One watch collection competition. All under 400. Episode 6. Sweet 16. 1/8.
You waited, you asked and finally this is happening. What? You didn’t ask? This is happening nonetheless. Head to head battles (no watch will be harmed though) to crown the most loved GADA watch under 400$. We are at the sweet 16 stage, but the competition is already fierce. In the red corner… you all know it and love it… Just at half of the price, but still a favourite. Seiko DressKX (for all the snobs here there is a reference number SRPE55). Round of applause:
Seiko SPRE55 (DressKX)
Sizes: 40mm case diameter, 44,6mm lug-to-lug, 11,5mm thick, 20mm lug width.
Movement: 4R36 (automatic, hacks, handwinds, day-date, 21600 bph, bi-directional rotor, 41 hour power reserve).
Materials: 316L steel brushed and polished
Crystal: Hardlex mineral crystal
Lume: Lumibrite
Band: Metal bracelet, solid links, hollow endlinks, stamped deployant clasp
WR: 100m
Price: 220$
What to love: Iconic design, sweet size and fit, big brand.
Grain of salt: Hardlex crystal, seiko bracelet.
In the blue corner – Italian underdog. Robust, yet elegant… Unimatic Modelo Due:
Unimatic Modelo Due
Sizes: 38mm case diameter, 47,5mm lug-to-lug, 13,7mm thick, 22mm lug width.
Movement: NH35A (automatic, hacks, handwinds, ghost date, 21600 bph, bi-directional rotor, 41 hour power reserve).
Materials: 316L steel fully brushed
Crystal: Double domed sapphire with underside AR coating
Lume: SuperLuminova C1 White
Band: Nylon nato + Black rubber strap
WR: 300m
Price: 400$
What to love: Clean unique design, good materials, 300m or water resistance.
Grain of salt: a bit thick with its 13.7mm (including sapphire crystal). No bracelet. Not good with a tuxedo thanks to pillow case all brushed finish.
Let's get ready to Rumble! Sorry, Michael Buffer. Let’s vote ladies and gentlemen!
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Aleksandr
Relatively inexperienced and humble watch wearer. Not much of a collector. Enjoy the design, engineering and history. 6.7 inch (17 cm) wrist. Love to look for hidden gems, especially in affordable pri...
Kaliningrad, Russia
Member since
Last active: 1 year ago
I really like Seiko 5 watches in general, but what keeps me from getting one myself is the hardlex crystal. How easy--or difficult--are these crystals to scratch? If it's a non-issue for you, then Seiko SRPE55 all the way.
The unimatic modelo might be difficult in dressier scenarios, like you said.
OMG the knockout phase is starting! 😮
I really need to look up the earlier posts to see the final 16 watches
OMG the knockout phase is starting! 😮
I really need to look up the earlier posts to see the final 16 watches
You will not see all 16 ))) You can only get 8 watches that advanced from the WildCard stage. I need to keep a bit of surprise in my posts )
You will not see all 16 ))) You can only get 8 watches that advanced from the WildCard stage. I need to keep a bit of surprise in my posts )
Oh yeah you're right! Then I'm excited to see the eight heavy hitters you've picked 🧐
+SRPE for the dial and the mod options.
300m WR?
Throws away the shrine to Seiko
Sorry, Seiko. 30 bars of water resistance win.
I generally like Seiko more, but the crown at 4 always kills it for me. I don't like the aesthetics of a crown at 4, hence I voted for the Unimatic
Oh yeah you're right! Then I'm excited to see the eight heavy hitters you've picked 🧐
I hope you won't be disappointed, but there are a couple of questionable picks, but there is the reasoning behind that.
+SRPE for the dial and the mod options.
Yeah, modding is another thing I forgot about
300m WR?
Throws away the shrine to Seiko
Sorry, Seiko. 30 bars of water resistance win.
Sounds logical from your side 😂
+SRPE for the dial and the mod options.
Agreed on that personally. The first is an aftermarket srpe conversion case I built and the second was just a redial. Thesewatches wear great.
I generally like Seiko more, but the crown at 4 always kills it for me. I don't like the aesthetics of a crown at 4, hence I voted for the Unimatic
I kinda like how they've done that. But I agree symmetry suffers.
seiko for me, not a fan of unimatic design. i mean personally i feel like they applied unfinished design on their final product
Agreed on that personally. The first is an aftermarket srpe conversion case I built and the second was just a redial. Thesewatches wear great.
Wow
Agreed on that personally. The first is an aftermarket srpe conversion case I built and the second was just a redial. Thesewatches wear great.
Very nice, I mean really nice, and I normally don't like coin edge bezels. Seiko 5s are like buying a LEGO set.
Guys, you are not helping! 😂
That is a beauty. I also absolutely love the design language. I voted for Seiko here, though. I asked myself if I had only one watch and no others? And Seiko got on top
If the price were the same, I'd go Unimatic. However, for the price, I'd go with Seiko.
Unimatics are sharp. However, I can't get over their high prices for basic Seiko movements.
If the price were the same, I'd go Unimatic. However, for the price, I'd go with Seiko.
Unimatics are sharp. However, I can't get over their high prices for basic Seiko movements.
Unimatic obviously doesn't have movement as their selling point. They try to sell taste. And they do that pretty successfully.
I voted for Seiko. Bought it for my gf and handled it. The case size is just about right. it has a workhorse movement and quite accurate for it’s price. You can dress it up or down with bracelet, NATO, leather, or even canvas.
Modding is another option you can consider. The community is huge and you can get upgrade the parts as and when you see fit.
I swapped the bracelet to one from LIW on my DressKX and turned it into a sweet little piece with milled clasp, solid end links, etc.
I voted for Seiko. Bought it for my gf and handled it. The case size is just about right. it has a workhorse movement and quite accurate for it’s price. You can dress it up or down with bracelet, NATO, leather, or even canvas.
Modding is another option you can consider. The community is huge and you can get upgrade the parts as and when you see fit.
The truth is told
I think the Seiko dominates this matchup from the tip-off until the final buzzer. #seiko
I think the Seiko dominates this matchup from the tip-off until the final buzzer. #seiko
Well it didn't. In the very beginning Unimatic was slightly ahead for quite some time
Well it didn't. In the very beginning Unimatic was slightly ahead for quite some time
Pulling away now though
The vote results are fixed now. Seiko SPRE55 comes on top and advances to Elite 8 stage.