SEIKOMen's SNK805 SEIKO 5 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch with Green Canvas

First let me say I'm not a watch guy, I like watches I think they look cool but frankly I don't know what makes a good watch good or what makes a cheap watch cheap, I only know that the general consensus is that Seiko is a good "starter watch". That being said this review is from the standpoint of a normal guy who just likes the watch.This isn't a "starter watch" a good product is a good product no matter the price! It's suited for a guy who owns a Rolex or a guy who buys no name watches and just wants something nicer. Honestly after owning this watch a while I would have no problem paying the full retail $180.00 for this and at $60.00 it's a steal and let me tell you why.First the size, it's small! I think the modern style is for watches to be big, I actually own another seiko that's in the recraft series it's a good looking watch and looks nice with a suit but it's big and cumbersome. On the contrary the seiko 5 is much much smaller more like the classic sized watch you would have seen your grandfather wearing. I have very large wrists most watch bands only fit on the last or even second to last hole comfortably and this watch looks perfectly sized for my wrists in no way does it look feminine although this could make a fine large watch for a woman. Take a look a look at the picture below and keep in mind I have large wrists at 7.8 inches. The size makes it possible to go along with life with out your watch getting in the way or digging into the back of your hand.Next up the strap of the watch.This watch is classy and has an awsome retro design. I feel it was a mistake for them to place this beautiful timepiece on such a cheap watch band. The included watch band is made with a seat belt material and while I think it would last a while I find it to be ugly and it takes away from what the watch could be. I'm sure it was chosen to go along with the military design of the watch it is also probably a cost cutting method.I honestly never even wore the included band I changed it the moment it came to my door. I first tried a band from Amazon made by strapsco a very beautiful leather watch band but too small for my wrist. Then I got a cheap Walmart 18mm watch band, it worked but didn't do the watch justice. I ended up getting a watch band from crown and buckle the watch band was on sale for $30.00ish and is made out of realy soft calf leather, call me cheap but I find even that price high for a watch strap but if your looking for a high quality watch strap I recommend trying crown and buckle.The watch color.When choosing the color I asked my wife what color I should get and she said green. Honestly I thought green was the ugliest color and wanted to go with black or maybe even blue but I have this nasty habit of asking my wife's opinion and doing what I want any way. My wife is a smart beautiful classy lady so I decided I need to listen to her opinion and I did and I'm really happy I did. The green face is less military green in real life its more of a forest green, when paired up with a nice leather band it gives this watch a really unique classic look and as stupid as this sounds it's the only way I can accurately describe it, it looks very earthy. Having the green color on my wrist I wouldn't choose any of the other colors.The dial markings are another treat, where as the seiko and 5 shield are applied the second and hour markings are painted straight on the face. That may sound like it would look cheap but I think it actually gives it a very classic and timeless look. Also the way it's set up makes telling the time a simple quick look down process. The watch also has loom admittedly, while it's very bright at first it fades quickly, although it's faint you can still make out the time in the middle of the night.Now the movement.When you look at that second hand you are going to be treated by what looks like a sweeping second hand, it's so cool. And while I don't think it's really a sweeping hand it's close enough for this non expert! Turn over the watch and you have that beautiful exhibition display you can see the mechanism that swings when you move that powers the watch also the watch spring moving like a tiny heart beating it's really an awsome thing to look at. This watch is also an automatic, that means the power is derived from the moment of your arm winding the watch as you go, I have been told it has a life span of nearly 30 or so hours although mine has yet to die. During the work week I wear a digital watch to work and wear this watch for around 4 hours a day and so far that has been enough to keep it alive. Reseting the watch is a snap. First pull the watch crown all the way out and set the clock to 12.00, then push the crown in one click rotate the crown forward to change it to the correct date and backward for the day, pull out the crown again and set the time. Setting it to 12 initially keeps your watch from turning to the Spanish day of the week in the middle of the day, just a learned helpful tip.And lastly the overall build of the watch. Although it's a small watch it has some nice heft to it and in no way feels cheap thanks to that stainless steal bezel. The bezel is a really complementing dull stainless steal although the sides by the strap are a nice polished stainless steal. I also really like how the crown is set at 4:00, it gives this watch a very unique look while keeping the crown from digging into the back of your hand.This is not my only watch nor is it my most expensive, as I also mentioned it's not my only seiko or my newest watch but it is my favorite. It's not just that it's an all around beautiful watch, honestly seiko nailed it here. But this watch is quality and when it comes down to it money doesn't always determine how long something is going to last even though that's what consumerism tells us. This watch is quality the stainless steel body not to mention the same movement that is found in a wide variety of seikos including watches that cost much more comparatively. Although it would have been nice to have a nicer crystal even if it would have cost more and even a nicer band included, the price reflects this and I think it's an even cheaper price then this watch could be.This isn't only the best watch buy of my life but the absolute hands down best buy of my year when it comes to quality to price ratio.

I have EXTREMELY small wrists for a man, and this watch almost feels too small. I almost wish it was about 5mm bigger, and I am not someone who likes big watches. The very thin band doesn't help that either. But it is very unobtrusive on my wrist and is extremely light for an automatic, so it does not move around a lot without requiring a tight band.Interestingly, the day can be switched to either french or English.I really like that the seconds are on the outside and the hours inside. I'm a paramedic, so I use a watch for timing things that are done in seconds, so it really does add to the clarity. But I do wish it had a bezel, which would have also helped with the watch feeling too tiny without messing with the size of the face.Luminous hands and markers are easy to read in the dark.The movement is easy to set and the action itself feels very nice and tight, I like the red indicator on the second hand and the layout is just great. The green face really stands out as well, along with the matte case.I can only really complain about two things that aren't my personal style choices:Firstly, the winding movement felt a little loose. it almost rattles when you shake your wrist up and down vertically. I opened the case and it's tight and secure and nothing seems wrong, but I noticed the weight in it is just quite large for an automatic movement so small, so I think it's just got some play that isn't to be worried about. But it does still make some noise if you move your arm quickly enough, though you'll only hear it if you're listening and the room is quiet, it's still a minor mark against it.Second, the band is kind of junk. It doesn't look very good, and it doesn't feel very good. Nylon would be cool if the watch was properly water resistant for swimming or diving, but it's a very utilitarian feel on a watch that isn't. It doesn't feel good on the wrist. BUT, it's easy and inexpensive to replace. I bought this one knowing I'd replace the band because I like the green dial a lot, and the Eache brand on Amazon sells nice and thin/light leather bands at wonderful prices. So, If you do buy this, I recommend you just drop the extra $15 on a leather band (this watch uses a standard 18mm band and pressure bar)So overall, I give it 4 stars mostly because the band stinks and, the winding movement makes a tad bit of noise. But the fit and finish of the watch itself are good, It's a nice watch for people with truly tiny wrists, and the band is super easy to replace with something that really makes it look professional yet casual.Update*That minor rattle I was whining about has gone away with use. Dunno what it was, but the watch is still super accurate.I did forget to mention that this watch CANNOT be hand wound. It just doesn't have the mechanism inside. So when you first get it, you literally have to shake it up and down for about 5 minutes to get a healthy initial charge. And if you don't plan on wearing it every day, you need to get an automatic watch winder.But the small size has grown on me a lot. it feels like almost nothing on your wrist, the vintage appeal is huge, and with a nice leather band, it's super comfortable. I've bumped it up to 5 stars despite still hating the included band (new ones are so cheap, as is this watch, that it's just not really important.)