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Brand: Seiko
Model number: SGG713P1
Official or unofficial Nickname (if any exists): How about the 'Poor Man's Quartz SARB035' or the 'Poor Man's2 Grand Seiko Quartz'. Does it really deserve a nickname? Nah, not really! I have seen two other WUS posts suggesting Grand Seiko looks though...
Overview
Budget Seiko Quartz with classic looks & Sapphire crystal. Offering 100m WR, dauphine hands with lume, solid bracelet & day/date. Could this qualify as a Gentleman's Watch on a student or similarly tight budget? My father in law has the blue dial version SGG717 & I liked his so much, I wanted my own. We wear it differently though. My idea is to wear it as a reaction against more fashionable/big/bling watches of my peers, which I think makes it stand out, while simulateneously blending seemlessly with a lot of my outfits and accessories. I hope that makes sense.
Movement information/review
7n43. Superb quartz accuracy should be expected. I do love quartz. After 3 days, it is bang on. A modern marvel.
Case review
Almost all polished SS except for the lugs, which are brushed on top and match the band nicely. This combination is a nice touch. The lugs not flowing smoothly around the case is something that initially worried me, but has grown to be a feature in my eyes. Fit and finish are really nice. Thin @ 8-9mm!
Crystal and Dial
The sapphire crystal really lifts this watch above a lot of the competition in this price bracket, in my opinion (I know, Orient). The applied hour markers and day/date window box give a perfect (low) level of bling for such a modest timepiece.
The white dial lacks depth and doesn't really change in different lights like a lot of the fancy watches I lust after. This gives the watch such a refreshing feel for me and is a positive. It is a really nice white. A lot of the pictures I saw looked very flat, but it is a feature. The designers easily could have erred on the side of looking cheap, but it really works. It will go well with the A4 printer paper at work! Here, I tried to compare it with my daughter's Hairy Maclarey book. The paper looks exactly like the dial, slightly glossy. A lot of the other white faced watches look a lot cheaper at the mall.
The applied hour markers are simple and elegant with some good shape to them. The hands are like SARB035 but seem to be on a bit of a diet, except for the second hand, which inexplicably has lume on the arrowhead. Now, let's talk further about the lume. Really, there is no point to this lume. It looks cool in semi-darkness when I can see hands and lume together. At night though, I struggle to read the time. I think this watch is softening me up a bit for the Grand Seiko or a SARB. I realise I don't need lume that much. I get the feeling the designer's were really thinking of the whole 'drugs in the playground' thing. Oh yeah, speaking of upgrades... I am not sure what is going on with the fonts. I think there are five different fonts on the dial and maybe 3 on the back. This really worried me when obsessing on the net. I looked at the watch so much while waiting for it to come from Singapore, I actually grew to like the writing as well.
Re Day/Date: Saturday is a refreshing and beautiful blue. Sunday in Red. The date seems to rollover between 12 and 2am, not exactly sure though.
Bracelet/strap review (including clasp)
I am in two minds regarding the polished stripe! It adds a tiny bit of bling & actually makes sense, pointing to 6 & 12. I have seen some higher end Seikos with two polished stripes and yeah, I am not a big fan. But, as per what seems to be a theme with this watch is that these little features which initially are a worry, come together to quite a nice package.
The lack of micro adjustment is really, really, terrible. I am really, really lucky that this watch actually fits me nicely. My father in law has the blue dial version (sgg717) and he has resorted to putting some felt packing on the caseback because he can't get the right size. I have actually ordered him a wjean oyster (as a present) and eagerly await that package to see how it works with his watch.
Closing opinions and recommendations
I really looked hard for a new watch. I needed something that I could wear with a suit or business casual and to dress up my casual wear a bit. Of course, I WANT the SARB035! I would LOVE Grand Seiko SBGX059 & that would make me happy I am sure. But let's break that down a bit:
$120 vs $469 vs $2,079
Buyer beware, I am extremely lucky that the bracelet fits. Otherwise I would be spending more on leather or another Oyster and then I would be eating up my diver (SNZH57 vs SKX007 vs Monster, help?!) funds.
I can't seem to stop visiting Seiya's website since researching and buying this watch & I love quartz. Is there any help out there for me (especially re divers now)? The reality is I love this watch and I am really happy.
This is the squint and look quickly and tell me it's not a GS shot.
Edna
ps I have pretty skinny wrists, I can do a muscle up though and am not weak :)
UPDATE: I tried WJEAN28's (ebay) 20mm oyster & it fits well for anyone that may be interested.
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