A Pragmatist's Watch
Prior to pandemic life, I treated myself to a new watch after last Christmas. I have been extremely pleased with my Seiko SNK809K.
Seiko SNK809K
There are a ton of great YouTube.com videos reviewing this watch, as well as some solid recommendations and insights by numerous watch bloggers. In fact, new reviews still regularly pop-up in my personal Google feed, but I wanted to set the record straight about the strength and weaknesses of the watch.
Strengths:
It is always available for sub-$100 (US) from multiple vendors.
Seiko is a great watch brand.
The SNK809K has quality aesthetics if you are a fan of military and aviator watches that are sub-40mm.
The watch features a solid automatic mechanical movement (no batteries).
It includes a Day/Date complication.
Weaknesses:
It is not as accurate as a battery-driven quartz movement.
The watch must be shaken briskly or worn by the wearer to wind and power the movement.
When quickly moving your wrist, the watch is not completely silent.
Minimal water resistance.
After wearing the Seiko SNK809K for over 6 months now, I am very pleased with my purchase. The finish on the watch is scratch resistant, as I am pretty abusive to my watches. This still looks flawless. As you can see from the included pictures, I did not opt for less expensive SNK809 which features a black canvas strap. In almost every review posted online, you will find universal contempt for the canvas strap. Instead, the SNK809K features a stainless steel bracelet that matches the brushed matte finish of the watch perfectly for a slightly higher price. If you are considering the watch, I would strongly recommend the metal band upgrade.
Also, while the watch has a 30m water resistance rating, I have not taken it swimming or in the shower, but have exposed it to rain, yard chores, and doing dishes and it seems fine with no ill effects.
Many other reviewers talk about this movement being tough and durable, but lacking accuracy. In my experience, the watch does gain about 20 seconds over the course of a week, but I will sometimes forget to wear my watch or choose to wear one of my other watches. As such, this watch will need to be reset or slightly adjusted, but it is easily accomplished and keeps pretty great and reliable time given its price point. Over the course of my life, I have had much more expensive watches that performed poorly compared to the SNK809K.
What attracted me to this watch was its premium look at such a modest price point. Most automatic watches are more than $100 dollars. In fact, a watch with a similar aesthetic is the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical is well over $300 dollars. The SNK809K can easily be dressed down with a NATO strap or would look perfectly at home under a dress shirt with the included metal band or a leather strap. While the SNK809K is not flashy, that’s never been my personal style. It is well made and versatile.
It is INTP Chic!
