REVIEW: The Seiko Premier Automatic>>>>>>>

[ka-boom]

Beautiful watch, I love that bracelet!

[Poseidon-Jim]

go out to you for this great well written review with very awesome detailed photo's that elaborate perfectly the areas being elaborated upon.

Wow comes to mind, or better yet: (About the best written Watch review I may have ever read!)

That watch sure does have a great deal going for it all the way around in each point of interest. I think it's a uniquely designed tool grade watch & that movement sure looks to be on the level of what I would call an entry level Grade-B Grand Seiko movement IMO, and is totally well designed and embellished just right.
Superb watch in all respects & I will be looking for one of these!

Thanks again John for your dedication to WISdom and for making this forum available to all those who seek Horological truth and friendly watch talk.

Cheers my brother,

Jimmy
Poseidon

[JBHII]

Thanks Jimmy - you're too kind sir.

[MINIDriver]

I have always been very fond of this Seiko Premier Automatic hi-beat offering. For some reason, this model has not done well in the US market, which is a shame! The 6R20 movement is a work of art and in many ways more appealing than the vaunted 6R15 21,600 VPH found in most JDM Seikos.

Thanks for a great review and superb photos. Really enjoyable reading material.

[South Pender]

What a great watch review! Many thanks, John. I had two questions after reading it:

1. You state,

"Many will tell you that the various models of the Seiko Spring Drive line represent the best that Seiko has to offer which is available to the US market (discounting those lines which aren't marketed directly to North America, such as the Grand Seiko line). To this notion, I would disagree - simply because as gee-wiz cool as the Spring Drive movement is, it's not a true mechanical movement. I tend to look at the self-winding mechanical offerings in the Seiko Premier line as the "as good as it gets for the US market" models."

Why would you consider only a mechanical movement as being eligible for "the best Seiko has to offer"? Many would consider the Spring Drive movement as--if not fully so--essentially a mechanical movement, as the power comes from the same source as with a fully-mechanical watch. In addition, though, we have the phenomenally-improved accuracy in the SD provided by the quartz time-keeping. Thus, certainly in the sense of keeping very good time, the SD is very much superior to any mechanical watch.

2. I was intrigued by the Orbita mechanical-watch tester you used in the review. Is there a parallel instrument for quartz watches? Would this model (in your review) work with a Spring Drive movement?

[MINIDriver]

Spring Drive is a mechanical movement with 21st century improvements. As "nostalgic" the escapement on a mechanical watch maybe, it is ancient technology that dates back to 200 years. Spring Drive does away with the weakest link of mechanical movements and brings them in line with excellent accuracy. What's not to love?

[poywatch]

John, excellent review and pictures! I wish that I could take pics like that. I have the same watch and have a heck of a time photographing it.

[JBHII]

What a great watch review! Many thanks, John. I had two questions after reading it:

1. You state,

"Many will tell you that the various models of the Seiko Spring Drive line represent the best that Seiko has to offer which is available to the US market (discounting those lines which aren't marketed directly to North America, such as the Grand Seiko line). To this notion, I would disagree - simply because as gee-wiz cool as the Spring Drive movement is, it's not a true mechanical movement. I tend to look at the self-winding mechanical offerings in the Seiko Premier line as the "as good as it gets for the US market" models."

Why would you consider only a mechanical movement as being eligible for "the best Seiko has to offer"? Many would consider the Spring Drive movement as--if not fully so--essentially a mechanical movement, as the power comes from the same source as with a fully-mechanical watch. In addition, though, we have the phenomenally-improved accuracy in the SD provided by the quartz time-keeping. Thus, certainly in the sense of keeping very good time, the SD is very much superior to any mechanical watch.

For better or worse, I'm a bit of a mechanical watch purist. I've reviewed several Spring Drive models - they're an incredible achievement in engineering. I just see them as something different than a purely mechanical movement.

[centralcoastbuc]

I just received one of these yesterday. Very impressive watch for the street price. Not used to such a blindingly shinny band. It's in the winder to get it wound up before I size the band and give it some wrist time.

[centralcoastbuc]

I swapped bands on my Premier to tone it down some. I got the black leather band from one of our vendors. It is wearable more often now I think. See my not so great pics below.