I was seduced by a 44% off deal that arrived in my inbox from Amazon, so decided to take the plunge and buy a really cheap automatic watch watch - a Seiko 5 SNK805K2. I ordered it on a Friday and it arrived the following Monday. Outer sleeve and blue inner box. It came in a much large Amazon box with sufficient packing that it didn't bounce around destructively in transit. Nothing exciting here. First glimpse and it's ticking away. The movement is a calibre 7S26 so no handwinding/hacking as I understand it, and given the fact it's passed through the gentle hands of the UK Post Office, I'd expect it to have been running Only other item is a simple multilingual instruction booklet which also contains a blank limited warranty card. Lets be honest, at under £60 inc. postage, I'm not really concerned by this aspect. Obligatory dial and display caseback shots (for those that like looking at whirly spinny mechanical bits ). I like the simplicity and colour of the face. If you are expecting heaps of lume, you will be disappointed, as it's only applied to the hands and dots on the outer dial, but I don't really need more. The strap is green fabric, feels comfortable and has plenty of adjustment. Lug width is 18mm, so take this into account if you're expecting existing natos or other straps to fit. Some people don't like the small, semi-recessed crown at the 4 o'clock position. I didn't have a problem with it as there is a small notch in the case under it that facilitates thumbnail access. Being a bloke and having little use for the manual (I did read it afterwards), adjusting the time and date was easy and the crown mechanism had positive feel between the positions. The water resistance is advertised as 3 bar, but given the non-screw in crown and caseback, I'd probably treat it like a sugar cube and keep it away from water. I've got an Orient Blue Mako for that sort of foolishness. Comparison shot with my Seamaster and a recently purchased military spec Pulsar (thanks again to @Alpha). And finally the obligatory wrist shot. It's not a big watch (36mm), but sits nicely and with the matte case and clear dial may get a fair bit of wrist time. So first impressions are that it seems to be a good looking, well made watch and pretty spectacular value for money. Probably not what will float the boats of most members here, but different strokes and all that........
Good little beaters. I bought one for about $70 to do Nick Hacko's "watch maintenance" course. If I could pull it apart and get it back together and actually working they must be absolutely bullet proof.
I think the Seiko 5 line is almost the absolute in the bang for your buck category. I bought the exact same watch for my son and he simply loves it. I bought him a couple of watches over the years including a very decent Longines diver but he chooses to wear this Seiko almost exclusively. What can be said of an almost bullett proof mechanical movement with clean design military style dial for this price? Cheers,
Token protestant flag bearer Same movement, under $100 USD https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RZCX19S/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1QAZL8REOZ8SS
I wish the SNKs were just a little bigger as I really like the style, colors, and unbeatable price. Congrats!
I also looked at the slightly pricier Seiko 5 sport model SNZG09K1, but as it's listed with a diameter of 41 - 45mm (depending on seller), I decided it was just a tad too big.
The Seiko 5 is a wonderful piece. They are darn near indestructible and come in so many variants there ought to be one for most any taste short of expensive bling. I needed that green dial and strap when I used to drive a green Kia Soul for about 18 months before handing it off to the baby girl.
Seiko 5 references are very well-executed for the niche they serve. Got them for both my boys as their first mechanical watch.
Last month I bought a Seiko 5 Sport in blue. Thing runs spot on, looks great and for the price it is unbelievable value. I have been wearing mine for the last two days. Last week I even ordered a black one from Amazon. Thanks for sharing, very much like the green one you posted.
I've been using and abusing my Seiko with a 7S26 movement for 13 years, salt water, pond water, pool water, no service, no repairs, only new straps. Back then it retailed for $300 but I got it in a jewelry shop's 60 percent off sale for $120. You can't beat it with a stick. Maybe it would keep better time if i had it adjusted, but I'll never know.
I was just thinking of getting one too. I saw the same watch on a youtube video roundup of $100 watches. It's a quick way to expand the collection to 3 pieces without spending a bunch of money. I think one may have to wear a lot of different watches to find what one really likes and dislikes.