Seiko 5 Blue Dial Stainless Steel Automatic Mens Watch SNZF15

Pros- truely a 'midsize' watch, at 42mm, Ideal for someone who wants a modern looking, slightly bigger than traditional watch, but not 'way bigger' Fits smaller wrists very well.- perfectly proportioned components (i.e. sizes of bezel, dial, markers and case all match unusually well, achieving an overall crisp, clean, classic design. Has a very nice on-wrist profile.- versatile, colorful, shiny and sporty, but not overstated or attention seeking, so it looks great with almost any clothing, from jeans & t-shirt to a biz-suit.- good build quality -- very bright lume, well applied dial markers, a smoothly functioning 120-click uni-directional bezel, and likely reliable water resistance to rated depth of 100m. Of course, this isn't really a full-on dive watch. It's a Seiko 5 , with '5' features, which correspond roughly to day, date, enhanced water & shock resistance, see through display case-back and automatic movement. The "Sports" models came after the original Seiko 5 models. They Sports models are designed for leisure, and implement many styles. In general they have 40+mm case widths, compared to the 35-39mm originals.- quite decent brushed, stainless steel bracelet matches well to watch and has push pins for links, making it easy to size and wear immediately out of the box. It has hollow links, but these are disguised quite artfully. A bit flimsy and jangly, with pressed metal clasp system, but still, a serviceable bracelet. This incidentally looks great with leather or Nato straps also.- very legible, with nice fat lume pips and big blade style handset, all of which glow brightly at night.- maroon and navy blue.color tones of 'Pepsi' bezel insert are well judged and add considerable interest to the overall color-scheme.- high brand reputation (as compared with other manufactures). While some may look down on Seiko's '5 Sports' collection as entry-level, Seiko 5 automatic watches are outstanding timepieces., There really ain't any entry level Seiko watches, All of them are are good. People who own a Seiko, or two, or three, ... or many more... typically adore them. "worth every penny"..." you can't go wrong"..these are comments one routinely hears from owners of Seiko watches, at all price points..- Classic, somewhat Iconic status - this is good because there are lots of aftermarket mod parts and there is no problem therefore finding replacement crystals (or upgrades), bezel & bezel inserts, etc. If you want to spend a little extra in time and money it's possible to alter this watch in a variety of interesting ways. Replacement of the bezel with a true coin edge and adding a domed sapphire crystal makes these look like a million bucks.Cons- the most significant negative is that this model contains the older 7S36 movement. It does not have quite convenient manual winding or hacking support (Hacking means that the second hand stops when you pull out the crown to the time set position. Without it is more difficult to set the time accurately, to the exact second. It's not really difficult to do that however... if the watch is no fully wound, gently shifting the crown in a counter-clockwise direction will stop the second hand, or even start it moving backwards! This isn't harmful to the movement, which is designed to tolerate moving the crown in either direction (as necessary to set the time). The work-around for winding the watch (fully, quickly) is to spend about 6 minutes gently shaking the watch back and forth.. This isn't really necessary. You can just shake the watch for 15-30 seconds and start wearing it... it winds up by itself via the motion of a weighted rotar attached to the movement. That spins around when you move your wrists, which winds the main spring. How quickly depends on how much you move about. A 20 minute walk winds up the watch completely. Sitting around picking your nose will probably achieve the desired effect by the end of the day. If you suffer from catatonic psychosis, probably best to avoid this model and pick out something that has the upgraded hacking & winding 4r3x movement.- although everything comes together very nicely when worn, the design here has a somewhat generic quality, without the unique details of the Seiko SKX007.- crown is a too small with rather coarse finish.- might prefer the chapter ring be less prominent, or absent altogether, with markers on the dial (like a Rolex Sub).If I lost this watch, would I buy it again? Hard to say. I find myself tempted to the the version with a silver bezel/black dial, the SNZF17, from time to time, but then I remind myself it doesn't have hacking or hand winding. But I am sure I'd miss this watch, I do like it very much.I bought this watch in preference to the well known Seiko SKX007/9. It's substantially less money, and has almost the same movement (actually a newer version of the 7Sx6 class, the 7S35). But in truth it hasn't cured me of a desire to own an SKX! Probably nothing ever will and eventually I'll end up getting one anyway.There are quire a few other Seiko 5 Sports dive-style watches that feature hacking winding movements, at or around the same price as this SNZF15. So I would like to mention some of these, (most of which I own, and very much like), and a couple lessor known but interesting Invicta models, as possible alternatives to the Sea Urchin.The Orient Mako and Orient Ray. Almost the same size and price, and as it happens there is now a Pepsi bezel version of the Mako.Seiko - Model SRP169. This is probably the closest to the SNGF17, but it's an all black PVD coated watch. 42mm. It's a JDM model, not easy to find on Amazon, but it turns up once in a while. Also there's another model that I like even more, with a polished stainless case and silver bezel, the SRP165, which I see on Amazon once in a while. I paid $149.00, but that's less than it's like to be at this point (try to find one for less than $180).Seiko SRPB89 to SRPB98 (7 or 8 models, approximately) - These just came out, and have a very "Rolex" look. Pricing currently is around $150-180. Color schemes are striking on a several models. There's a bright green "hulk" version, and a brilliant blue version (both have sunburst dials). There's one with a chocolate brown dial and rose-gold case. That comes with a rubber strap, which poses some problems if you ever want to find a bracelet (hard to match the rose-gold case). But it's gorgeous. At 43.5 mm definitely substantially bigger than the Sea Urchin. Some might consider this as an updated Sea Urchin, as they are very classic looking diver style models, but now with the 4R35 (date only) movement that hacks and winds. The trend towards larger case diameters is evident across all of Seiko's collections. These actually look quite similar to the Tudor Black Bay One from Rolex. It's more a step in the direction of an homage than I recall previously seeing from Seiko. The similarity is most pronounce in the dial design and bezel, and those are the parts that most convey the look and feel of a watch. Seiko's model has a different style handset, which I think is nicer, actually, but of course the movement is not in the same class as the 4HZ hi-beat movement of the Black Bay One. I just purchase one recently, and I'm quite impressed. They are more refined than I expected.Invicta model 15587SYB, which is a 43mm model that has a black and gold (two color) bezel. I paid $110.00. At 43mm, a little bigger than the SNZF15. The build quality is a substantial step up from the 40mm Invicta models that are better known, like the 8026-OB. It has excellent lume, as good as Seiko 5 Sports models, IMO. There are several other 43mm, carbon fiber dial, all identical but with different secondary color on the bezel, including at least red, blue, purple and green. Search 'Invicta 43mm -quartz' or "Invicta 43mm carbon -quartz' in Amazon search box to find them. Sometimes these are way over-priced. Look for free returns and price between $90 and $125.00. This is an excellent, beautiful series of watches, however you feel about the Invicta Watch Group, LLC.Invicta model 9010. At 40mm, $90, it's significantly smaller and cheaper than the SNZF15. This is an homage to the Rolex YachtMaster. All gold (17k plating), with a champagne dial. You'll feel like King Tut when you wear it. Maybe not in entirely good taste, but if you can get past having 'Invicta' engraved on the side, it delivers an inordinate amount of guilty pleasure. Also nice that, to a near approximation, it's free ($90.00 bucks!).Seiko 5 Sports "mini-monster" models. I prefer the slightly older SRP models (as opposed to the newer SRP-B models, which aren't as nice, IMO). It's hard to find most of these, especially at a reasonable price, but two versions, which are both very nice, have been showing up frequently on Amazon, reasonably priced somewhere around $150-$180. I think this series may be the best Seiko 5 Sports watches Seiko has made, so if you see either the so called 'ICE monster' SRP481K1 or the SRP605K2, which has a dark blue dial & bezel, I'd suggest adding them to your cart and checking out immediately! At some point these may dissapear, and some of the others become available... I'd like to get the Orange version & the Black versions also. The 'Mini' monsters are (paradoxically) bigger than the classic ISO certified monsters and bigger than the Sea Urchin. At 44.25 mm case width, these are very wieghty, chunky pieces, and probably should be called the "maxi monsters". The style may be a little over-exuberant for some people, but the stunning case finishing is reminiscent of the Seiko Sumo, and the sunburst dials have all very interesting, unique markers, with an lots of interesting detail. Unlike most Seiko series, each of the mini monsters is unique.. Seiko does a great job of making wider case diameters work for smaller wrists, but the mini-monster may be too big if you have a wrist that's smaller than 7", and 7" might be pushing it. But they are such nice watches, you may not care. Incidentally, the SRP605K2 (dark blue dial/blue bezel) wears significantly smaller because of it's darker tones.

I am a watch collector and own a wide range of timepieces, from Swatch to Rolex. My first impression is that it really looks like my Rolex Submariner and GMT II. It is beautiful, of that there is no doubt, but I wont sit here and tell you it is a better watch than my Submariner. These are my thoughts when I compare it against the Submariner.Pros:1. Day/Date - You can immediately see if it is Monday or Tuesday. Like the Submariner it has the day of the month.2. Clear case back - I love Automatic movements and it is great that I can see the mechanical wonder inside.3. Smooth Bezel - The bezel rotates very similar to the smoothness of the Submariner. I was really impressed. I have a TAG that has that annoying click when you turn the bezel. Just like the Rolex, the Bezel has no play, and is not loose. It stays put and does not wiggle, unlike the TAG.4. Looks - It resembles the Submariner so much that my 5 year old could not tell them apart. Absolutely elegant in my eyes.5. Legible - Since it is like a Submariner, it very easy to read. Very clean face.6. Very bright at night - This glows almost like my Submariner. I actually cannot tell them apart at night in the watch box. Very difficult to tell them apart.7. Bracelet lock - This has a clasp lock that will prevent you from accidentally causing the watch bracelet from opening and falling off. I have dropped my Rolex a few times because of this. You need to press both buttons to unlock the clasp. I really like that.8. Weight - It weighs about the same as the Submariner from what I can tell, I did not weigh it on a sale, but I cannot tell which one is heavier.9. Detail - The attention to detail is very good. No rough edges and the links line up perfectly and looks almost identical to the finish of the Submariner.Cons:1. The steel on this is just like the Mid priced Swiss Watches like TAG. It is not as hard as the steel they use for all Rolex watches. So it will need buffing out once in a while. It has no scratches yet though. That being said though, that is one reason Rolex watches are more expensive than a TAG.2. Accuracy - This is not a Chronometer so the time will drift a bit more than Rolex. But not by a great deal. It will need adjusting every week. But then again, If I do not use my Rolex for a couple of days, I will have to adjust the time anyway, so not such a big deal.3. Crystal - I believe this uses a Mineral Crystal whereas the Rolex uses the hardest Sapphire Crystal. Only something as hard as a Diamond can scratch it.4. Diving Depth - This can only go 100 Meters deep. But then again, I do not dive, so I do not care.Summary:I love all my watches as they all have a unique character, but this has become my everyday watch, and I love looking at its face. I use this more than my Breitling Navitimer, Omega Seamaster, or TAG. Just beautiful.******UPDATE October 24, 2012*****I love this watch so much, it is the only watch I wear now. My Submariner is now in my safe and has not seen any use since I got this Seiko 5. There are still no scratches on it even if I use it all the time. I always receive compliments for my Seiko. I really, really love it. Why didn't I buy this sooner! It would have saved me a lot of money.