I love Seikos. I have two Seiko 5's; a red dialed SNKM95 and a beige dial SNK809. They are great 37mm field watches. My everyday watch is my beloved SKX007J. It's a tank and will stand up to anything o throw at it, including harsh recoil from guns and chopping wood. But this isn't about them. It's about the Sea Urchin.
This is a great watch for the money. I would pay double the amount for this watch and feel no remorse. It's a tank-like watch with a workhorse movement. Onward.
The Case:
The case has the feel of a Rolex Submariner. Granted the angles aren't clean like a watch that costs around 33 times as much, but the feel is there. The sides and back have a mirror polish with the top side of the lugs being brushed. It sits well on any wrist. It may look a little large on a very small wrist, but the short lugs and flat case make it wear well. It definitely has more presence than the 37mm Seiko 5's but you get a lot more water resistance with the 41mm case.
The Bezel and Crystal:
This model does not have the lume pip on the bezel as the more expensive models do. The circumference is knurled and helps move the bezel the 120 clicks to complete a cycle. My sample was a bit stiff, but I think it will smooth out after some time. It is better to have the positive clicks with stiffness over the scraping of my Vostok Commander.
The crystal is a flat topped affair with no odd ripples or distortions. While Hardlex cab seem like some odd advertising gimmick, I have never scratched my 007 after a year of abuse, see the the shooting and wood chopping mentioned above. I do like sapphire better, but at this price point the Hardlex is good stuff.
The Dial:
The dial is a deep gloss black. I was expecting a matte black like my 007, but the pristine glossiness is quite attractive. The finish is even throughout, with no pudding around the day date window.
The day and date wheels are white lettering with a matte black background. The chrome border around the cutout draw in the eye. In fact I love the chrome border around the markers. I wish my 007 had them. It reminds me of the borders around the Submariners. Shocking I know.
The hands have a thick slathering of lume that matches the awesome lume of the dial markers. Thee hands are very utilitarian, with only a chrome chevron on the chunky hour hand as embellishment.
The Movement:
The Sea Urchin houses the workhorse 7s36 automatic movement. It has everything that is familiar with the 7s26, but with a crown at 3 o'clock. It runs 4hz, has a 36 hour reserve, no stem wind, and day/date changes slipping somewhere between 9pm and 4am. It has two extra jewels, but I'm unsure of need unless it has something to do with the move is the crown from 4 o'clock to 3 o'clock.
The crown is not a screw down affair. It's impressive that it is rated to 100m without a screw down crown. Setting is typical of the 5 series. You just set the date at the first stop and the time can be set at the second pullout stop.
While the timing my change as the movement breaks in, it is running about 3 seconds fast a day. That's right on par with my other Seikos. They don't regulate them at the factory, but I have had good luck with all of mine.
The Bracelet:
The bracelet is a tank. It has polished sides and brushed tops and undersides. The ends are folded, but they are finished in a way that the seam is barely visible. The styling matches my friends Tudor Black Bay with its oyster bracelet perfectly. The clasp is secure. It will not fall off unless you remove it. Removing or adding links is easy as long as you have the correct tool.
Overall this is a great everyman's watch. If you know someone who is wanting to get a watch that will look at home with a suit, t-shirt, or wetsuit, get this watch. it will withstand years of use and abuse. As another anecdote of how well Seiko 5's are made. I found my dad's in a box in a barn. He wore it as a pocket watch for years and would shake it every night to wind it. It was made in 1979 and had been sitting without running for over 10 years. I picked it up and gave it a shake. It ran and is still running; gaining about 10 seconds a day. That's a great watch and this one is no different. Would highly recommend.
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Reviews with images
Versatile daily beater
I wear this watch more than any watch in my collection. Pictured are the sub-$1,000 watches and not pictured are the above $1,000 ones. Aside from the steel bracelet, this is an impressive watch in comparison to much more expensive options. If someone were to ask me where to start a watch collection or to just have something decent this is the one I'd point them to. Seiko 5s are strong!As you can see from the images I like to change the strap often. It takes a 22mm nato well and works with every color. If you like having a different look on your wrist this watch pairs with anything. Pictured are some inexpensive Amazon-purchased packs of straps, but BluSharks certainly work nicely too. Barton makes some good rubber bands in their "Elite" class that are not bank-breakers for a good water/sporting option.Admittedly, I'm very spoiled with metal bracelets from Omega and Rolex. I much prefer something else on my Seikos.Illumination is excellent for the price. I have not had this watch meters under the water trying to time dives. It mostly is used on days when I just want to wear something comfortable or am working outside.Daily driver rating is high. Snob factor is fun if you like teaching people that Rolex isn't the end-all-be-all. The comfort factor is huge. Ease of setting the time/day/date is good - far better than an Oreint Mako II - not as easy as an Omega Seamaster for example.What else to say?... I highly recommend this 40mm diver. The weight and size make it very comfortable on my slight-larger-than-average wrists. The size is timeless. As trends move away from the over-sized watches this size will still be fashionable... if you care about those things. I wear it with a suit to the office and with foot-flops on the weekend. It works for any occasion.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019
I wear this watch more than any watch in my collection. Pictured are the sub-$1,000 watches and not pictured are the above $1,000 ones. Aside from the steel bracelet, this is an impressive watch in comparison to much more expensive options. If someone were to ask me where to start a watch collection or to just have something decent this is the one I'd point them to. Seiko 5s are strong!
As you can see from the images I like to change the strap often. It takes a 22mm nato well and works with every color. If you like having a different look on your wrist this watch pairs with anything. Pictured are some inexpensive Amazon-purchased packs of straps, but BluSharks certainly work nicely too. Barton makes some good rubber bands in their "Elite" class that are not bank-breakers for a good water/sporting option.
Admittedly, I'm very spoiled with metal bracelets from Omega and Rolex. I much prefer something else on my Seikos.
Illumination is excellent for the price. I have not had this watch meters under the water trying to time dives. It mostly is used on days when I just want to wear something comfortable or am working outside.
Daily driver rating is high. Snob factor is fun if you like teaching people that Rolex isn't the end-all-be-all. The comfort factor is huge. Ease of setting the time/day/date is good - far better than an Oreint Mako II - not as easy as an Omega Seamaster for example.
What else to say?... I highly recommend this 40mm diver. The weight and size make it very comfortable on my slight-larger-than-average wrists. The size is timeless. As trends move away from the over-sized watches this size will still be fashionable... if you care about those things. I wear it with a suit to the office and with foot-flops on the weekend. It works for any occasion.
As you can see from the images I like to change the strap often. It takes a 22mm nato well and works with every color. If you like having a different look on your wrist this watch pairs with anything. Pictured are some inexpensive Amazon-purchased packs of straps, but BluSharks certainly work nicely too. Barton makes some good rubber bands in their "Elite" class that are not bank-breakers for a good water/sporting option.
Admittedly, I'm very spoiled with metal bracelets from Omega and Rolex. I much prefer something else on my Seikos.
Illumination is excellent for the price. I have not had this watch meters under the water trying to time dives. It mostly is used on days when I just want to wear something comfortable or am working outside.
Daily driver rating is high. Snob factor is fun if you like teaching people that Rolex isn't the end-all-be-all. The comfort factor is huge. Ease of setting the time/day/date is good - far better than an Oreint Mako II - not as easy as an Omega Seamaster for example.
What else to say?... I highly recommend this 40mm diver. The weight and size make it very comfortable on my slight-larger-than-average wrists. The size is timeless. As trends move away from the over-sized watches this size will still be fashionable... if you care about those things. I wear it with a suit to the office and with foot-flops on the weekend. It works for any occasion.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Anand Prahlad
My go-to watch for the (hopefully) next decade
Reviewed in India on July 14, 2019
Eduardo José Núñez Cumplido
Producto perfecto, problemas con el envío
Reviewed in Spain on July 28, 2018
Batracien
En remplacement d'une Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust ... ben ça le fait !!!
Reviewed in France on May 18, 2018