SEIKOMen's SNK809 5 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch with Black Canvas Strap

I originally picked this watch up during one of Amazon’s sales as kind of an impulse buy, and have been so impressed with it that it has quickly become my daily preference. I must admit that I’m fairly new to automatic watches, having used quartz watches almost exclusively so far in my life. However, this watch may have changed my watch habits forever! The movement on the watch is incredibly smooth and quiet, and accurate to boot. I’m in the military, and so keeping accurate time is often a priority for the job. Moving away from quartz, I was a little concerned about accuracy, but with the Seiko, it hasn’t been an issue at all. Over the last week and a half, after the initial charging and setting, the watch has only lost or gained maybe a few seconds a day, so much so that without any further adjustments it is now less than 5 seconds off when I originally set it.Other than the accuracy, I think this watch is a beautiful specimen. While it is a little smaller compared to some of the watches around today, I like the size relative to my smaller wrists, and the fact that it doesn’t interfere as much with my hand movements, especially when riding my motorcycle. The watch crystal is Hardlex, and has been extremely durable so far, surviving a few scrapes and bangs without any scratches or blemishes. The face, along with the day/date indicator is easy to read, and understated but beautiful. The lume is nice and bright making the watch very readable, although I haven’t yet been able to get it to last for more than about 5 hours. The display back is a wonderful addition that really gives the watch more character than a typical quartz watch at this price point. Finally, the strap is strong and durable, and I really quite like the way it looks and feels.For anyone looking to get into automatic watches at a good price point, and who is interested in an accurate, not-too-flashy timepiece, this is absolutely a fantastic buy!Pros:Excellent priceBeautiful, easy to read displayStrong luminescenceVery accurateQuietDurable (so far)Cons:Slightly smaller form (if you’re into bigger watches)

Took a few tries and two different vendors to finally get my hands on 2 that are keepers. Two of four sent to me had cosmetic flaws-one blemished face, inside the glass, the other a blemished case, but once you get a cosmetically "good" one sent to you, this watch is simply beautiful. Very happy with both. Japanese eye for detail amazes me, especially for a watch this inexpensive. I'll consider the two blem. watches flukes and just concentrate on the two "good" ones. Build quality is excellent. Does my heart glad to know at least some companies still have their minds focused on quality at all price levels.After a week, neither has lost a minute. Second hand is tricky to sync, but even a few seconds behind my radio-synchronized wall clock, both keep good time. Like I said, glad I bought two. It's easy wearing and as light as a similar sized quartz watch. I bought this as a daily wearer in place of a much heavier swiss stainless mechanical monster I own. The time adjustment knob is a little small for my fingers, but that's not special to this watch. Had the same trouble with other brands too.I expect to enjoy many happy years with these watches. I'de heard of Seiko, but never heard of Seiko 5 before this, glad I came across the watch. The return process on the blems was painless, to Amazon's credit. Heard rumors that there are a lot of fakes being sold on the internet so I did someresearch. (Who fakes a $60 watch?!? geez..) Apparently this watch is grey market in the US, so anyone you buy will have a warranty card that is not filled out because it was not sold by an authorized Seiko dealer, so be warned. I don't expect warranty trouble, so I am not very worried. If I do, I'll take it to Seiko and pay the cash, or just buy another if repairs cost more than ~$40.00.Going by the tag on the band, Seiko's suggested retail price for this watch is $185.00 so Amazon's quite a bargain. In the future, I will buy directly from amazon, not one of their storefront vendors. The first order I placed was from an amazon vendor who had the watch to me strangely fast, but with no paperwork and in a generic plastic box, not the blue Seiko box. Watch was a blem so I sentit back, but the swapmeet style packaging and lack of papers disappointed me. I associate that with Ebay and stay away from Ebay for that exact reason. I also have reason to believe that the watch was not as new as the seller claimed- after all, where was the original packing that a "new" watch comes in? How would it go missing? That was the only watch of the 4 that came packed that way. All others had the blue box and all docs included. So if someone out there has watch #141073 (case ser.#) then you got MY old one.. at least one that was sent to me and returned, never worn, as a blem. That vendor also charged a new price for something that smelled a bit fishy. To my mind, new-looking watch, minus factory packing, minus factory docs, does not equal the going price minus two bucks. Need to drive the cheezeball vendors back to ebay from whence they came. Ate the shipping on that one.Amazon did hold up their end honorably in all cases. No complaints there. And I do love the watchesat the end of the day. If you are on the fence about this watch, then buy it. Great bang for the buck,near swiss attention to detail & fit and finish, well above and beyond the call of duty for a watch at this price. Keep up the good work Seiko. The quality is of the band is good, considering the price range. Seen worse, but not many better. When this band wears out, I will buy another just like itfrom Seiko. Let that be the final judgement on my views of the quality of the band. Heard some say the watch is a bit small for big manly wrists. On that point, I dunno. I think it's sized to look normal on the wrists of 95% of men. Some guys have big wrists.. ok, maybe not the watch for you if you are in that 5%. We also live in an era where absurdly large watches have become the norm, so that maybe skewing attitudes and perceptions a bit. I find the size of the face "just right" and I consider my wrists normal for a 6' + tall caucasian adult male.