The Seiko 5 Sports offers one of the best value propositions in the world of big-name automatic mechanical wristwatches.
The watch carries an MSRP of just $295 USD but it’s powered by the reliable Seiko automatic caliber 4R36, it’s water-resistant to 330 ft, and it has classic mid-century dive watch styling that won’t be whisker out of place no matter where you wear it.
In the sub-$300 USD realm of the watch market we’re not used to seeing automatics, certainly not quality automatics you might want to wear. But with the 5 Sports Series Seiko are offering an affordable entry point to the world of automatics with an impressive specification sheet.
Each Seiko 5 Sports is powered by the aforementioned automatic caliber 4R36, this movement has 21,600 vph, 24 jewels, and a 41 hour power reserve – it also has a manual wind function which is useful to get it running after a period of inactivity.
As you would expect from a dive watch the 5 Sports Series has a stainless steel case, a tough nylon NATO strap, and a unidirectional rotating bezel. The watch is topped with a Hardlex mineral glass, it has an offset crown to avoid snagging, and it has a window at the 3 o’clock position that displays both day and date.
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