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Seiko 5 Military Versions

Hirsute

Used to have fun with Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Gents, I'm thinking about picking up my first automatic and looking at a Seiko 5 Military. I noticed there seems to be 2 different versions:

SNK80x which is a 21 jewel movement

SNZGxx which is a 23 jewel movement.

Can someone enlighten me on the differences between the two models? Is the 23 a better watch?
 
I have a SNZxx, I loved the looks until the rubber seal for the crown broke and it now gets moisture in the face. I checked it in with a watch guy and it's $25 to fix not too bad IMO. It never kept the best time, but I'm wondering if it was because of the gasket issue.
He suggested I try to warranty it first but it's $25 to ship it there and back to warranty it so I think I'll just turn it into the watch repair and let em at it.
I have a SNK809 which has served me well over the years, though I need a new band for it (3-4 years of pretty hard use (it's my hunting and camping watch) I know not ideal, but I've had a number of quartz watches die on me in the cold weather, this thing keeps going and keeps time very well.
Now I like hte looks of the SNZ a lot better, it's a hair bigger, nicer numbers, crown in the right spot etc. Just worried about it's durability, and maybe I just got a bad one.


SNZG13
$SNZG13_zps8f34d329.jpg

SNK809
$seiko-snk809-seiko-5-mens-automatic-watch-6.jpg
 
I have a SNZxx, I loved the looks until the rubber seal for the crown broke and it now gets moisture in the face. I checked it in with a watch guy and it's $25 to fix not too bad IMO. It never kept the best time, but I'm wondering if it was because of the gasket issue.
He suggested I try to warranty it first but it's $25 to ship it there and back to warranty it so I think I'll just turn it into the watch repair and let em at it.
I have a SNK809 which has served me well over the years, though I need a new band for it (3-4 years of pretty hard use (it's my hunting and camping watch) I know not ideal, but I've had a number of quartz watches die on me in the cold weather, this thing keeps going and keeps time very well.
Now I like hte looks of the SNZ a lot better, it's a hair bigger, nicer numbers, crown in the right spot etc. Just worried about it's durability, and maybe I just got a bad one.


SNZG13
View attachment 405788

SNK809
View attachment 405787


SNK809
i ordered this watch from amazon and returned it to small for me.
 
I think the SNK809 is a perfect size ... remember that military watches used to be small.

That's why I like it, it stays out of the way for the most part, sure it might not be quite as easy to see but it still does the job. I'm thinking of getting a NATO band for it though the original one is getting a bit "gamey"
 
The number of jewels refers to how many of the bearings in the movement are literally - albeit, artificial - jewels. There's no real difference.
 
The number of jewels refers to how many of the bearings in the movement are literally - albeit, artificial - jewels. There's no real difference.

True, but some companies had a habit to add extra jewels without a real purpose. But it looked good on the dial.
 
I have a SNZxx, I loved the looks until the rubber seal for the crown broke and it now gets moisture in the face. I checked it in with a watch guy and it's $25 to fix not too bad IMO. It never kept the best time, but I'm wondering if it was because of the gasket issue.
He suggested I try to warranty it first but it's $25 to ship it there and back to warranty it so I think I'll just turn it into the watch repair and let em at it.
I have a SNK809 which has served me well over the years, though I need a new band for it (3-4 years of pretty hard use (it's my hunting and camping watch) I know not ideal, but I've had a number of quartz watches die on me in the cold weather, this thing keeps going and keeps time very well.
Now I like hte looks of the SNZ a lot better, it's a hair bigger, nicer numbers, crown in the right spot etc. Just worried about it's durability, and maybe I just got a bad one.


SNZG13
View attachment 405788

SNK809
View attachment 405787
I had the 809 for a few years before upgrading. Solid watch
http://reviewshot.com/seiko-snk809-review-a-surprisingly-affordable-automatic-watch/


You can get it a lot cheaper now than when I bought it a few years back.
 
It's a great looking wrist watch, my neighbor has one and really enjoys it; just be aware that it will run -30 to +45 seconds a day on average, so if you are anal about the time, it may frustrate you. My neighbors runs 4 minutes fast a week but he likes it because he use to be always late and now he more on time :)
 
It's a great looking wrist watch, my neighbor has one and really enjoys it; just be aware that it will run -30 to +45 seconds a day on average, so if you are anal about the time, it may frustrate you. My neighbors runs 4 minutes fast a week but he likes it because he use to be always late and now he more on time :)

Lol yeah well these are 50-100 dollar watches, not $3k Breitlings or Rolex's.
 
I got the 809, and it stops roughly eight or so hours after I lay it down for the night (I usually sleep nine) Am I not winding it enough, or is this a definite problem?
 
I had a blue SNK809 and loved it. Unfortunately, I broke the movement when trying to tune the accuracy. I should have accepted the lack of it for being an affordable automatic.

I ordered it on the bay from Singapore and am not 100% convinced it was an original one. My wife also had one (from the same vendor) and just died after about 2 years being in her rotation.
 
There is a Dutch seller who sells them, and also has spare movements for the Seiko "5" watches.

I bought my Seiko "pilot" watch from there.
 
It's a great looking wrist watch, my neighbor has one and really enjoys it; just be aware that it will run -30 to +45 seconds a day on average, so if you are anal about the time, it may frustrate you.
Yikes! My 809 gains 6 to 8 seconds a day, and I have a Prometheus with a Seiko 4R36 movement that gains 4 to 7 seconds, depending on how I store it. Guess I got lucky!
 
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