My Watch Journey Always Brings Me Back to Seiko

The Japanese horology giant might just be the greatest brand of all.

I like to tell myself that I've been collecting watches for 13 years. In actuality, it's more like I briefly shopped for cheap watches when I was 15, abruptly stopped, and picked the hobby back up when I was 24. Now at 29, I've drunk the Kool-aid and am trapped in this overly expensive, niche, hardly-relevant hobby -- and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

You may wonder how I got into watches when I was 15, and it's not an impressive story by any stretch. I purchased a handful of cheap watches from overseas on eBay, and they usually broke within a few wears. I didn't know how to fit them to my small, bony wrist, so I wore them loose, usually jangling around at the base of my hand -- the whole school could hear me coming down the hallway. My parents were fed up with the concerning use of my new student debit card, so they gifted me a Wenger Swiss Army watch for Christmas. That sated my appetite and I wore it every day until I graduated college.

After graduating, I picked up an Apple Watch Series 2. I wanted to come across as grown and sophisticated and, living in San Francisco, the epicenter of the nation's tech industry, Apple Watches reigned supreme. I wore it for two years, until, one day, I was struck by an epiphany that Apple Watches don't inherently look cool. If you choose to wear an Apple Watch because having email on your wrist is that important, or you want to track your health data, then more power to you! But I realized that my priorities lie elsewhere and I prefer an analog timepiece on my wrist.

I picked up two watches from Amazon: a Bulova 98D103 and a Seiko SNK789. While the Bulova was a fine timepiece, the Seiko was really my first love. The 37mm case sat perfectly on my seven-inch wrist. The white dial and oyster bracelet combination felt elegant, yet versatile - wearable on all occasions. It was my first real everyday watch that I purchased with my own money. At the time, it was about $90. With the discontinuation of the original Seiko 5 line, the price has shot up to about $180, which is expensive, but doable.

My next watch was a Tudor Black Bay Steel & Gold, a piece that I treasured for two years, but was lost due to an unfortunate incident. Once that watch was lost, I turned back to my Seikos. By that time, I had purchased a Seiko Cocktail Time "Manhattan" as well as an SKX009 with the Pepsi bezel. It felt like no matter how deep I went on my journey to the center of the watch world, it always came back to Seiko.

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It would be hard to find a person who has never heard of Seiko. The brand originated as a watch and jewelry shop in 1881 as the brainchild of Kintarō Hattori. In-house pocket watches were soon developed and by World War II they were making wristwatches for the Japanese Military. The brand released its first automatic watch in 1956, which was followed by the Astron, the world's first battery-powered quartz watch, in 1969. The advent of the first quartz timepiece turned the watch world on its head, and overnight several Swiss watch houses had gone under. Quartz watches were reliable, accurate, and affordable. Everyone could have the right time on their wrist.

Today, Seiko is one of the most respected watch brands in the world. They are one of two watch companies in the world to make vertically integrated watches, meaning that they make all of their watch parts in-house. (The other brand that does this? Rolex.) There is a Seiko for everyone, whether you like tough tool watches, chic dress watches, or robust, do-it-all everyday watches. They've been seen on the big screen on the wrists of celebrities like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979), Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979), and Robert Redford in All is Lost (2013).

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They say that if you love a watch, you must set it free. I gave away my first Seiko, the SNK789, to my girlfriend after only knowing each other for a few months. You'd think it would be hard parting ways with a piece that was part of my personality for so long, but it was actually very easy. I knew it was going to a good home.

My second Seiko was the infamous SXK009. I opted for the red and blue "Pepsi" version because I wanted to inject some color into a rotation that was full of white and black dials. It proved to be a terrific watch, despite it being a touch outdated (no hacking or manual wind, having to shake the watch to get it started, etc). I originally bought it on a rubber strap that I didn't love, so I eventually swapped it for a NATO strap, followed by a Seiko jubilee bracelet.  I wore it around for years, then decided that it was time to move on and sell it.

Another Seiko is my Cocktail Time "Manhattan," a stunning watch for the money sporting a kaleidoscopic brown dial on a gold case and solid quality brown leather strap. I frequently ask my girlfriend to tell me which of my watches she thinks are the best and she always reaches for the Seiko Cocktail Time. In a collection that contains Tudors, Omegas, and Tissots, for the most beautiful watch to be a $315 Seiko is a testament to Seiko's design language and quality. I love my Cocktail Time, wearing it to formal occasions like dinners and weddings. I scratched the crystal a while back, but that just means there's no denying my watch now -- I could pick it out of a police lineup.  I've purchased a fair amount of watches for myself, but this is by far my dressiest pick-up.

My favorite watch story involves a Seiko SRPE60, the two-tone Seiko 5 “DressXK.” I went to New York City for a wedding last year, and the only watch I brought on the trip was a regular G-Shock DW5600. When asked why I only brought that watch knowing we were in town for a wedding, I replied that I was going to purchase a Seiko x Rowing Blazers piece at the Rowing Blazers boutique, which was conveniently around the corner from our hotel. 

When we went to the store, they were sold out, sending me into a spiral. It was the morning of the wedding and my girlfriend was a bridesmaid, so she left me to my quest alone while she was getting her hair and makeup done. I began to search high and low within SoHo for a watch, any watch. I tried on Shinolas and Movados at Bloomingdale’s, but nothing really stuck out to me. I ended up aimlessly walking around lower Manhattan for any store that carried watches. 

After what felt like hours, I eventually stumbled on a small, hole-in-the-wall jewelry shop along the Little Italy/Chinatown border. After looking through the display windows for a few minutes, I saw the SRPE60. Immediately I knew - this watch would be mine. I had the watch fitted to my wrist and I threw down my credit card. I spent no more than 10 minutes in the store because I had to rush back to my hotel, throw on my suit and rush my ass to Brooklyn for the ceremony. There’s no way I’ll ever sell that watch.

But of all the Seiko watches that I own, nothing gets as much wrist time as my Seiko Turtle SRPE93.

I purchased my Turtle about six months ago in celebration of a small milestone, picking up this steel, black dial watch from Teddy Baldassarre's website for about $375. 

Do you ever have that feeling when putting something on that it will be a special piece for you? I knew the minute that I put on my Seiko Turtle that it would become part of who I am. Suddenly, I felt like I had found the right watch for me. I wore it everywhere: to the office, to restaurants, and even to the gym. There was nowhere my Turtle hasn't come with me.

Originally I stuck to the stock black rubber strap, but my order also came with a free orange strap that I eventually threw onto the watch. I purchased it on a rubber strap instead of a bracelet because the watches that come with bracelets had colorful dials. I wanted a black dial for maximum versatility. The orange strap, however; looked beautiful on the watch. 

The added pop of color complimented the black watch face nicely and let me rep San Francisco Giants colors on my wrist. Wanting to branch out and make my Seiko as versatile as I could for all occasions, I purchased a metal bracelet designed specifically for the Turtle from Strap Code, a pack of textile NATO straps from Amazon, and a sailcloth strap to give the piece a touch of elevation. I now have the perfect watch/strap combo for any occasion (with the exception of a wedding -- for all its great qualities, the Turtle is too big to wear under a cuff). I'm wearing it as I write this piece: at 11 PM on a Friday night, chilling on the couch. I simply never take it off! Sometimes I find myself staring into the face of the watch, losing myself in it, thinking of all the lives that similar watches have lived before it, and how many memories are yet to come.

I love my Seiko dive watches because they remind me of pure adventure. You see photos of old divers, exploring the deepest trenches that man has ever embarked on, and what are they wearing on their wrists? Seikos! People exploring Antarctica will clip a Seiko to their bag as they tackle the rough terrain. Action stars beat down bad guys on the big screen in Seikos -- Apocalypse Now gave us Martin Sheen taking down Captain Kurtz (and his Rolex) all while wearing the Seiko "Willard," which earned its nickname from the film.

Sure, I might work behind a desk, trying to make the world a more stylish place instead of hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro or diving deep beneath the sea, but I feel like an adventurer with a Seiko on my wrist. I know that these tough, robust pieces can handle all that life will throw my way.

Of course, my collection is more than just Seiko. I absolutely love my Tudor Black Bay 58 in blue and my Omega Seamaster Professional in white, but my journey always brings me back to Seiko. There's an element of the brand that is rugged and scrappy, bringing me back to the place I was when I was first returning to watches after a long hiatus. At the time, I wasn't making loads of money and I wanted a watch that delivered tremendous value for my dollar, which I found in my SNK789. I was in rooms full of boys my age with $1,000 Tissots (and the occasional Rolex) but I felt right at home with my little $90 Seiko.

One day, I want to sit my children down and pass my Turtle on to them. Hopefully, it'll still be sweeping away with a few more scratches on the case than it has today. I want to take that thing around the world with me.

Note: While I was writing this piece, Seiko announced a set of Seiko 5 Sports 38mm dive-style watches. They are 4.5 mm smaller than their older counterparts and 1.5mm slimmer, making them the perfect piece for wrists of any size. The biggest critique of Seiko watches is that some styles aren't available in smaller sizes.  This will be a great opportunity to grab a great watch with perfect proportions at an attainable price point. Sure, I'll still wear my Turtle all the time, but I can't act like one of the new 38mm pieces isn't coming home with me.

Peace and Love