Customer Reviews

Seiko Men's SNP017 Coutura Kinetic Perpetual Watch

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very nice watch, but in my opinion it has some flaws; one serious. I returned the watch because of this.

One of the qualities I liked about this watch was its attractive black finish. It's made from anodized stainless steel, which should increase wear resistance (but not prevent it). In fact, one Seiko salesperson explained to me that scratches would hardly show because of this, as the metal was black throughout. This of course is not true, to my understanding anodizing does a lot of things, but in this case it's used to increase wear resistance and provides better adhesion of the top coat (If anybody knows more about anodizing, please feel free to comment).

Nevertheless, I expected the black finish would eventually wear off, but not so easily, or in the first week. Moreover, I only wore it in the office, and even kept it under my sleeve. Where the finish came off was on the band -- obviously caused from using a keypad and resting my arm on the desk. The links all the way from the latch up to the crown (on one side) wore down creating a silver streak down the middle.

The finish should not have worn off this easily, but as a warning to those interested in this color, I would not wear it while using a keypad if your arm rests on the desk, and definitely not for sports or outdoor activities.

The other issue, while not a big deal is the Kinetic function and the size of the watch, though I understand this is preference. Apparently, the Seiko Kinetic movement does not fit in small packages (that's why it's not offered in woman's watches). But another disadvantage is functionality of the sleep mode. Take in mind this is not an automatic watch, but a quartz (they call it an "automatic quartz"). It uses the automatic movement only to store energy in a rechargeable battery (or some type of capacitor) which then powers the quartz movement. After 24-hours of inactivity, it goes into sleep mode but continues to keep time. In sleep mode time is maintained not by the quartz movement, but by a microchip. In my opinion, this defeats the advantage of quartz accuracy over automatic movement watches because the accuracy may be lost each time the watch emerges from sleep, and just like an automatic may still need to be adjusted when woken up (as Seiko advises in the manual). However, the IC is rated at plus/minus 15 seconds per month, so it's not that big a deal but worth noting. I think a better design would be to kick into sleep mode only when the battery is running low. Better yet, they should just use a regular battery and be done with it (the rechargeable battery will eventually have to be replaced anyway - at a much higher cost). This would also reduce the size and weight. After all, it is a quartz. There's nothing wrong with a quartz (I prefer quartz), but if you want an automatic, get a real one. Seiko makes great auto watches for dirt cheap, and for about the same price as this watch, you can get a beautiful Swiss made Tissot, such as the PRS 516.

As far as the pros:

1. The perpetual calendar is a great feature, I wish more watches had this feature (why I bought it).

2. Seiko quartz movements keep great time, though this ran a tad fast (about +2 seconds per week; though that's still good)

3. Great looking watch

4. Very well built and rugged (except for the finish on the band)

I would still recommend this watch if you like the style, but would suggest the silver, and only for those who don't mind a larger, and slightly heavy timepiece.

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UPDATE: See my photos added in customer images

I'm a man who does his research before purchasing, and I also like to think that I have good style. This watch was compared to watches ranging from $100 to $3000, and none had the styling that this one possessed. Talk about an every-day any-occasion watch! This will look just as stylish with a suit as it will with casual clothes. The price IS quite expensive for ANY watch, but here's my pro's and con's:

Pro's:
1) Beauty
2) Saphire crystal lens which can not be scratched unless done so by saphires, diamonds, or perhaps other gems(?).
3) Kinetic drive = never worry about a battery again.
4) Holds date and time if it goes into power-saving mode (up to 4 years if it were fully charged prior to power-saving mode) - just shake it and it will readjust itself automatically! Power-saving mode is only activated if the watch has not moved for 24 hours.
5) Perpetual calendar - Never have to adjust the date to account for leap years or 28-31 days in a month.
6) It's a Seiko!

Con's:
1) No timer, alarm, chronograph.
2) Cost (subjective)

The lack of anything but time and calendar was a huge disappointment to me as I often use a timer or alarm on my watches. However, I have a cell-phone that can easily double for such tasks, or I can use other items to fill this void. The watch was a graduation present from my parents (yes, I helped them pick it out for me ;) ), and I know I will cherish it every time I look at it - for many many years!

I have had this watch for 6 months now. I agree with the other reviewers, it looks so much better than in the pictures.

Sometimes at work, when the watch is hidden under my sleeve, and I let it show, the looks on the faces of the people around me is as if a girl just "flashed" her "boobs" in front of them, pardon my expression.

If it were possible, my actual rating would be somewehre between a 4.5 and 4.9. All other reviewers have hit the nail on the head! This watch does exactly what it says, and look beautiful.

While some gripe about a seemingly superfluous "Leap Year Dial", they fail to realize that it's this little dial that makes this watch such a marvel. In addition to the kinetic energy charge with power saving feature to ensure you'll never need a battery change, you will also never have to set the date again. How many watches actually have these two features?!

I only have a few minor reservations, so I'll list them first.

CONS:
- Weight: the watch is sometimes listed as "titanium" but is actually rather heavy (but not unbearable)
- Calendar features: no day of the week
- Finish: requires constant cleaning, as it's very prone to smudges. Also easy to scratch. This is not a good watch for outdoor activities :)

PROS:
- Impeccable timekeeping: in addition to excellent calendar, this watch doesn't miss a beat, and will go to "sleep" after 24 hours of inactivity to ensure it.
- Finish: looks gorgeous. Depending on the light, it's a nice black, or light shiny gunmetal.
- Size: I have quite a small wrist, and although this is a rather large watch, it still fits snugly around with a band adjustment.
- Bezel: virtually scratch free, clear, easy to clean, and shiny
- Price: while the list is $775, most places will sell around $450. I'd expect a watch like this to sell for thousands.

In conclusion, any watch aficionado will appreciate this watch for it's sheer beauty and features for it is a well crafted piece of jewelry. You'll just have to get used to cleaning & wearing a watch that's slightly heavier than most.

I spent quite a bit of time looking for a good, trustworthy watch that would last a long time after I went through a string of cheap watches that barely lasted me on average for 2 years each time. I thought I had that when I got a Klaus Kobec about 4 years ago but sure enough after about 2 years it started giving me problems and so I decided to spend a bit more for quality and after doing lots of research online, I came across this watch from Seiko which claimed to be able to perform without ever having to have a battery change.

Like everyone else, I had heard of Seiko and I figured a brand that has sponsored sporting events as official timer cannot be half bad and so I decided to take a chance. I deliberately held off doing this review for a few months because I wanted to be as objective as possible and to give this watch a chance to disappoint my initial impressions over the first few months but I have been "disappointed". This is by far the best watch that I have ever owned and I really like the way if you don't wear this watch for a long period of time and so the kinetic energy runs out the moment you put this on and swing your arm for a bit the watch automatically adjusts itself to the correct time. This new kinetic technology amazes me and I'm glad that I will save some bucks on having to make regular battery changes over the many, many years that I expect to use this watch.

The display is also very pretty and looks even better up close as the picture on this site doesn't do it justice. It's been a few months now and now that I've given enough time for the novelty effect to wear off, I can safely say that I still like this watch a lot and I can see myself wearing this for a long, long time to come.

Highly recommended!

I have had the watch for about a year. It keeps excellent time and is very handsome. I receive a lot of positive comments about it. It also has a large date display, good for those of us with older eyes.

My husband's "hobby" is collecting watches. I bought a Coutura last year for his birthday in December. He loved it. He had an EcoDrive, but the watch was loosing time. Not a good watch too have in Iowa; too much snow, not enough sun. The Coutura is Kinetic, the timing perfect, the colors are beautiful. My newest purchase, SNP017 is black, polished, and very sleek. It is his favorite. Definitely a collectors watch when you are worried about wearing the Rolex. This watch ranks way up there with very expensive time pieces. Lisa B, Waukee, Iowa.

The last Seiko I bought was 12 years ago, and I had purchased three others before then, the first over 21 years ago. All are still working perfectly.

On the back of each of those Japanese made Seiko watches, inscribed in the stainless steel, is a serial number, a model number, and the words "Japan J" while replica Seiko watches made in Malaysia, China, etc. don't have the "Japan J" inscribed on the back, and some don't display a model number.

My wife, knowing that I prefer my Seiko watches over a couple of other, more expensive watches, bought this Seiko SNP017 from Amazon in January for my birthday in February, and it is different. On the back it has the serial number, and model number, but it has "Movement Japan", which could mean that only the movement is made in Japan by Seiko, while the rest of the watch could be from ?

I've only had the new watch for a bit over a month and two weeks, and the black color on the watch band is already slightly worn away on three of the links. A couple of small scratches on the sides of the watch band show that the black color is only a thin coating. So I would have to guess "Assembled in China using a Chinese case and watch band."

This is an amazing watch. Looks great, works great. Bought this watch as a Christmas Gift for my husband and he says this is the best Seiko Watch he has ever owned. This watch was new to the Seiko Men's Coutura Collection this year was pretty pricey everywhere I had looked for it. I found the best price from the seller on amazon.com the "WatchZone".

I purchased the Seiko Mens Coutura Kentic watch - it is stylish and hold excellent time as a Seiko timepiece should. I would recommend this item to any male who wants a watch that operates like it was worth thousands of dollars but without that price tag!!!!