I've now had the watch about three weeks and it has lost about 1/2 of a second in that time, which is well within the 15 seconds per month mentioned in the warranty.
The ion plated finish is beautiful. It is dressier than watches I usually wear. I will be removing it before working on the car or digging in the yard.
The self charging feature works well. Movement during shipping had charged the watch up to a one month reserve, as indicated by the power reserve indicator. It was charged to the full 4 to 6 month reserve after about two days on my wrist.
My only disappointment is the performance of the LumiBrite glow-in-the-dark hands and markers. They shine brightly immediately after exposure to bright light but grow very dim after several hours in the dark. If readability in the dark is a priority for you, a watch with tritium hands and markers is a much better choice. Buy Seiko Men's Kinetic Black Ion Watch #SKA366!
I purchased this watch for my husband for christmas and it is absolutely beautiful. It is a nice, large, heavy watch for a MAN. And the gold is not a tacky yellow gold. Buy Seiko Men's Kinetic Gold-Tone Watch #SKA404!
Nice watch that feels great but a little big on my wrist. I use it as a gym watch. Buy Seiko Men's Kinetic Dive Silver-Tone Watch #SKA371!
This is a great high quality watch. It is heavy and well-built and looks great. Nothing cheap at all about the look and feel of this watch. Mine has the white background with gold hands. The hands are luminescent and easy to read at night but the small print of the smaller dials can be hard to read in bright light, especially for someone over forty. Overall this is an excellent watch that I've worn for 3 months now. If you are concerned about reading the small dials in bright light, consider a version with a darker background, such as black. Buy Seiko Men's Coutura Kinetic Perpetual Watch #SNP008!
Pros: I have owned this watch for two years now and I love it. I wear it almost every day and it has worked very well. The sapphire crystal is extremely durable. I can't count how many times I have accidentally smacked it against a door knob and still it looks as perfect as the day I purchased it. I have owned watches in the past with a mineral crystal face and they will show scratches over time. This one has absolutely no scratches or imperfections in the crystal whatsoever. I get compliments on this watch frequently.
Cons: Twice in the two years I have owned this watch it has failed to reset to the correct time when coming out of sleep mode. Why that is I'm not sure. Every other time it has worked perfectly. Just last week I was walking in a dark parking lot at night and one of the small pins holding the links together fell out and the watch fell from my arm. I took it to a local jewler and had it fixed for a mere ten dollars.
Summary: Overall if you like this style (I love it!)I doubt you can find a better watch for the price. This piece is classy, accurate and the crystal is extremely durable. Buy with confidence. Buy Seiko Men's Coutura Kinetic Perpetual Watch #SNP007!
I wanted a basic watch that could act as an everyday watch as well as something could be worn out for the evening. The black band looks great, and I get more compliments than friends who spent much more for a flashy watch. I am more than satisfied with the purchase of this watch. Buy Seiko Men's Kinetic Black Ion Watch #SKA389!
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R35AREBJW4BV8A I've always liked nice watches.I do not like blingy watches, gold or 2 tone watches.
I'm coming from an Omega Seamaster Pro 2254.50 (sold already) which has incredible readability in any light conditions (perfect for aging eyes) but with the only drawback of a high priced maintenance premium.
I've been looking for a watch that could replace it and being honest, I looked for:
1) Tissot
2) Seiko
3) Citizen
I went to the mall, looking for official dealers per each one of the manufacturers websites and, before a lot of research, I knew that:
1) Tissot won't honor a warranty for a watch bought on the Internet.
2) Seiko won't honor a warranty for a watch bought on the Internet, unless its clearly stated that the seller is an authorized Seiko reseller.
3) Citizen will honor a purchase from Amazon, being them an authorized reseller.
So, I went to the mall looking for 3 specific watches:
1)Tissot PRC200 Mens Watch T014.410.11.057.00
2) Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Calibre 8700 Watch #BL8000-54A
3) Seiko Men's Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch #SKA347
The Tissot has a very good finish and specs. (sapphire crystal and 200 M water resistance for example)
The things I didn't like about it was that the bracelet was very heavy and there are red hour markings in the inner bezel. The good thing also is a 2 year International warranty) The bad thing: just another quartz watch with no innovations at all.
Then I looked at the Citizen. Everything looked awesome on that watch except the white dial and roman numerals looks like they are made of plastic, not metal, very artificial looking. The Eco Drive feature was a plus but the dial (aside being too busy) was a deal breaker.Also, they use simple mineral crystal and saw a lot of scratches on the face of a different one who belongs to a watchmaker that works at Jared.
At last, I went to Times Square booth (listed on Seiko's website) and started looking for a Kinetic.
First I handed the Premier's: very nice looking but super heavy and then I saw the one I'm reviewing here.
It looked bold, easy to read, uncluttered dial, good lume, Kinetic movement, perfect case size for my wrist, slim profile (compared to the other ones), sits very nice on the wrist, nice bracelet (very similar to Omega's Speedy bracelet), 100 M WR meaning I can use it in the pool, a piece of cake to setup, Hardlex crystal and a 3 year warranty, being the first year International and 2 years valid only in the US and I was sold. I need a watch that just tells the time and the day, that's all. (I don't like busy looking dials with functions that you may never use, although the Citizen's dial caught my eye...on the Internet but NOT in person))
If I decide to criticize something I don't like about the watch is the fact that the hour and minute hands are white painted, not chrome/ polished looking. But this detail makes those hands to pop out a little more, making them easier to read at a glance. Then I remembered my already gone Omega Seamaster which had the same design concept but the opposite way: shiny metal hands filled with Luminova and painted markers, which made that watch so unique.
I've also decided on Seiko because is the ONLY watch company (aside some Swiss manufacturers) that does everything in house. (movement, crystals, bracelet, even the oils used for lubrication)
I can't attest yet on it's durability and accuracy (just got it yesterday) but I will post updates in the future.
Thanks for reading.
Update: after a week of use, the watch is spot on with www.time.gov.
PS:I bought this watch and like it very much, although there is something I don't get.
With a good regular quartz watch, you change batteries every 5-8 years. With the Kinetic is the same, the battery will stop holding a charge after about the same time, so, WHAT's the point of Kinetics? It seems just another marketing scam. Buy Seiko Men's Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch #SKA347!