Automatic Watch for Men - Recraft Series - Brown Leather Strap, Day/Date Calendar, 50m Water Resistant

I like this watch. Given the price, it's a bargain. It's often been said that Seiko is the best non-Swiss watch manufacturer out there. This watch is a great example of why many think that. But, you have to keep expectations realistic, and understand this is not a hand assembled in Japan Grand Seiko model. This is a fun, casual, budget Seiko. The movement is a Malaysian assembled 7S26C movement, not one made in Japan, and the case is not made in Japan, either. Nowhere does the watch say "made in Japan", so I assume it's not. Seiko has done a lot of offshore manufacturing of their budget models, and appear to be doing it without sacrificing quality. But, even without the "made in Japan" cachet, this is a good quality Japanese designed watch, with the movement designed in-house by Seiko, and manufactured by them, albeit not in Japan. The 7S26C does have some quirks, though, which are common in older Japanese watch movement designs, but may seem strange to people accustomed to Swiss, or even Chinese produced movements. The oddest thing is the lack of hand winding. To simplify the design, the ability to wind the watch through the crown is absent. It's an automatic, and only an automatic. This means if it runs down you have to do the "Seiko shuffle" and rock it back and forth a bit to get it going. The next thing you find on vintage or budget Seikos is that there's no hacking function. "Hacking" is then the watch movement stops when the crown is pulled out to set the time to within a second. The 7S26C does not do that, either. So, you can't set it to an absolutely accurate time. Hacking didn't become common of Swiss watches until the late 1950s, so I'm accustomed to this oddity from vintage Swiss watches. So those are two things about the function that you should know. It's automatic winding only, and it lacks a hacking function. Seiko is starting to use movements with manual and automation winding, plus hacking, in a lot of their lower priced mechanical watches now, but this one is not one of them. I actually think these sort of anachronistic shortcomings are a good fit for the retro design, since a 60s or early 70s vintage mechanical Seiko would also lack those two functions. The case is large but feels remarkably small on the wrist. A lot of this is due to it being fairly thin for the diameter, and having a flush mounted crystal. It's very comfortable despite the size, and just heavy enough to feel solid and substantial without feeling like a boat anchor. The polished lugs and grained body of the case provide a nice subtle contrast that delineates the cushion design, and I also like the through-holes on the lugs for the spring bars, which is another nice retro detail to the design. The exhibition back on the case shows the rather plain movement, but I like this modern touch, even with a basic workhorse movement like this. One element that is plainly visible is the Seiko "magic lever" type reverser for the winding system. It's an elegant bit of simplified and economical design which Seiko invented, and it's nice to see it clearly in operation. The dial is fantastic. The polished applied indicies on the chapter ring are not mirror flat on top, as often seen on high end watches, but are instead somewhat wavy and soft edged, which really fits the retro look and budget price point. Perfectly flat mirror finished indicies would look too austere for such a casual design. The microprinting on the inner dial is crisp and precise. The deep blue sunburst dial finish is very eye-catching, and the crisp step between the chapter ring and the inner dial adds depth. It's a really good dial for the price point, and the details fit the casual retro design well. I've been wearing it constantly for five days now, and have seen no issues with power reserve or accuracy. However, I did put it on a winder and ran it a 1 rpm for about 20 minutes first thing out of the box to develop a good base level of power. Having a good pre-load on the mainspring helps maintain good accuracy. With a watch which can be hand wound, this is simple to do, but with an automatic only movement, it's not so easy. I'd really recommend giving this watch a good initial winding via rotation before setting it and wearing it. Dont just wobble it barely enough to get it running, and then wear it. A good initial build up of power reserve will help ensure accuracy, and keep it from running down overnight. Take the time to set it up properly, and you'll be rewarded with the famous Seiko reliability, don't and you may find it losing whole minutes because it's hitting the bottom of the power reserves intermittently. Overall, this is a great budget automatic watch, one with good fit and finish, a great casual design, and even functional quirks that are pure 60s/70s Japanese watch.

Very cool, combines retro-looks with manly modern sizing (most watches from the 1970s are so small they look like women's watches of today.) In dim light the face appears to be black, but in brighter light the color blue has depth and texture. It's 1970s-ish without calling too much attention to itself; it never screams "look at my watch!" but when people with good taste catch a glimpse they often want to look closer. The leather strap is about the color of a baseball glove, and is stiff at first but loosened up within a week or so; like a pair of shoes, it needed a little breaking in. Flip it over and discover the eco-secret that allows it to run without ever requiring a battery: an automatic (self-winding) mechanical movement, that's visible through the transparent view window on the reverse. A day's wear keeps it running for about 40 hours, so it keeps ticking on the bed-stand overnight for at least 2 nights. Best of all, it's eerily satisfying to examine the moving springs and pieces within, a tiny world of precision parts that move the second hand exactly 21,600 beats per hour. The 7S26c driving this machine is the newest version of an old-fashioned type of movement, and it keeps time within a few seconds per day, which is outrageous when you consider how much a watch gets shoved and jerked around with normal wear. Mechanically operated via the legendary, rock-solid Seiko 7S26 automatic movement, about which Jack Forster of FORBES magazine wrote: "mechanical watchmaking in ... its purest form. ... The famous Seiko calibre 7S26 is as brutally efficient and stripped to essentials as a Kalashnikov, and like a Kalashnikov, it is designed to work, as well as possible, with as few parts as possible, as efficiently as possible ... as pure an expression of the most fundamental social contract possible between watch manufacturer and owner that there can possibly be – it is designed to work." A little bit of history, beauty and engineering that rides on your wrist and will last for many, many years to come.

Utilisation d'une montre superbe mais rencontré des problèmes au niveau du mouvement automatique. Je le regrette vivement. Contacts très rapides avec le vendeur et propose aimablement un remboursement dans le cadre de la garantie. Bravo à ce vendeur.

I recently heard somebody say "Nobody asks if a Seiko is fake." This was said as a complement. A Seiko is a Seiko - not a wannabe Rolex. With their Recraft serries, Seiko has brought out a line of big, bold, original designs that look like themselves; not like a copy. First of all, this is a big watch. I have an 8 1/2 inch wrist and it looks good on it. It has a bit of heft, given the large stainless steel case, but not distractingly so, and I haven't found that I've been banging it into door jambs and counters. The medium brown calf leather strap, deep blue dial and bold chrome numbers complement each other, making for a striking, sharp appearance. The inner dial with index markers and date window is a circle recessed by a bout 1 mm below the outer circle with the numbers. This gives the watch a luxurious look. Although it looks like lume is applied to the dial, this is not the case - it's just white paint. The addition of a display back is a great bonus at this price point. The parts are brushed but not engraved - a good compromise. Catches the light but probably adds only minimal cost. Also reducing cost is the lack of a wind-up feature - no biggie for me. I'd buy this again in a second. Perfect for a big wrist and looks like a much more expensive watch, with a unique design

Klas , dayanıklı, rahat

Have looked at buying this watch for awhile & finally took the plunge . Lovely retro look & looks way more expensive than the cost . Already had quite a few comments . The strap supplied is OK but not great , I have already ordered a Stainless Steel strap & another better quality leather one . I like to swap straps occasionally anyway . Overall a lovely timeless classic . The seller I purchased this from did a really ordinary job at packing with no bubble wrap around the Seiko box and it was squashed when it arrived so that was quite poor . I always like to keep the original boxes , manuals etc so was disappointing from that point . As for the watch it's lovely & you won't be disappointed if you buy one !

J'aime beaucoup le look vintage de cette montre. En plus de la qualité Seiko, elle est vraiment très agréable à porter et à regarder. Les finitions sont remarquable. Attention à la réserve de marche qui est de moins de 24h, mais à ce prix là c'est raisonnable. Le seul défaut est pour moi la qualité du verre qui se raye facilement. Je suis très content de mon achat