Seiko 5 SNZJ5
+ 6 Series
– $140 – $160
All hail the Seiko 5. It’s one of the few movements that both the proud contingent of auto addicts as well as those who appreciate the affordability of quartz can actually agree upon. And now that legendary & inexpensive Seiko automatic movement comes wrapped in some of the best looking exteriors ever.
Released in the last few months, the Seiko 5 SNZJ5 and SNZJ6 series come with a couple of different dial and band options, but they all carry with them a few dead-on perfect details:
- A rotating inner bezel, thus that terrific extra crown
- A not too big not too small 42.5mm case diameter
- A not too aggressive coin edge on the outer case.
Just enough sport, easy to dress up with a suit, still appropriate for a t-shirt and jeans. All of the looks for around $150 and it comes with the Seiko 5 movement.
That’s plenty cheap for even leather band fans to swap out the stainless steel links (say, perhaps on the white dial with orange/red accents
From Left – Right up top: Seiko SNZJ67
I’m not in the market, but those look like they have a lot going for them. I disagree about a 42.5 mm case diameter being in the “not to big, not too small” range, though. In my opinion the sweet spot is around 40 mm, and 42.5 is starting to get kind of big.
The movement used in the Seiko 5 series is pretty well-respected. In fact, Seiko in general is pretty well-respected, just go check the various watch forums on the interwebs. Big Seiko following.
Those are all great looking watches, though. The orange/black details on the SNZJ63 make it kinda sporty, which *some* might claim limits its potential. I think paired with a conservative outfit, it could look pretty ballsy (in the good way).
White dial is my favorite.
I have been thinking about going with the Timex TX with the orange day accent. I do think I prefer this Seiko with orange/red accents. 150 dollar difference as well.
That Timex TX is going to get harder to find as it appears that the line got discontinued.
I think that depends a LOT on wrist size. I’ve got an 8″ wrist, and am currently wearing an Orient Aviator (http://orientwatchusa.com/em7a001b — awesome watch, and available for 1/2 price directly from orient with one of the many available codes…really loving this piece). It’s a 43mm, and looks perfectly proportional on my wrist. Of course, I’ve got a 48″ chest, size 8 hat, and size 13 feet, so the larger watches are probably going to look more ‘right’ on me than the majority of the population.
I love the dial on the farthest-right watch. The various orange accents are nice – personally, I find that most “dress watches” bore the heck out of me. So I like little details that stand out. I’m not in the market for a new watch, but if I were, I would definitely think seriously about this orange guy. And that’s saying something, as I normally avoid watches with metal bands.