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Seiko 5 SNK809: First impressions and hands-on photos!

53K views 34 replies 23 participants last post by  David S 
#1 · (Edited)
So after asking some questions on WUS, I finally pulled the trigger: I bought the SNK809. It arrived today.

Anyway, this is really my first watch that I pick out/care about (my mom would get me cheap watches when I was little but I'd always lose them), and my first mechanical watch, too.

Vendors
I bought the watch from
Premierworld on eBay. They're pretty reliable and they have good customer service; they've earned crazy positive feedback and responded quickly to my questions.



I don't love the look of the bracelet as much, so I bought a couple straps that I feel suit the watch better. I ordered an
18mm one-piece Zulu strap from Amazon and a leather Breitling-style strap from Don Ginsler. I had no issues with Amazon; the Zulu strap arrived in two days. Speedily answering customer questions and giving helpful advice, Don is a pleasure to do business with.



Quick note: to switch straps at home, I bought a
spring bar tool from Amazon as well. I can use the bracelet... iono when. Maybe when I'm dressed up? even though the watch isn't dressy at all. I can use the Zulu when I'm out exercising or doing a lab at school. And I think the leather strap will be my daily.

First impressions
Wow, this thing is small--smaller than I had expected. But my wrist is small so it is fitting. It's also pretty hefty and compact, but after a while you don't notice. Maybe I just think it's heavy because I haven't really handled a lot of watches (except for my dad's Rolex GMT Master I). Anyway, the numbers and dates are pretty legible. The finish on the outside is nice and smooth. It looks like metal (it is metal, to clarify :-!) in person rather than gray plastic.







It wasn't running when I opened the packaging, so I just put it on and shook my wrist for 30 seconds and it's been running smoothly ever since. Setting the date was fairly easy. You just pull out the crown in two positions that correspond to date and time change. Even though the SNK809 uses a non-hacking calibre (7s26b), there is a way to stop the second hand that is explained in this guide.



A note about the calendar function: It does display Spanish days (LUNes, MARtes, MIErcoles, etc.) but only for a couple of hours in the after midnight I think.

The lume is just enough, although I haven't taken it outside for a whole day yet. We'll see. Charging the lume under a lamp for a few seconds does yield an adequate brightness.



All in all, I think this little timekeeper is a lot of watch for the money: nice military/pilot design, date, day, and a reliable automatic movement. However I think people with bigger wrists will be disappointed at the 37mm (crown included) watch diameter.

If you guys have any other questions or requests, please let me know. Thanks WUS!









Here is the watch on a Zulu!




Sorry it's out of focus, but it's a distanced wrist shot :D


 
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#3 ·
Congratulations! I own the 809 and its a terrific Seiko. Wonderful pictures, I really like the one with the quarter - gives a reference point for size that easy for those of us in the US.:-!
 
#4 ·
I like mine too........but plastic? I don't think so, mine's brushed SS...

Chris

 
#5 ·
Nice review! I acquired the same watch about three weeks ago, and it's been on my wrist more than any other since. I'd been looking at a lot of the Flieger candidates: Archimede, Aristo, Sinn, but there was not one that seemed perfect to me--either the hand proportions weren't quite right, size was too big, etc., and since they're all beyond my comfort range price wise, I kept coming back to this Seiko 809.

I agree it's a bit on the small size, even for my 6.25" wrist, but it sure sits better than a 42 or 44 mm would. I could also do without the day, and the Seiko "5". But for the price, there's little to complain about. I really like the dial and the hands, particularly the red-tipped second hand.

Mine runs a little slow, about 6 secs/day. Nothing to complain about.

Jack
 
#6 ·
Thanks, everyone for adding to the thread; it makes it easier for anyone researching this watch :)

@Sean99: My wrist is about 6.5" or 16.5cm. The leather strap is contoured due to stitching and padding, but I just measured and it's about 6.5mm thick.

@Nimbrag: Sorry, I meant that it actually looks like metal, because when I was looking at pictures it sometimes looked like plastic. But it is metal and I edited the post :D

@JackJ: Yeah, I think I've been looking into those watchmakers but they're way out of my budget for my first watch. I like this one Archimede (a lot):


courtesy of wild style

and the Sinn 656 (but I can understand your gripe about the proportions). Harold's 656 mod would suit my needs with it's low price, but for my next watch I think I'll look for something just a little big bigger.

I agree on you about the day and Seiko 5 elements. Makes the watch a little too busy.

I've barely had mine for 24 hours and it's running about 10~ seconds slow. I think it'll get better over time, though.

And oops, should've read the rules first about the auction links sorry!
 
#18 · (Edited)
and the Sinn 656 (but I can understand your gripe about the proportions). Harold's 656 mod would suit my needs with it's low price, but for my next watch I think I'll look for something just a little big bigger.
This is a mod I made from an SKX case and that Sinn-style dial that Harold sells:



and next to an SNK809 case (the watch isn't quite stock, changed dial/day and date wheel/second hand) for size comparison



Sorry about the fuzz on the crystal. The bezel is from Bob Thayer; this wasn't the cheapest mod in the world but in the end I'm pretty happy with the result. Still cheaper than a 656!
 
#10 ·
A very cool watch. The Zulu & leather straps make it look sharp. Wear it in good health.
If you like the old school military/"fleiger" look, & don't want to spend a lot of $'s....check out the Citizen BM8180-03E, Princeton watches has it for $81.00US...unreal price! A lot of folks have replaced the strap, but that's an easy & not expensive thing.....especially if you go military & get a woven nylon strap.
 
#11 ·
@Sean99: Well, considering its 37mm case diameter, it is smaller than most men's watches. I think it is the angle, because there is ample space left on my wrist for a 38-41mm watch. But it fits me just fine nonetheless.

@junlon: I dug up a picture of it on an older thread (courtesy of Seamaster73) :D


Thanks everyone!
 
#13 ·
Great review and great pics by the way. I'm quite envious of your lume shot. . . I've spent ages trying to catch the lume on mine, but there just doesn't seem enough for the camera to focus on.

My gripe about the lume is that there is the same sized lume dot all around the dial, so that you can't tell which way is up in complete darkness.
 
#15 ·
@mcw53 yeah I stumbled across your photo there while I was researching. Very helpful, thanks.


I can't decide whether the Zulu or the leather strap should be my daily wearer. I like the leather as it dresses up to a classy pilot's watch, but after wearing the Zulu it made it feel more utilitarian, minimalist, and uniform. And I'm into those design elements.

What do you guys think?
 
#19 ·
Wow, that's a sick looking mod...

It looks like there's space between Harold's dial and the bezel. Does it bother you at all or is it not a problem? But I like it. Did you replace the dials on both of those yourself? maybe I can try it for my watch. Do you mind telling us how much it cost you?
 
#20 ·
That's not space, that's a black chapter ring (I know, it's not a very good photo). I've tried the factory chapter ring (seems a bit busy) and an aluminum/brushed one (the dial seems a little small surrounded by all the metal) and the flat black one seems to be the best compromise so far.

Yes, I did the dials myself. Harold charges ~$25-30 for dials, ~$20 for hands, and both watches have sapphire crystals installed ($35-$50). The bezel mod was the most expensive single piece at ~$80 from Bob Thayer.
 
#21 ·
Nice little watch. And nice choice of strap, too! :-!



Ultimately I found it a little too small. Nice looking thing though, and unbeatable at the price.

EDIT: Almost forgot, I polished up the brushed bits, made a big difference to the looks IMO.
 
#35 ·
I've been asked a couple of times about the polishing.

I used metal polish (the brand name of the stuff I used is 'Brasso' in the UK), and did a lot of it by hand. For the larger areas I cut a cotton bud (a q-tip) in half, and put it in an electric drill.

I don't think I even bothered masking the bezel/Crystal.
 
#25 ·
I'm wearing mine on a dark green NATO as of last week. Didn't quite like the nylon Seiko strap that came with it.



By the way, I've been wearing it for the last three days. The first day it gained 0,5 seconds, after the second day it was still 0,5 ahead of my atomic G-Shock (so, 0 sec gain or loss...).
Today it seems to be gaining about 2 seconds.

Mind you, the last couple of days were pretty intense for me, with about 12 hours of heavy physical labour and 3 hours of workout at the gym.
 
#26 ·
I really liked this watch from pictures, but when I got it, I was sort of let down - it's just too small for me. Now, if this movement and dial was 40-43mm, I would snag it in a heartbeat!!

In the end, I flipped this one - as well as my Ciizen 8180 - same deal - nice dial and movement, but just too small on the wrist....
 
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