Seiko 5 Sports 50th Anniversary SSA171J1 "Unicorn" - Unique design and a dependable workhorse, A Review

This is my first purchase for 2015. Although the 50th anniversary of the first Seiko 5 was two years ago, I always wanted to have a memento of the occasion.

Been searching high-and-low for this watch for sometime now and while searching for it on eBay, got a listing from a merchant called Zippy-Watch for USD213.46 (RM735.01). Base out of Singapore, this price is inclusive of the courier charges.

When this watch came out, it caught a number of Seiko aficionados by surprise. Characterized by its crown at the 12 o’clock position, it shares some DNA with the famous limited edition Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk (minus the spring drive movement, chronograph mechanism, GMT complication and price).

It comes in a number of permutations relating to the colour on the casing, bracelet and dial. The particular model that I chose, the SSA171J1 has a two-tone bracelet with black dial.  Personally, I would have gone for the SSA167J1, with the black dial and clear brushed stainless steel casing and bracelet, but that particular model is all sold out.



The watch was well protected for its journey from the dealer to me. Appreciated the effort made by the seller.

The watch is made out of stainless steel for the casing with a two-tone (grey and silver-tone) stainless steel bracelet. There is a 4 mm thick fixed bezel in black and set a fraction below the scratch resistant Hardlex crystal. I am surprised that Seiko designed a 'protective' bezel which does not actually protect the crystal from glancing blow from the side. Instead of setting it a fraction below the surface of the crystal, it should have been the opposite.

The dial on the watch is black with luminous hands and index hour markers. There are three reference scales provided on the dial. The biggest is the 5 minute markers with in-house lumibrite paint. Next to it are also 5 minute Arabic markers in blue and finally minute markers around the outer rim.

All the hands on the watch (4 of them) have the luminescent paint. The minute hand has blue paint around its borders. For the second hand, the luminescent paint is at the tip. Like the other 50th Anniversary commemorative models, it has a ‘5’ numeral near the end of the second hand.

I am actually very happy to note that Seiko decided to locate the date window between the 3- and 4 o'clock marker. My note sacrificing a marker for the date window, all twelve markers will be lighted up in the dark which provide symmetry.

Unfortunately, Seiko decided to add on a 24 hour sub-dial between the 7- and 8 o’clock positions. Both markers were shortened. Honestly, I don't see why you need this particular complication on this watch.

On the dial, you are able to see some text such as the brand name, the logo, the class of watch, the type of movement, number of jewels use, the water resistant level as well as the all important "MADE IN JAPAN" notation.

This watch has a case diameter of 42.5 mm without the crown. Lug to lug length is 50 mm. The case thickness 12.5 mm. Unlike typical Seiko 5 in the Sports class, the SSA171 has a lug width of 22 mm. A good choice as it help balance the size of the casing. I also believe the choice of a wider lug is to accommodate the unicorn crown.

Although this watch has a water resistant rating of 100 meters (or 330 feet), I don't recommend you wear it for swimming.

The unique location of the crown at 12 o'clock requires a case design that is equally unique. Because of the location of the crown, the lugs at the 12 o’clock side appears to be thicker than those at the 6 o’clock position. The lugs have direct access pin holes to facilitate changing of the bracelet or strap.

The crown on the watch is a push-down version. Seiko took the effort to etch the Seiko 5 logo on the top of the crown to give it some form of exclusivity. Also note that crown side has no end link unlike the other side. The crown side is a straight end type and attaches directly to the lug.

Substituting the bracelet with a Nato or Zulu strap is possible and I suspect would make the watch look very rugged. 

The watch comes with a see-through caseback showing the movement. There is a Seiko 5 50th Anniversary logo printed on the caseback crystal.

This model is powered by the 4R37A movement. It is modified from the 4R36 that has a 24 hour sub-dial and date window. Operating with 24 jewels, this automatic movement has hand winding and hacking capabilities. It beats at 21,600 beats per hour and has a power reserve of 40 hours.

In promotional brochures, it states that the center links on the bracelet is black. However, in reality and after close inspection, I would think it is more of a gun metal grey color instead of black. Although the color was not put on using the DLC method (but Seiko's proprietary ion coating technique), the color should be able to withstand normal wear and tear.

The choice of a 22 mm wide bracelet instead of the typical 20 mm for a Seiko 5 Sports model is a correct choice for this watch. Visually, it helps balance the thicker casing admirably.

Seiko uses the standard fold over deployment clasp.

The thicker top half of the watch does not allow it to sit flat on the wrist. Instead, the face is tilted towards the wearer. From a design point of view, this tilt actually helps wearers to view the dial at a more decent angle without needing to twist their wrist as much. I actually appreciate this subtle advantage.

The watch is comfortable to wear and seats nicely on the wrist. You cannot find fault with the manufacturing quality at this price point. A very dependable workhorse.

My only critical comment is the use of the 24 hours sub-dial. For me, the only purpose of this complication is so that I can adjust the date properly. If I work as an underground miner, I suspect I may need this to know whether it is night or day but what else do you need it for? As a suggestion, replacing it with a power reserve indicator or a GMT would be more useful.

READ MORE - Seiko 5 Sports 50th Anniversary SSA171J1 "Unicorn" - Unique design and a dependable workhorse, A Review

Seiko 5 Sports "Helmet" SSA283K1 - Re-crafted from an icon, A Review (Video)

The Seiko “Helmets” of the 1970s were a series of watches that have a unique case design that lent its nickname. Built tall with long sloping sides, it has some semblance to the German World War Two M1935 steel helmet. It is also sometimes known as the “Vader” of the Star Wars fame.

Recently, Seiko re-crafted a series of new models with similar line to the 1970s “Helmet” models. This set is placed in the Seiko 5 Sports line and has the designation of “SSA”. There are 5 models to choose from; SSA281, SSA283, SSA284, SSA285, SSA287 and SSA289. The first three models come with bracelets while the last three modes come with patterned NATO canvas straps.

My choice is the SSA283K1. The “K1” designation means that it is made in Malaysia. As highlighted earlier, this watch comes with the “SSA” nomenclature. Based on Seiko’s coding system, this watch is deemed to be “Enhanced” and is typical under Seiko’s Superior line of watches. However, the same nomenclature is also accorded to models under the Seiko 5 Sports series. Typical Seiko 5 with the newer 4R movements are usually referred with the “SRP” nomenclature.



The watch is made out of 316L stainless steel and is approximately 45 mm wide (excluding crown). It has a lug width of 22 mm and its lug-to-lug is 50 mm. Its height is 13 mm.



The casing has the famous “helmet” design made famous by Seiko’s classic model 6318-7100. Although not as tall as the original, the new re-crafted series retains some of the original DNA that makes it visually familiar to previous models.

The fixed bezel has a slope of approximately 45 degrees and the flat Hardlex crystal sits slightly higher than the bezel edge. Due to the height of the bezel itself, the dial sits lower down the watch and surrounded by a high chapter ring. The chapter ring is polished steel and devoid of any marking. Most of the dial is black except for a green ring at the edge of the dial where two sets of timing scales are located. The first scale from the edge has 1/5th second markers and the second scale has the standard second markers. A common hour marker straddles both scales. The hour markers are painted with Seiko’s proprietary LumiBrite luminous paint.

The watch has two complications. The date complication is in a window located near the 6 o’clock position. The date wheel has a white background which enhances visibility. I am quite pleased to note that Seiko did not sacrifice the 6 o’clock hour marker for date aperture. The second complication is a 24-hour indicator in a sub-dial located at the 10 o’clock position. The surface of the sub-dial has fine concentric circular black lines which make it stand out from the rest of the painted black dial. Meanwhile, the hand that serves this sub-dial is polished without any LumiBrite paint. This hand is linked to the main hour hand.

The designs of the hands on the SSA283K1 are thin sword-like. All three main hands are painted with LumiBrite.

There are three groups of writings on the dial. The first is located near 3 o’clock and consists of the brand and watch line reference. The second is located near the 6 o’clock and consists of the number of jewels, the type of movement as well as the water rating. The third is a set of manufacturing codes in very small font near the edge of the dial at the 6 o’clock position. All the text are in white except for the word “SPORTS” which is in red.



The SSA283K1 have pass-through lug holes. This is good as it allows a simpler and quicker way to access the lug pins to replace the bracelet. Also note the size of the crown. It looks slightly out of place doesn’t it? I would have preferred it if a slightly larger crown was used.



This watch has a display case-back. Here is where you can view the movement powering the SSA283K1, the Seiko 4R37 caliber. This caliber has a 24-hour hand, which moves correspondingly with the hour hand. The 4R37 vibrates at 6 beats per second or 21,600 BPH and has a power reserve capacity of 41 hours.

Standard information about the watch is sandblasted around the peripheral of the display case-back including the serial number. The watch is water rated to 100 meters or 10 Bar.

The bracelet design is new to me. It has a reference number MOKW-B-I and has solid links. It is 22 mm at the lugs and tapers down to 20 mm at the clasp. Interestingly, the connecting pins between the links no longer uses friction tubes but instead a screw system. This makes it much easier to resize.

The Wearing Experience

The watch has a refined sporting look that can make it equally adoptable at formal functions. The dial is clean and it makes time referencing easy. It is comfortable to wear but I suspect the canvas strap option is the best went it comes to fitting and comfort. Nevertheless, the “helmet” shaped casing is the star of the show and it gives a retro feel to the whole package.


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



The need to have the 24 hour sub-dial is something that I would question Seiko’s designers. For all intense and purposes, the only information that I can get from that complication is whether the time refers to the morning or afternoon. Unless you are in a submarine or in any other situation where you cannot have access to a window, I think this particular complication is not useful at all. Instead, a power reserve indicator would be more beneficial. In fact, if Seiko still want to have the 24 hour sub-dial, perhaps they can engineer a separate module in the movement that would allow the sub-dial to independently tracked time i.e. a second time zone. This would definitely be useful.

Overall, I am satisfied with the wearing experience considering the investment to get the watch. It is listed at RM1,038.80 in Kuala Lumpur (inclusive of 6% GST). However, I was able to get it for RM750.

The reveal

I got the watch from my favorite AD in Mid Valley. The watch comes in a much better display box compared with typical Seiko 5. The main white box which opens up via a hinge at the back is nested in another bigger white box with a nice Seiko logo printed in silver at the top.

Apart from keeping the main watch box, the storage box also keeps the manual as well as the guarantee document.


The watch is placed on a pillow in an all black interior. Another Seiko logo in silver in printed on the inner top part of the watch box.










Photo Gallery

		Seiko 5 Sports "Helmet" SSA283K1

READ MORE - Seiko 5 Sports "Helmet" SSA283K1 - Re-crafted from an icon, A Review (Video)

Seiko 5 Sports Military Automatic Green SSA299K1 (Equivalent to SSA293K1, SSA295K1 and SSA297K1) - A very good beater watch, A Review (plus Videos)

One of my sub-collection focus is military watches that are not specifically diver or pilot watches. I currently have two under this sub-category (Seiko 5 Sport 100M SNZG09K1 & Seiko 5 SRP145K1). This latest one, The Seiko 5 Sports SSA299K1 will be the third in the sub-collection.

For this particular purchase, I decided to try a new dealer located in the center of Kuala Lumpur, on Jalan Raja Laut. Perniagaan Jam May May (www.jammaymay.com.my) prices looks rather good relative to other stores that I have been going to. For the SSA299K1, the shop quoted RM644 (plus GST it would be RM682.64). The next closest was from www.citytime.my at RM780 net.

This model has a case size of 44 mm excluding crown (with crown is it 47 mm). It has a thickness of 13 mm and its lug width is 22 mm. Lug-to-lug distance is approximately 52 mm. Made out of 316L stainless steel with cloth strap, the watch weighs in at 90 gm. Protected by Hardlex crystal glass in the front as well as the display case-back. The front glass diameter is 38 mm.



The stainless steel has a sandblasted matte finish and fitted with with a Seiko khaki green cloth weave buckle strap able to fit wrist size up to 8.75 inches. It has two complications, a 24 hour sub-dial located between 10 and 11 o'clock and a date aperture located between 4 and 5 o'clock. The push-in crown is located at 3 o'clock and it has a water rating of 10 ATM or 100 meters.



The SSA299K1 has the drab military green on its dial. It is design to have the element of stealth which is synonymous with it being designated a military watch.

The chapter ring has markers down to 1/5th of a second increment. Every fifth second marker is illuminated with LumiBrite paint. All the markers on the chapter ring is painted white.



On the dial itself you will find the main time scale. This watch has Arabic numberings at the 12, 6, 3 and 9 o'clock positions. These markers are not painted with LumiBrite. Instead, the markers are painted grey with green tone. The scale on the 24 hour sub-dial is also treated the same. The only written alphanumeric on it is the number “24” and “HOUR”.

The brand and logo are located at the 3 o’clock position and there are 4 lines of watch description at the 6 o’clock position. Apart from the word “SPORTS” written in red, the rest of the words are printed with the same grey with green tone colour.




The date aperture is non-obstructive and the numbers are printed on a black background. I like the fact that the design on the SSA299K1, despite having a sub-dial as well as date window, did not sacrifice any of the main markers. This maintains the symmetry which I truly appreciate.

This watch has 4 hands. The sub-dial has hand painted in the orange which the rest are in standard white. The minute and hour hands are like Greek swords and painted with LumiBrite.

The flat Hardlex crystal glass is a shade higher than the edge of the fixed bezel. The bezel may not protect the glass from glancing side impact.

The lugs are angled downwards. This has the effect of making the watch wear better for smaller wristed person. It also has pass-through pin holes. I like this as it makes strap changing rather easy.

An interesting point to note is the polished surface between the lugs at both ends of the watch. It looks like the watch casing was first polished before the main surfaces were given the sandblasted matte finish treatment. Areas where one would not expect to see was not given the treatment hence the presence of polished surfaces.

This watch has a display case-back. Here is where you can view the movement powering the SSA299K1, the Seiko 4R37 caliber. This caliber has a 24-hour hand, which moves correspondingly with the hour hand. The 4R37 vibrates at 6 beats per second or 21,600 BPH and has a power reserve capacity of 41 hours. This movement has a second hand halt mechanism when adjusting.



Standard information about the watch is sandblasted around the peripheral of the display case-back including the serial number. The watch is water rated to 100 meters or 10 Bar.

The cloth strap is rather thin and hard to the touch. The strap holes are simple holes heat treated so as not to fray. The buckle and strap guides are stainless steel with sandblasted matte finish. The brand is stamped on the main surface of the buckle. I am actually rather disappointed with this. In fact, the quality of design of the cloth strap appears to have deteriorated after every successive military watch designed by Seiko.

The Wearing Experience

The watch wears well on my 7.5 inch wrist. The angled lugs kept the watch tight on the wrist despite it having a diameter of 44 mm. In fact, I feel like I am wearing a watch that is about 40 mm in width.

The illumination in the dark is sufficiently bright. As none of the LumiBrite painted markers were substituted by the two complications on the watch, at night, the watch face when illuminated looks complete.

My only complaint is with the cloth strap. A softer and thicker material should have been used instead. This strap is hard and takes time to get used to it.

Below is a video of the watch on my wrist.



Below is the video of the movement of the second hand.





Other Examples in the Series

1. The SSA297K1 is a black dial version with black leather strap
2. The SSA293K1 is a black dial version with stainless steel bracelet
3. The SSA295K1 is a beige dial version with brown leather strap

The Unboxing

The SSA299K1 comes in a simple square white packaging box with a Seiko 5 logo printed in black. Inside this box is a plastic white box that hinges at the back. The watch sits on a white pillow.


It comes with the necessary tags with states the MSRP in Malaysia at RM975.20 (inclusive of GST).

Due to the special price that I got for this watch, the guarantee comes directly from the seller and not from the manufacturer. This tells me that the seller is not an authorised dealer for Seiko.

I am not concerned with this issue as Seiko 5 are easily repaired. Since I was able to inspect the watch before taking delivery, I cannot see any potential manufacturing defects that could warrant me to exercise the guarantee. Anyway, very seldom you hear any problems with Seiko watches once they get passed Seiko's stringent QC process.

Conclusion

This is definitely a very good beater watch. The dial is wide enough for you to be able to see (you don’t need to help of reading glasses to see it – I should know) clearly. Although I do have some feedback on the strap, the positives outweigh the negatives. The strap can be used on all conditions either in the stifling heat of a jungle or in the sea. It gets clean easily with just soap and water. The replaceable items such as the Hardlex crystal is cheap and easily available. 

I definitely would recommend this watch to a friend.

Photo Gallery

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READ MORE - Seiko 5 Sports Military Automatic Green SSA299K1 (Equivalent to SSA293K1, SSA295K1 and SSA297K1) - A very good beater watch, A Review (plus Videos)