New Beater: Seiko SKJ076

[Thai]

Hey all,

I just bought a Seiko Kinetic that is a discontinued model. I actually had it a long time ago and gave it to my brother...and has since missed it. Fortunately, i recently found the same model again at a local watch store...brand new! I honestly believe that this was one of the best Seiko Kinetic (value wise) ever made..."sapphlex" crystal, bright whole dial lumination, all titanium (light as a feather!), and kinetic engine. I have been looking for one for years with little luck because it was so hard to find it at an authorized dealer. My luck changed 2 days ago!

Here is a pic of it (on internet, not my watch):


Nice things about it:
- Kinetic...older engine...14 days of reserve power...like other Kinetics, it gets it's power from your arm motion. (Newer Kinetics has 6 months power reserve.) The button (when pressed) above the crown is to tell you how much power is left in the capacitor (power reserve indicator).

- Whole watch is titanium...thus, it is super lightweight! It is so lightweight that it "seems" fragile...you don't notice the watch at all.

- Sapphlex crystal...this is Seiko's creation...sapphire crystal on top of mineral crystal. Apparently, Seiko did this to combine the scratch-resistance of sapphire and the sturdiness/strength of mineral crystal.

- The WHOLE dial luminates at night! It is like a small flashlight at night!

- Day/date function...pretty cool. However, unlike my Yacht-Master (and other Rolex), it does NOT have the quick date change...so, by 10:30 pm or so, the date starts to roll...not a big deal for me.

- Double-clasp design...again in titanium. Problem with titanium is that it is "soft" i think and thus scratches easily.

- Caseback display...cool, but it is just regular mineral crystal...thus, it can scratch.

- Finally, despite sitting in the watch case for well over 7 years, it is running like a champ! It is holding power easily and runs accurately (because it is still a quartz). I may send it in to Seiko to get the updated "capacitor" so that it will hold charge for 6 months...but then again, 14 day power reserve is more than enough for this daily beater.

I will get some actual pictures of my watch soon....

[jamesh]

Looks like a nice, practical every day watch and with a lot of value thrown in.

I have a Seiko Kinetic "Arcura" I think it's called, which has about 3 - 6 months power reserve. Great watch, my only complaint was that one day (after only 12 months wear) the rubber strap just broke...

I must confess, I don't know how Kinetic watches work - how do they manage to have so much pwr reserve?

[Thai]

My Kinetic has a "capacitor" that can hold electrical energy (or whatever it's called) for 14 days. YOUR Kinetic has a rechargeable battery and thus could hold charge longer (6 mos.). Citizen Eco-Drive uses the same rechargeable battery.

Basically, the Kinetic is more of a Quartz watch than it is an automatic. The only similarity to an automatic watch is the swinging pendulum/weight/rotor. This rotor serves the same purpose as in an automatic because it spins as you move/rotate your arm. This creates electrical energy to be stored in the capacitor/battery.

That is how i understand it...and i am not an expert by any means.

[Thai]

Here are pics of my Seiko:

[Perdu]

I bought my wife the ladies version about 8-9 years ago? She absolutely loves it and wears it everyday. It once needed a new capacitor but otherwise has been very reliable.

[Thai]

Here is what it looks like in darkness:

[Thai]

I called Seiko...they said that i can "upgrade" to the new capacitor (6 months power reserve) for under $40 (includes resealing the watch and shipping back to me). I will hold off for now since the current capacitor is holding power very well...no signs of decrease power reserve after well over EIGHT years in the display case!! Hate to say it, but this puts my Rolex to shame! As expected of quartz, it is dead accurate for 1 week now.

This Seiko is not a looker by any stretch of the imagination like my Rolex YM, which is what i am looking for as my daily wear.

[asq69]

Nice watch, love the luminous dial..

[Thai]

Here are two new pictures of the Seiko...clearer than the previous: