passing time

My newest purchase: a Seiko SNK805 K2

For most of my life I've had a watch,  however I've only had three (before). Back in 2007 my third watch finally ran out of battery, and I saw no point in paying for another service (well and none was properly available to me). It was a Seiko Sports 100 Analogue electronic watch. My first had been a simple mechanical and my second a (Seiko) digital and my third (before today) an analogue faced but electronic digital hybrid divers watch.

Anyway, having been more or less content with a phone (and a Garmin training pedometer) for some time, a friend sent me a picture of a Finnish Military (replica) watch and it got me thinking that maybe something like that would be interesting (thanks Anthony). I began discussions with another friend (hello Miles) about some of his adventures in watch collecting and he suggested a Seiko 5 (fully mechanical automatic) might fit my desires. So a quick fish on eBay and I found an SNK805 for a good price. The Green one.

I was attracted by the compact nature of it (I'm not built like Arnold Schwarzenegger so I do want something slim) appealed to me. While its a gamble as to if it will last the usual 5 years I got between battery changes on the old Seiko the cost of this watch (less than  AU$140) is less than the cost of the last (back in 2003) service of my (even then rather worn) Sports 100 divers watch (last time we went diving together was 1999 and I could no longer rely on the ratchet of the bezel timer).

This watch

I love the nice touch of the display back to allow people to see the complex, yet somehow simple, nature of the watches inner workings (*when I'm not wearing it). The movement is a 7S26, details here for the interested.

It fits nicely and despite my ageing eyesight I can read the time in bright light, but in dim light I find it a bit busier and I take longer to find the hands (and which hand is which) without glasses. I find myself reading the numbers not responding intuitively to the positions. However I like the outer part of the dial being minutes too.

Lastly I understand that the Seiko 5 has quite the "self repair and modder" community, so that suites me down to the ground too.

I have since read some people don't like the strap ... big fukkin deal ... buy another one. Myself I liked it and it was actually thicker , more comfortable and heavier duty than I expected at this price point.

Money Well Spent