Customer Reviews

Seiko Men's SKA347 Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first Seiko. I have a Citizen Eco-Drive dress watch but without illimunated hands/markers, a leather band, and no backlight. Also, as I travel frequently, the stem for it is very difficult to pull out which is a royal pain when switching time zones. My previous stainless "casual" watch just croaked. I had the battery changed years ago and opening the case apparently introduced enough moisture into the interior so that it has corroded over the past 5 years. So, wanted a stainless casual watch, comfy enough for daily wear, tough enough to wear all the time, minimal fluff (I just need to know what time it is) and self powering so that I don't have to worry about the above issue. This fits the bill very nicely and looks good enough that I can wear it to work as well. So far (1 week) very accurate and that's about all I ask from a watch. The stem appears to be big enough that I can change time zones as need too which is a bonus.

3 month update. Not much different from above. It's been accurate, dependable and I've gotten several compliments on it. Very heavy stainless steel body & band which I like - definitely a "manly" watch. I have quit thinking about it and started to rely on it being utterly accurate - which is very high praise indeed. The date window could be a little easier for 43 year old eyes to see at a glance, but that's me getting older more than the watch. Otherwise, it has been everything I expected. As above, my first Seiko, definitely not my last if it continues like this.

9 month update. See above. I have bifocals now so seeing the date is no longer an issue. I wear it daily, it keeps perfect time and I don't even think about it. Aboslutely 100% reliable to date. HIGHLY recommended.

I've owned Seko watches for more than 30 years, and have always marveled at how tough and accurate they are. When I was ready to buy a new Seiko, only because I wanted a little change in wrist jewelry, I concluded that this kinetic watch was among the most attractive by my standards of conservative elegance.

For example, the stainless steel markings on the watch face are highly refelective and they sometimes flash briefly as they catch the light - which adds just the right amount of pizazz. The clasp on the wrist band is a new post type (to me); it gives a very nice, positive latching action.

Last but not least, I love the "kinetic" winding - which means that I'll never have to buy a battery for this watch. I walk enough, and work out at the gym enough, so that within a few days the watch became fully charged, which according to the manufacturer, means that it had reserve power enough to last 6 months without any further motion. Goodbye watch batteries.

In summary - I love it. I would have rated it 5 stars if it displayed the day of the week as well as the day of the month.

I was looking for a nice, professional, and dependable watch. I am not enamored with extra bells and whistles. I want my watches to tell me the accurate time and date without the necessity of a battery or constant movement needed with automatics. I don't need a watch to tell me the month, whether its day or night, military time, nor the time of another time zone. Keep it simple and precise.

This watch has a very sleek design, has a good sized face without being clunky, and possesses the qualities of every Seiko Kinetic watch. I do not have to remove it to type or dictate. This will be the watch I will wear daily for the next several years.

Length:: 4:04 Mins

This Seiko fly to Europe in Romania.From 15.feb.2011,I am a happy customer with this watch.Very pleased for how it's look,feel and the quality is great .The bracelet is a litle large for my hand.I made a short video for this watch.I hope it will be useful for other people who want to buy this Seiko.

Length:: 0:42 Mins

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.

I've used this watch everyday for about three years now. I love it and have no regrets. The kenetic wind is great. The watch has had no problems at all and I would buy it all over again.

I've had this watch for about 2 weeks now, and I have to say it's the best watch I've ever owned. So far, it hasn't lost or gained a second, and after a couple days of regular use, it's charged up for about 4-6 months, according to the display.
Pros:
* It looks AMAZING, the black dial and silver band complement each other very well. It looks really sleek, and as another reviewer stated, it catches the light occasionally, and draws the eye. I've received MANY compliments on it, and I didn't have to point it out to people.
* The kinetic movement is a plus; not having to worry about the battery is a great feature. A simple tap of the button at the 2 o'clock position moves the second-hand to indicate how long it can go.
* The dial is very clear, and you can read it with just a quick glance. This is especially handy if you want to know the time while in a conversation, but don't wish to offend the other person.
* The price I bought it at [$229] was very reasonable, and you won't find many watches of this quality at that price.
* It's just the right balance of professional vs. casual, so you can wear it all the time.
* It's minimalistic; it tells you only the time and date, which is all I could want from a watch.
* So far, it's been accurate, but I'll have to update the review for that a couple months down the line.

Cons:
* The luminescent markings on the dial aren't that great. If you walk indoors after being outside for a while, then it's very distinct even in reasonably-lit conditions. However, it goes dim very fast, and after about 5-10 minutes, the luminescence is lost completely.
* It doesn't automatically compensate for months with 30 vs. 31 days, and you may have to adjust that manually.
* The watch won't fit your wrist right out of the box, you'll have to have a couple of links removed. I put this down as a con mainly because I couldn't find a sweet spot for my wrist size, so it's still a bit loose. If I remove another link, it's too tight.
* The warranty is very limited, but that's somewhat expected from an online purchase.

In conclusion, this is a spectacular and well-priced watch that I highly recommend. I'm in university studying to be a journalist, and this watch is the perfect choice for professionals who wish to appear professional without going over-the-top. It really goes well with any attire, be it casual or business.
If you're considering buying this watch for yourself or as a gift for someone, look no further. I spent ages looking for a classy, conservative watch that wasn't too expensive, and this was the best option I found.
If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'd be happy to address them.

I got this watch for my boyfriend for Christmas, I thought he'd like the kinetic feature (he loves tech gadgets, especially when they're functional). He really got a kick out of it. Sometimes I see him rocking the watch back and forth just for fun.

My only concern is that as you move the watch, it makes a slight noise that sounds like something grinding. When you turn the watch over and look through the clear backing, you can see this piece of metal rotate as you swing the watch to charge it. It's very neat looking, and I love the clear background, but the noise was a little worrisome. The manual says the noise is ok and expected, but in a quiet room you can hear it.

It's a solidly built watch, and it looks great. I purchased it because of the great reviews I had seen about the company. It has a professional look, but still young and a little sporty. My boyfriend is a grad student, so he needs something nicer than his old sports watch, but something he can still wear everyday around town.

Finally, the date function needs to be adjusted every month to account for months with 30 and 31 days. Perhaps people expect this, but coming from a digital watch, it seems like a bit of a hassle. I saw another Seiko that automatically adjusts the date for something like 100 years, but it was out of my price range. This one does the job, it just requires some upkeep.

I just purchased the watch. I found a few things that were the perfect balance.

1. Price
2. Weight
3. Size
4. Elegant vs. Professional
5. Sporty vs. Professional
6. Clunky vs. Simple

It works well, feels good and I got it for a bargain discount. If you are looking for a watch and not something that is overly complicated and only goes with one genre of your wardrobe, get this watch.

Regards,
-Richie Etwaru

I'm going to keep this pretty simple

Pros:
Extremely accurate... Really ridiculously accurate, hasn't really gained/lost a minute and I've owned it for four months.
Hardlex Crystal (Also a con though)
Unique styling of the timepiece

Cons:
Chinese band
Hardlex crystal
Omega Speedmaster Professional ripoff band

The band is just horribly bad. My clasp has been scratched up ridiculously and I've only had this for four months. Its also an absolute ripoff of the Omega Speedmaster Professional which makes me feel like I'm wearing a fake. The band is made in China but the watch itself is made in Japan and THAT shows. The band feels COMPLETELY mismatched for this quality of movement/time piece.

Hardlex.... It can prevent scratches pretty decently, much better than basic minerals, but I accidentally rubbed against a car while walking through a parking lot and it got four long deep scratches. It looks horrible now and is really disappointing. There are ZERO visible little scratches so Hardlex does fare well in this aspect but make sure you don't graze anything on accident.

I'm going to buy a Maratac Zulu most likely for it to give a nice military kind of flare and properly fit the Japanese quality. I have no idea why Seiko would put a worthless Chinese band and MSRP for $375.

As a whole, the piece is great, unique, and very accurate. The band is worthless and the crystal leaves some to be desired.