The Very Best Budget Seiko 5 Watches – Impressive & Affordable
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Some may have you believe that you can’t get a good wristwatch unless you part with thousands. The watches I have in front of me beg to differ. I’ve picked out what I believe to be 3 of the very best Seiko 5 watches, which offer a surprising amount of value for considerably less than you might think.
Seiko 5 Range
The ridiculously extensive Seiko 5 range is known to house some of the best value watches out there; the only issue is, it’s a bit of a minefield. There are a bunch of watches in here that are either no longer available, massively overpriced or straight up ugly. So, I’ve gone through the list and selected 3 stunning models that have got super-versatile designs; which you could feasibly wear for work or play. Each of which are currently available for a reasonable price.
We’ve got the SNK361, the SNKL45 and the infamous SNKL23, which are also available in other colourways. You’ll find each linked throughout this post.
Left: Seiko SNK361 Centre: Seiko SNKL45 Right: Seiko SNKL23
The SNK361 and SNKL23 were kindly gifted by Amazon UK for review, whilst I purchased the SNKL45 with my own money separately.
Each of these watches has their quirks, so let’s compare them and see which might align with your needs the best.
Watch Dimensions
Let’s begin with the fit.
Two of these watches share the same case, so will feel identical on-wrist; that being the 361 and the 45. They both come in at 37mm in diameter, 10.5mm in thickness and 41.6mm lug tip to lug tip. The 23 is a touch larger at 37.8mm wide, 10.6mm thick and 45.8mm lug to lug. While all are towards the smaller end of the watch spectrum, the latter wears slightly larger on-wrist. On my thin 6 ¼ inch wrist, the 361 and 45 certainly sit better, though if you have bigger wrists, they could certainly look too small.
Seiko SNK361
Seiko SNKL45
Seiko SNKL23
Aesthetically, both cases are great for the price and offer something slightly different. The 23 has a heavily curved, swooping design that features narrow lugs and a recessed crown that gives a near-symmetrical look. The others look quite similar but have thicker shoulders around the lugs, which I prefer, alongside a larger crown that is easier to use but harder to conceal. Compared to many other typical Seiko 5 watch cases, I think both case types are among the best out there and the combination of brushed and polished edges look really good considering the retail price. They also have enough curvature to sit neatly on the wrist, without any bulging at the rear, as with other popular options like the SNXS79.
Seiko 5 Movement
The rear of each house the same exhibition window, allowing you to see the automatic 7S26 movement that powers all three of these watches. This is a hardy, reliable movement that’s hard to beat when it’s included in a £100 package. It’s not the most accurate but does give a relatively smooth sweep for a budget price. Supposedly, this movement has now been discontinued, making me concerned about the future of these wristwatches but we’ll have to wait and see if they have a substantial stock of them.
Watch Glass
All of these feature the same standard Hardlex hardened mineral crystal covering the dials; which is the average material at this price point. This is essentially a similar glass to that found in your windows and offers a limited amount of scratch resistance. I prefer sapphire, but considering some of the other positives these watches boast, it’s really not bad.
Bracelet
Before we look beneath those crystals, there’s one last factor that these Seikos all have in common – the rubbish bracelets. This is the weak point of many low-end Seikos and it’s the same story here. The SNKL45 probably has the best feeling one off the bat, but all are constructed with folded links and feel fairly cheap. Unless you like the feeling of your arm hairs being ripped out, you’ll likely want to substitute this out at some point.
Watch Dials
While all three watches look alike at a glance, each has its nuances. The SNKL45 has perhaps the simplest appearance with a classic deep grey, near-black dial, combined with a plain dark date window and an array of fairly standard markers. You’ll notice that compared to the alternatives, this has slightly elongated hour markers, with the luminescent pips positioned towards the centre, rather than the perimeter. I thought that would spoil my enjoyment of this piece, however, having spent time with the watch, it’s not been any sort of issue.
Overall, the Seiko SNKL45 does bear a resemblance to some other famous watches, with its nickname of the ‘baby Grand Seiko’ indicating just one of them. With the dauphine handset, it could undoubtedly make for a viable substitute to the now discontinued SARB033, which is now selling for far over retail price. I particularly like the red second hand, which provides a pop of colour to a watch that could otherwise look rather boring.
With a similar handset, the SNKL23 looks comparable to the SNKL45, though takes a different approach to individualism. This one features a subtle dark grey vertical stripe pattern around the chapter ring, set against the black backdrop. In certain lighting conditions, this comes into its own and showcases the surprising level of finishing that has gone into these budget watches.
This is further exemplified by the faceted silver surround to the black date window, which blends in seamlessly with the other markers and logos. For more information on this watch, make sure you read the full review after this one.
Perhaps the most unique take is that offered by the SNK361, which features an interesting array of microscopic 5’s across the dial. The awful stock images for each of these watches really don’t do them justice and it’s particularly the case for this model, where this detailing isn’t even visible. Like the 45, I wasn’t sure if this would come off in person; however, I’m glad to say this one has clutched up too.
Unlike the other two, this 361 houses a set of baton hands, compounding the aesthetic similarities to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Is the finishing of this watch on the same level as a Rolex? Come on guys, who do you think I am?!
Low Light Performance
Low light performance is pretty decent across all of these models, with comparable brightness and duration on each; which I wasn’t expecting. Something else to note is that the logo positioning is slightly different across these models. Due to the longer indices, the Seiko text and 5 logo are notably lower on the 45 versus the other two. Whether that affects your enjoyment of the watch, I’ll let you decide.
Seiko SNK361
Seiko SNKL45
Seiko SNKL23
so, which seiko 5 is best??
Well, personally, the SNKL45 has seen the most wrist time out of the three. I’m not sure that quantifies it as ‘the best’, as each of these watches has essentially the same materials and functionality. However, maybe the sleek design appeals to me on some sort of subconscious level? All I know is I enjoy wearing it the few times a Casio does leave my wrist.
To be clear, I think with three fairly similar watches, price does have to come into the equation. Sometimes these popular Seikos shoot up in price out of the blue, so don’t be paying more than around £140 for one of these, especially not over £200. Currently, the SNK361 is selling for a chunk lower than the others at most retailers and in my view, you’re not getting any less watch either; so perhaps that’s the real winner here?