Watch - Mens Watch - Automatic Movement - Seiko 5'
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