Seiko Prospex Limited Edition Landmonster SRP577K - A refreshing design, A Review

Seiko recently launched a limited edition Prospex Landmonster for the global market. Like most Landmonsters, it comes with a compass bezel with bi-directional movement. The only complication is a unique date window that shows five continuous dates instead of one. In fact, I must say that it got its design cues similar from an aircraft's instrument panel. Pity as Bell & Ross beat them to it already. Now Seiko will have to live with the speculation that they copied Bell & Ross.

I sourced this watch in one of the ADs in Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur. The list price is RM1,260 but you are able to get some discount from them. After doing the necessary paperwork, I walked out of the store with this box.

As you can see from the white sleeve box, the logo as well as the "LIMITED EDITION" banner is printed prominently on it.

The watch is under the professional sports series 'Prospex' range and the box does reflect the premium of this range. The main watch box is slightly smaller than the sleeve box. Also in white, it does not have the "LIMITED EDITION" banner printed on it. The extra space available in the sleeve box is used to store the manual as well as the guarantee booklets which are relatively thick.

The manual given is not used specifically for this watch. It is more of a general manual booklet that is designed to instruct owners of a few models. In this particular case, watches with the automatic caliber movements of 4R35, 4R36 4R37, 4R48 or 4R39.

Seiko provide only a one year international warranty for its watches.

The main watch box does not use a hinge. Instead, the top opens away revealing the SRP577K. The watch rests on a large cushion in an all black velvety interior. There is nothing else apart from this two items.

On the lip of the main box is printed the "LIMITED EDITION" banner plus the 'Seiko' brand.

At this point, I will like to discuss about the 'Limited Edition' concept that Seiko useon this watch. Unlike typical limited edition watch which has a numbering convention similar to "Number X of XXXX" or "1 of XXX", Seiko chose to have it unnumbered. As I am writing this review, I still do not know the exact number that Seiko have earmarked for production for this particular model.

In recent times, Seiko have been doing this kinds of product offering very regularly. Most recently, in the first quarter of this year, Seiko released the Limited Edition Seiko 5 SRP507 and SRP509. I believe Seiko wants to create a strong collectors market in a similar way Casio has been able to achieve with its G-Shock range. Although Casio does not classify theirs as 'limited edition' pieces, by virtue of the short production run and quick turnaround in replacement models, a strong fan base and the relatively cheap price points of the watch itself creates sufficient supply and demand in the secondary market. This has the tendency of elevating the brand franchise to a higher level.

The sister to this watch is the SRP579K. That watch is in gunmetal black with black leather strap. Personally, I prefer a non-coloured watch so I made my choice on the SRP577K. With its silver unpolished look and brown leather strap, it complements my character and personality much better.

This watch has a diameter of 44 mm wide excluding crown. Its thickness is 12 mm while its lug width is 22 mm. The case design is similar to the 'Monster' series with the screw down crown located at the four o'clock position. The bezel is recessed in a protective slipway on the top half as well as the bottom half of the watch face.

This three-handed watch comes with a compass function as well as a unique date window. The bezel is bi-directional and does not 'click' in place. Materials used  are stainless steel for the casing and 'Hardlex' crystal glass (a synthetic proprietary sapphire crystal equivalent made by Seiko) for the front as well as the display case-back.

For instructions to use the compass function on the bezel, please visit: http://www.scribd.com/doc/59257716/Seiko-Compass.

The hour markers are represented by minute numerals 05,10,… instead of the usual 1,2,3 or straight markers. A secondary scale is provided in increments of 0.2 minutes/seconds and printed on the sloping chapter ring. It is the hour markers on the chapter ring as well as the broad hour and minutes hands that are fully painted with LumiBrite, a proprietary luminous paint by Seiko. The unique seconds hand has an small aircraft motive close to the tip and together are the only part that is painted with LumiBrite. The rest of the seconds hand is painted black.

The dial is black and has the Seiko brand name cut from a thin piece of metal stuck to it at the 12 o'clock position. Below there centre point of the dial is the Prospex logo and the words 'AUTOMATIC' and '100M'. The last factor gives the indication of the water rating for this watch which is 100 meters or 330 feet.  

The date window on this watch is unique for Seiko. It shows dates for 5 days continuously with the warning yellow strips on its left. This design gives an illusion that you are looking at an analogue aircraft instrument. Although some would argue Bell & Ross started the aircraft instrument panel craze, I like Seiko's bold move to provide something different in its product offering.

Although the huge date window took out two set of Arabic numerals, it does not impact the illuminated markers. In the dark, the dial still looks complete with all markers and the hands lighted up.

The points of the compass on the bezel has been painted black in recesses cut into metal. This gives a good 3D effect on the bezel.

Half way down the crown stalk, Seiko has cut a singular groove and painted it black. Although not written anywhere, I believe Seiko adopted the same visual warning cues used by Orient for its M-Force diving models. If the line is beyond the protective slipway or the small crown guard, it implies that the crown has not been properly screwed down.

As highlighted earlier, replacement straps should be in the 22 mm category. Its good that the lugs have straight through pinholes to ease strap replacement. In the photo below, you can see the protection provided by the protective slipway as well as the small crown guard. Note the crown head is devoid of any markings.

The deep gauges in the watch casing is a signature of Seiko's Monster line. It helps gripping even if your are wearing thick gloves.

This is the view from the other side where you can see the deep gauges in the watch casing in more detail.

This one is powered by the 4R35 series movement i.e. comes with a date function only. It is an automatic movement with handwind features. It also has a second hand stop (hacking) function. The movement operates in the 21,600 bph or 6 beats per second range and has 23 jewels. Power reserve in the main springs is approximately 40 hours.

An interesting observation that I can see from the wordings on the rotor is "4R35B TWENTY-THREE JEWELS". In many websites, the 4R35 movement has been reported to have 23 jewels whereas the more recent 4R35B has increased to 24 jewels. So, which movement does this watch actually use? The older 4R35 or the newer 4R35B? A typo perhaps?

In actual fact, that are some information about the 4R35 and 4R35B on the internet that is flawed and has been propagated widely. The reference "B" was added to the 4R35 to signify a change in the specific materials used in the movement. It is not a reference to a signify a change in the number of jewels used. 

First introduced in early 2011, the 4R35 was quickly superseded by the 4R35B by the end of 2011 to incorporate improvement in design. The number of jewel remains at 23.

The standard leather strap provided is brown, double layered with white stitching at the peripheral. Not as nice as some of the after market straps that you can find nowadays. Nevertheless, adequate for the job.

The special buckle provided with the Seiko brand name stamped on it is nice. I like the large flaring design that gives it some presence on the wrist.

The 44 mm wide watch does look big especially on my 7.5 inch wrist. However, the fact that it is not thick helps a lot in making it comfortable to wear and use in formal settings. The brown strap and the dull brushed tone of the watch casing makes it look sedated and that dampens the size factor considerably.

With a strap system, you are able to keep the watch close to the skin as the leather strap can expand ever so slightly with the wrist unlike a bracelet.

I have yet to try the quality of the illumination. However, I suspect it just sufficient and not as great as one would expect from Seiko's sport models.

In the photo below, you will note the lack of sharp edges. All the corners have been rounded and this allow the watch to ease easily under shirt cuffs.

Although there is no mentioned of any anti-reflective protection on the crystal. you can see see clearly the dial even at such a sharp angle.

This is a comfortable watch. Although the leather appears stiff at first, with continuous usage, the leather will become malleable and soft.

I have used this watch with formal wear and it is not an issue. The combination of colours on the watch gives it a 'brooding'-like look that grows on you.

Seiko watches are getting expensive. Since I first started collecting watches back in 2010, the typical price of a standard Seiko monster or equivalent was about the RM800 range. Now, similar models are set at a price point RM400 more than where it used to be. The inevitable effect of inflation.

Overall, I am pleased with this watch. I do own a couple of monsters, namely the Seiko SNM035 Land Monster and the Seiko SKX779K1 Black Monster. Compared to these two monsters the Prospex version appears to be more refine. The dial finishing is more intricate but lacking the bright illumination that has been one of the Monster's calling cards. Some may see no value to the compass function but who cares, it looks nice with the alpha numeric lettering and numbers all around the bezel.

READ MORE - Seiko Prospex Limited Edition Landmonster SRP577K - A refreshing design, A Review

Seiko Presage SSA303J1 (similar models SSA305J1, SSA306J1, SSA308J1 and SSA309J1) – Reliable, Durable & Sophisticated, A Review (plus Video)

The Presage line by Seiko is one of the few subsets of Seiko that has not gotten the same global adulation like the Grand Seiko, Prospex and Seiko 5 families. This was due to the fact that Presage was reserved for the Japanese domestic market. However, this unfortunate situation has been reversed with the sub-brand now being made available to the global market as well.

The Presage line carries only mechanical powered watches. The design is more towards formal wear with a tinge of sportiness. From a price point of view, it is placed between the Premier and the Prospex lines. Some of the manufacturing technologies, materials as well as high-end mechanical movements that are hallmarks of the Grand Seiko and Credor lines can sometime be found in the Presage line while maintaining the price window. Items such as enamelling and polishing techniques, use of Sapphire crystals as well as derivatives of the best mechanical movements can be found in some models of Presage. This makes the Presage one of the most value-for-money timepieces to get if you want to collect some of the technologies and materials used by Seiko in their higher-end lines. The “J” code on the model reference for this watch is indicative of the manufacturing origin which is in Japan.



This will be my second Presage timepiece. My first was the SARX019 which incorporated the enamel dial. The reason I chose the SSA303J1 as my second piece from this line was due to the 4R57 movement. This movement has a power reserve complication that shares the same central axis as the other three hands on the watch. This is a first I have seen on a recent Seiko watch. I will comment more about this movement later in the write-up.



The SSA303J1 has a contemporary design with a push-in crown at the 3 o’clock position. It is 42 mm wide across while its lug-to-lug length is approximately 50 mm. It is a rather thick watch with a height of 14 mm at the centre while the lug width is 22 mm wide. The watch is made out of brushed and polished stainless steel and comes standard with a bracelet made out of the same material. The clasp is the simpler yet more elegant push button safety version seen on Seiko formal watches. The dial is protected by a flat sapphire crystal while the display case-back is made out of Hardlex.



It is hard to classify the genre that the Seiko Presage SSA303J1 is supposed to represent. The dimensions would make it a strong candidate as a sports watch. However, the dial and the overall design are more formal with some vintage elements incorporated in the shapes of the main hands. To me, the SSA303J1 is a ‘handsome’ watch with ‘gentleman’ feel to it. Similar to the Rolex Explorer, it is tough but at the same time subtle enough to blend itself in a formal setting.



The Seiko Presage SSA303J1 has two complications; the power reserve and the date indicators. For the latter, instead of a date wheel behind an aperture, Seiko decided to use a sub-dial with a small hand located at mid-point on the lower half of the dial. As for the former, instead of a partial sub-dial, Seiko decided to incorporate the power reserve hand on the central axis itself.

With the dial painted in white, the applied and faceted hour markers on the surface are polished and do not have any luminescence paint. They are simple obelisk style in shape where the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock markers are double obelisks (rest are single obelisk). On the sloping chapter ring, another set of scale, this time representing right down to 1/5th of a minute is provided. Blued hands representing the hours, minutes and seconds track the markers.

The power reserve scale is represented by another unique scale starting from the 11 o’clock position right up and past the 4 o’clock position. It tracks the power in the springs from empty (E) right up to 40 hours. Interestingly, the location for the “E” is not at the start of the power reserve scale. The power reserve hand which is traditional in design and black with a small area in the center painted white seems to point way pass the “E” position when the spring power is completely exhausted. I suspect the main spring, when is totally unwound, behaves rather strangely that caused the hand to have a wide play. Instead of limiting the movement to stop at “E”, it would be better to allow it to move freely. Limiting the travel may affect the spring’s flexibility. On the inner part of the power reserve scale are the words “POWER RESERVE”.

Halfway on the second half of the dial is the date sub-dial. The small hands are blued and points to the numbers 1 to 31 (representing the dates of the month) around a circular track. Personally, I would have preferred the traditional date window approach for this watch. The sub-dial style takes such a huge amount of space on the dial which should have been kept clean.

There are only three lines of text (excluding the label for the power reserve) on the dial. The first two, the brand as well as the word “Automatic” is cursive font are located on the top half of the dial. The third line of text is located at the edge of the dial at the bottom which consists of the manufacturing code as well as the “MADE IN JAPAN” stamp.



The watch is protected by a flat piece of sapphire crystal. There is an AR protective film on the inside surface of the glass. The sapphire crystal juts out very slightly above the fixed bezel. Meanwhile, the crown has a deeply cut “S” on the top surface.

The lugs on the watch are rather short and curved downwards. This design makes the watch wearable even to people that do not find watches above 40 mm comfortable to wear. It actually helps the watch sit snugly on the wrist without the usual flaring or overhang situation one would find with large watches. On another note, there are no pass-through holes on the lugs to facilitate quick bracelet or strap replacement.



The bracelet is 22 mm at the lugs and tapers down to 20 mm at the clasp. It has a typical three link construction with the reference code ‘MOVJ.B.C 213’. The links are connected using the standard pin-and-collar system. No half-links provided to facilitate better sizing apart from two micro-adjustment points provided on the clasp. The brand is prominently stamped on the surface of the clasp. My only comment on this was the use of stamp sheet metal for the bridge for the two halves of the bracelet. I would have preferred a more solid construction of the bridge to maintain the overall sophisticated styling of the SSA303J1.



The Seiko Presage SSA303J1’s movement can be seen via the display screw-down case-back. The caliber 4R57 is the newest member of the 4Rxx series. It comprises of 29 jewels and operates at 21,600BPH or 3 hertz. The main spring is capable of retaining 41 hours of power reserve. This new caliber is Seiko’s first ever with a center power reserve indicator and was launched in early 2016. The rotor is gold plated which makes it visually appealing to a lot of people. Some basic information about the watch is stamped around the Hardlex glass. The water rating of the watch is also indicated which is 10 ATM or 100 meters. The movement also has some magnetic resistance capability to a limit of 4,800 A/m or 60 Gauss.


The Reveal

I bought the watch at a branch of Style Watch, one of the many ADs for Seiko in Malaysia. The MSRP was RM2,363.80 (with 6% GST) but I was able to have it for RM1,800.00.


The watch box comes in two parts. The outer piece is a square white packaging box with only the brand printed on the top in silver. Taking of the top will reveal the main watch box which is much smaller and requires a small piece of Styrofoam backing to keep it from moving about. On the top of the inner box is also the brand printed in silver.

The main watch box is hinged at the back and opens up to reveal the watch resting on a large black pillow. Below the pillow is where the manual and guarantee documents are kept. Below is the manual for reference.

Manual for the SSA303J1 (similar models SSA305J1, SSA306J1, SSA308J1 and SSA309J1) & the 4R57 Caliber

The Wearing Experience

I have to call the SSA303J1 a formal watch. For some of you that argue that it’s too thick to be formal, we just need to refer to the Seiko Ananta series to see how design overrides dimensions. For example, the Seiko Ananta Retrograde is thick but looks really elegant with formal attire.

The 42 mm watch feels solid over my 7 inch diameter wrist. Despite the thickness of the case at 14 mm, the short and curved lugs wrap itself on the wrist thereby making the watch feel seated. Once on the wrist, the dimensions appear irrelevant as the SSA303J1 feels like second nature to your skin.


My only grouses are just three things. The first is the use of the sub-dial for the date complication. I believe this style of representing the date takes too much real estate on the dial. This diminishes the simplicity of the dial in my opinion. The second is the lack of half-links and a bare minimal number of micro-adjustment points (just 2) on the clasp. A good formal watch that uses a bracelet must be flexible enough to be able to resize perfectly (or as close to perfect). The third is the use of stamp sheet metal for the bridge for the two halves of the bracelet. This choice seems to cheapen the watch somewhat.

I love the inclusion of a power reserve indicator for this SSA303J1. Generally, for Seiko, power reserve indicators are reserved only for their high-end movements unlike its sister brand Orient. Having the power reserve hand attached to the central axis column is another unique feature that gives it a good symmetry. As this complication has been incorporated into a 4Rxx movement series, I believe we would likely see more models with power reserve indicator as standard in the near future.

There are four other models under this series which you can choose apart from the SSA303J1. The others are tabulated below.

SSA305J1	SSA308J1
SSA306J1	SSA309J1 (Limited Edition)

Below is a short video of the watch on my wrist.



Overall, I am pleased with this acquisition. The price point makes it a real value-for-money. The precision of reliability of the Seiko brand is clearly reflected in the Seiko Presage SSA303J1 watch. In the promotional press release by Seiko, it was quoted; “Long-lasting beauty and long-lasting performance express the deep desires of Japanese culture and are therefore at the heart of Japanese craftsmanship. Both in design and manufacturing values, Presage belongs firmly in this tradition and offers the very highest levels of reliability and durability over time. Each Presage watch is built to last for generations.” I truly agree with this statement.





Photo Gallery

SSA303J1	SSA303J1	SSA303J1

READ MORE - Seiko Presage SSA303J1 (similar models SSA305J1, SSA306J1, SSA308J1 and SSA309J1) – Reliable, Durable & Sophisticated, A Review (plus Video)