popular
SEIKO SRPD37 Presage Men's Watch Brown 40.5mm Stainless Steel $378
$378
$450
16% off
Amazon
AmazonDeal Details
OutdoorEquipped via Amazon has SEIKO Presage Cocktail Time Automatic Watch for Men for $378
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z58BB9C?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z58BB9C?
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
OutdoorEquipped via Amazon has SEIKO Presage Cocktail Time Automatic Watch for Men for $378
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z58BB9C?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z58BB9C?
Community Voting
Deal
Score
+88
Good Deal
Bad Deal
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
17 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank
If you want a thin watch that is particularly appropriate to wear under a sleave with a jacket (though Miss Manners will tell you a wristwatch is never appropriate at a formal social occasion), all the Seiko Presages wear well above their price point. It isn't my everyday watch, but I wear an urushi dial Presage occasionally that walks a very nice line between flashy and subtle, and these (IMO) do well in all three colorways here. Not much of a green dial guy, but I think the green on this one is striking.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
You plan to dive with this watch?!
If you want a thin watch that is particularly appropriate to wear under a sleave with a jacket (though Miss Manners will tell you a wristwatch is never appropriate at a formal social occasion), all the Seiko Presages wear well above their price point. It isn't my everyday watch, but I wear an urushi dial Presage occasionally that walks a very nice line between flashy and subtle, and these (IMO) do well in all three colorways here. Not much of a green dial guy, but I think the green on this one is striking.
I have owned a couple of Seikos in my life. I bought a SQ 5Y23-8A60 new in 1986 for $75. It was a two-tone "Rolex Day-Date" look-a-like (obviously the day of the week was not in the same place as it is on the Rolex, and there is no Cyclops lens). I had it for 19 years until it took a splash on the River Adventure ride in Orlando, not submerged, but a wave of water (which is why I am concerned about water resistance; the cost to replace the movement was almost as much as I paid for the watch). After 19 years, the watch was in amazing shape. The guy that I had replacing the batteries and quoted me the cost for a movement replacement even commented on the fact that modern bracelets don't hold up as well as mine did.
And I currently have a Sportura Kinetic Diver SKA563 which I bought new in 2014 for $150 (MSRP was $650). It has a sapphire crystal and the Diver's 200m certification. I swapped out the silicone band for a black 3-ring Zulu strap. It still looks like new. I am still wearing it daily, though the capacitor needs to be replaced (the capacitor is rated to last for 10 years; I am at 12 years on the original capacitor).
In between the two, I had a Casio MTD-1010 white-face, two-tone (the Casio Submariner). I paid less than $100 for it. It was 40mm in diameter and 10.5mm thick. Even thinner than the Seiko Presage.
Seiko makes high-quality timepieces that are reliable and will last a long time if you take basic care with them. But they are not high-end luxury timepieces. If you want a Seiko that somewhat competes with Swiss luxury watches, then look at the Grand Seikos.
What I said in my original post was you are paying $378 for one of Seiko's in-house automatic movements, and not getting much else. Not a sapphire crystal, not high water-resistance. It is not great value in terms of features, especially when you consider what I have paid for the Seikos that I have owned. An automatic movement is less accurate than a quartz and requires more maintenance. Is it smart to pay 3 or 4 times for this watch than what I have paid for my Seikos in the past? I don't see it. This watch doesn't look any better than the Seikos that I have owned, and doesn't look better than my Casio "Submariner" either. I have gotten compliments on all of my watches.
As far as the thickness issue, the Seiko Presage is not a small watch. It has a 40.5mm diameter and is 11.8mm thick. My Seiko dive watch is huge, heavy, and 14mm thick, but it will still easily slide under a French cuff. And most quartz watches are significantly thinner than the Presage. The Tissot PR100 is 8.25mm thick and has a sapphire crystal and 100m water resistance for $325. Big watches have been popular for several years now. If anyone is going to complain about you wearing a sport watch in a formal setting, they are definitely going to complain about you wearing a Seiko.
As to the water resistance issue, 50m does not mean that it is water proof to a depth of 50m. It means that you can shower with it on. 30m would only get you hand-washing splashes. 100m gets you swimming which is why I won't buy a watch with any less water resistance. Not that I will swim with every watch that I own, but I don't want my watch to get ruined in a freak accident like happened to me previously at the theme park. FYI, I do swim with my current Seiko Dive watch (Diver's 200m) and have never had a problem with it. People constantly ask me for the time. So, no CoolHose113, I was not planning to dive or swim with this Seiko Presage, nor did I say that I planned to. I won't buy it. I00m water resistance is the minimum water resistance that I will accept in a watch.
If I was going to spend $1,000 for a collection of watches so that I had a watch for every occasion, I would instead just spend my $1,000 for one really nice watch, or save my money until I had enough to get one. I don't see the value of having a bunch of sub $500 watches that won't impress anyone that knows anything about watches, including me. If it is just for me, I only need one watch that tells me the time. Right now, my Seiko Sportura Kinetic Diver meets that purpose. And it only cost me $150.
My interest in watches with a minimum of 100m water resistance is more a reflection of the fact that it makes the watch more durable with regards to being inundated by water or other liquid. Just as a sapphire crystal does the same with regards to scratch-resistance. The fact that Rolex's most notable contribution to horology is the Oyster case, which made water resistance a part of fine watch making in 1926, illustrates this point. And what level of water-resistance comes with an Oyster case? At least 100m. The Rolex Cellini, which was discontinued in 2023, and was water resistant to 50m never used an Oyster case.
So, at what price point should you expect a sapphire crystal or water-resistance up to 100m? Look at the market, it will tell you. I cited the Tissot PR100, which is a "dress" watch, as proof that there are watches selling for MSRP $325 that offer a sapphire crystal and 100m water resistance. You can probably find it cheaper on Amazon. And even Seiko offers an automatic movement and 100m water-resistance in the SRPD51 5 Sports that I also cited. Because this is a deal site, it makes sense to evaluate the extent of the deal. I said that there are other watches in this price range that will get you more bang for your buck. And that is true.
And then you contradict yourself by saying that you can't wear a non-dress watch to a formal event, but you can wear a fashion piece in the boardroom. Aren't all watches fashion pieces, despite also serving specific functions? So, you can't wear a pilot outside of the cockpit, or a chronograph away from the track, or a diver out of the water unless fashion says it's OK? A watch is an accessory, and every person can accessorize to his/her own liking. In fact, in a formal event, a watch and studs and cuff links are about the only accessories that a man has to create his own style (not counting rings or piercings). Though you could go with the Lloyd and Harry statement tuxedos. Or you could wear some outlandish tie and cummerbund combo like its prom night. And you might even wear sneakers with your tux. Go watch any sporting awards show, or even the Oscars. It has been done before.
If you research what makes a fine, high-quality timepiece, you will see that durability is part of it. It is a watch that can last for generations. A watch with a sapphire crystal and 100m water-resistance is going to qualify. But having an automatic movement does not automatically put you in high-quality range because there are luxury watches with quartz movements. If you have to baby the watch to keep it from getting scratched or ruined by water/liquids, then it is not a high quality timepiece. But you could park it in a drawer and only bring it out occasionally to polish it with a diaper. Cameron's Dad would approve.
Enjoy your Urushi-dial Seiko Presage, all four of you.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Easy to find better water resistance at this price point, but I wear my (different model of the) Cocktail time more as a dress watch and won't be doing more water activity beyond washing my hands in it. I would personally prefer a sapphire crystal for better scratch resistance, but some people actually argue that the reflective nature at the edges of some of the mineral glass adds to the aesthetic. I still prefer the Cocktail Times over anything in this price point. If you don't think the dial detail is worth it, the Orient Bambino has two different green dials with pretty similiar specs for $125-$150 less
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!