The Seiko Silverwave- Review

There are times in our collecting experience where you are forced to take a step back and really reevaluate what it is you're looking for.

For me, the realization became that I had a lot of watches, most of which I really liked, but few of which I could say I absolutely loved. So naturally I looked through my collection and tried to find what that intangible thing was that these select watches had that others didn't. I think I settled on the word "authenticity."

I don't mean in the context of "Realness." It's more for what the watch is trying to be, and how well it's design and heritage accomplish that end. So I set out to find a watch that was an authentic representation of a Do It All watch.

Naturally, how you define that itself will vary but for me it would be quartz, 38mm or less, and have an elegant yet versatile design that lends itself to any number of settings. With my criteria in mind I set out looking for a watch and I decided to venture into the vintage realm, to really capture an overall feeling of authentic timelessness. Enter the Seiko Silverwave.

Housed within a 37mm case with a screwdown crown, the watch embodies what I feel is a perfect GADA experience. The dark applied indices provide a nice contrast and, interestingly, the sides of the indices remain silver, making them really pop in certain lighting. The blackened stick hands give a nice minimalist feel as well.

The dial is a lightened silver with longitudinal polishing that gives some unique texturing I wasn't even expecting to see. And of course there's the date wheel which has the option of a kanji date, making it the only one in my collection to have this feature.

For me it is the slim nature of the case combined with its identifiable 70s shape that gives the watch its character. In fact, this one is of the time period where the simple quartz movement housed within nearly brought the Swiss watchmaking industry to its knees! More importantly, the quartz movement keeps perfect time and allows it to wear extremely thin, giving it the versatility I was looking for. As with every Seiko, the bracelet is "meh" but with a simple strap change it can go from sporty to dressy in seconds.

And this brings me to the final point. Where this watch really shines is its ability to seemingly fit anywhere. The word that comes to mind with this watch is "balance." Nothing is too overdone or too underdone and the result is a watch that really captures the beauty of simplicity. It is the wonderfully balanced nature of the design that makes it authentic and true to the heritage of Seiko. Indeed it carries this heritage of Japanese culture on the caseback with its iconic wave, forever representing the art of watchmaking past and present.