Seiko Men's Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch #SKA347

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R35AREBJW4BV8A I've always liked nice watches.I do not like blingy watches, gold or 2 tone watches.

I'm coming from an Omega Seamaster Pro 2254.50 (sold already) which has incredible readability in any light conditions (perfect for aging eyes) but with the only drawback of a high priced maintenance premium.

I've been looking for a watch that could replace it and being honest, I looked for:

1) Tissot
2) Seiko
3) Citizen

I went to the mall, looking for official dealers per each one of the manufacturers websites and, before a lot of research, I knew that:

1) Tissot won't honor a warranty for a watch bought on the Internet.
2) Seiko won't honor a warranty for a watch bought on the Internet, unless its clearly stated that the seller is an authorized Seiko reseller.
3) Citizen will honor a purchase from Amazon, being them an authorized reseller.

So, I went to the mall looking for 3 specific watches:

1)Tissot PRC200 Mens Watch T014.410.11.057.00

2) Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Calibre 8700 Watch #BL8000-54A

3) Seiko Men's Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch #SKA347

The Tissot has a very good finish and specs. (sapphire crystal and 200 M water resistance for example)
The things I didn't like about it was that the bracelet was very heavy and there are red hour markings in the inner bezel. The good thing also is a 2 year International warranty) The bad thing: just another quartz watch with no innovations at all.

Then I looked at the Citizen. Everything looked awesome on that watch except the white dial and roman numerals looks like they are made of plastic, not metal, very artificial looking. The Eco Drive feature was a plus but the dial (aside being too busy) was a deal breaker.Also, they use simple mineral crystal and saw a lot of scratches on the face of a different one who belongs to a watchmaker that works at Jared.

At last, I went to Times Square booth (listed on Seiko's website) and started looking for a Kinetic.

First I handed the Premier's: very nice looking but super heavy and then I saw the one I'm reviewing here.

It looked bold, easy to read, uncluttered dial, good lume, Kinetic movement, perfect case size for my wrist, slim profile (compared to the other ones), sits very nice on the wrist, nice bracelet (very similar to Omega's Speedy bracelet), 100 M WR meaning I can use it in the pool, a piece of cake to setup, Hardlex crystal and a 3 year warranty, being the first year International and 2 years valid only in the US and I was sold. I need a watch that just tells the time and the day, that's all. (I don't like busy looking dials with functions that you may never use, although the Citizen's dial caught my eye...on the Internet but NOT in person))

If I decide to criticize something I don't like about the watch is the fact that the hour and minute hands are white painted, not chrome/ polished looking. But this detail makes those hands to pop out a little more, making them easier to read at a glance. Then I remembered my already gone Omega Seamaster which had the same design concept but the opposite way: shiny metal hands filled with Luminova and painted markers, which made that watch so unique.


I've also decided on Seiko because is the ONLY watch company (aside some Swiss manufacturers) that does everything in house. (movement, crystals, bracelet, even the oils used for lubrication)

I can't attest yet on it's durability and accuracy (just got it yesterday) but I will post updates in the future.

Thanks for reading.

Update: after a week of use, the watch is spot on with www.time.gov.

PS:I bought this watch and like it very much, although there is something I don't get.

With a good regular quartz watch, you change batteries every 5-8 years. With the Kinetic is the same, the battery will stop holding a charge after about the same time, so, WHAT's the point of Kinetics? It seems just another marketing scam.Buy Seiko Men's Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch #SKA347!