SEIKO SPIRIT SCVS015 AUTOMATIC
List Price: $385
Purchase Price: $324
Movement: 6R15B 21 jewel automatic with 50 hour power reserve
Dial Color: Black
Case: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Hardlex
Hacks: Yes
Handwinds: Yes
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 10 Bar (300 feet)
Bracelet Micro Adjustments: N/A
Purchased: April 2009
Purchased From: Seiya Japan
DIMENSIONS
Width: 36.50 mm
With Crown: 39.75 mm
Lug Width: 20.00 mm
Height (lug to lug): 43.55 mm
Thickness: 11.55 mm
WHY I PURCHASED THIS WATCH
I wanted to try an automatic watch as I had never purchased one before and also wanted an exhibition back. I wanted to purchase a dressier watch to wear at work; my previous daily work watch was the Seiko SLC033 which I still own and plan to keep. I decided to go with a Seiko watch and looked through approximately 10,000 search results on Ebay over the course of a month looking for something to catch my eye--and this was it.
QUALITY (fit, crystal, lume, bracelet)
Upon receiving this watch from Seiya, I was very pleased with the quality. I had read some complaints about the strap quality being cheap, but I quite like it. My main complaint about the strap is that I wanted a deployant clasp, but I knew that one wasn't included when I purchased the watch. I purchased a generic deployant clasp off of Ebay for about $30.
I love the simple design and extremely high contrast "chalk white" hour and minute hands. I like the simple applied hour markers and bordered date window. I am pleased to have a sapphire crystal and exhibition back. However, the sapphire crystal is a fingerprint magnet! I cannot keep it clean for more than 5 minutes at a time and find myself cleaning it constantly while I wear it. Even when I seemingly haven't touched the crystal, I see fingerprints all day long. I don't know what it is about this watch, but I don't have this problem with any other watches--perhaps it is the black dial? As this is a dress watch (for me), I wish the watch was a little more slim (than 11.55 mm).
Being that this is a Japanese-market only watch, the price was discounted very little. This is currently my most expensive watch by a wide margin. This may be my biggest complaint about the watch second to the fingerprints issue above.
ACCURACY
My unscientific observation is that the watch currently runs about +/- 15 seconds per day--acceptable for an automatic in my opinion.
HIGHS
Design
Movement
LOWS
Price
Thickness for a dress watch
Fingerprints on crystal driving me insane
SCORES
Fit/finish: 10/10
Crystal: 4/5
Dial/Bezel: 5/5
Lume: N/A
Bracelet/Strap: 3/5
Accuracy: 4/5
Value: 8/10
Overall (not an average): 9/10
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Comparison to SKA387
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MY BACKGROUND
Here is some background information about me. This may help clarify my point of view and what shapes my opinions. If there is anything I can do to help you with more information about the watches in my reviews, if you'd like more photos, etc, please let me know and I'll try to help.
I am a computer programmer/analyst from a very small town in central Wisconsin. I am a husband and father to two boys, ages 3 and 1. My interests include digital photography (Canon SLR's), watches (Japanese mainly), Apple computers, cars (Japanese and German), and LED flashlights. I am a self-professed perfectionist and appreciate an extreme attention to detail and like to have a sense of value for my money. I believe this is what draws me primarily to Japanese watches. I have written my reviews in an attempt to provide information that I found difficult myself (at least before finding WUS) to obtain. I typically research a new watch purchase for about 20 hours in an attempt to make sure I'm happy with my purchase.
TECHNICAL INFO
My measurements were all performed with a digital caliper accurate down to .01 mm and rounded to the nearest .05 mm. I believe these to be as accurate of measurements as I have seen anywhere and may differ from official specs and other websites. For reference in the photos, I have approximately a 6.5 inch wrist.
List Price: $385
Purchase Price: $324
Movement: 6R15B 21 jewel automatic with 50 hour power reserve
Dial Color: Black
Case: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Hardlex
Hacks: Yes
Handwinds: Yes
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 10 Bar (300 feet)
Bracelet Micro Adjustments: N/A
Purchased: April 2009
Purchased From: Seiya Japan
DIMENSIONS
Width: 36.50 mm
With Crown: 39.75 mm
Lug Width: 20.00 mm
Height (lug to lug): 43.55 mm
Thickness: 11.55 mm
WHY I PURCHASED THIS WATCH
I wanted to try an automatic watch as I had never purchased one before and also wanted an exhibition back. I wanted to purchase a dressier watch to wear at work; my previous daily work watch was the Seiko SLC033 which I still own and plan to keep. I decided to go with a Seiko watch and looked through approximately 10,000 search results on Ebay over the course of a month looking for something to catch my eye--and this was it.
QUALITY (fit, crystal, lume, bracelet)
Upon receiving this watch from Seiya, I was very pleased with the quality. I had read some complaints about the strap quality being cheap, but I quite like it. My main complaint about the strap is that I wanted a deployant clasp, but I knew that one wasn't included when I purchased the watch. I purchased a generic deployant clasp off of Ebay for about $30.
I love the simple design and extremely high contrast "chalk white" hour and minute hands. I like the simple applied hour markers and bordered date window. I am pleased to have a sapphire crystal and exhibition back. However, the sapphire crystal is a fingerprint magnet! I cannot keep it clean for more than 5 minutes at a time and find myself cleaning it constantly while I wear it. Even when I seemingly haven't touched the crystal, I see fingerprints all day long. I don't know what it is about this watch, but I don't have this problem with any other watches--perhaps it is the black dial? As this is a dress watch (for me), I wish the watch was a little more slim (than 11.55 mm).
Being that this is a Japanese-market only watch, the price was discounted very little. This is currently my most expensive watch by a wide margin. This may be my biggest complaint about the watch second to the fingerprints issue above.
ACCURACY
My unscientific observation is that the watch currently runs about +/- 15 seconds per day--acceptable for an automatic in my opinion.
HIGHS
Design
Movement
LOWS
Price
Thickness for a dress watch
Fingerprints on crystal driving me insane
SCORES
Fit/finish: 10/10
Crystal: 4/5
Dial/Bezel: 5/5
Lume: N/A
Bracelet/Strap: 3/5
Accuracy: 4/5
Value: 8/10
Overall (not an average): 9/10
Comparison to SKA387
MY BACKGROUND
Here is some background information about me. This may help clarify my point of view and what shapes my opinions. If there is anything I can do to help you with more information about the watches in my reviews, if you'd like more photos, etc, please let me know and I'll try to help.
I am a computer programmer/analyst from a very small town in central Wisconsin. I am a husband and father to two boys, ages 3 and 1. My interests include digital photography (Canon SLR's), watches (Japanese mainly), Apple computers, cars (Japanese and German), and LED flashlights. I am a self-professed perfectionist and appreciate an extreme attention to detail and like to have a sense of value for my money. I believe this is what draws me primarily to Japanese watches. I have written my reviews in an attempt to provide information that I found difficult myself (at least before finding WUS) to obtain. I typically research a new watch purchase for about 20 hours in an attempt to make sure I'm happy with my purchase.
TECHNICAL INFO
My measurements were all performed with a digital caliper accurate down to .01 mm and rounded to the nearest .05 mm. I believe these to be as accurate of measurements as I have seen anywhere and may differ from official specs and other websites. For reference in the photos, I have approximately a 6.5 inch wrist.
