The Seiko 5 back catalogue is extensive and was the back bone of their general market popularity, with some really worthy classics still available at very reasonable prices. The Seiko SNK381 has been gaining traction a lot lately within the community for good reason and again, like most of my watch purchases, blindsided me.

Seiko 5’s have all the bases covered with exceptional and varied dial designs and finishing that belie their price point. The in-house workhouse movements do their job admirably with the convenience of day date complications. What really stands out for me about the range above all are the cases.

The case designs elevate the 5 range to more than just a standard everyday watch (from the oyster style cases of the SNX range to these more robust SNK cases) which isn’t appreciated until you understand why they are designed that way and how they wear.

A short 42mm lug length coupled with solid, classic slab sided case flanks, decorated conventionally, hides the 10mm depth that is a prerequisite for these base movements. By adding generous amounts of surface tension and curvature to the main visual elements of the 37mm case helps to disguise this depth, meaning conformity to the wrist is assured and anyone can wear these with ease.

Conformity also aided by the small inset crown at 4 o’clock. Another prerequisite for the original Seiko 5 range. With this watch you only have to set it once and the infrequently adjust it. Obviously adjusting this watch is troublesome due to the size and inset position of the crown -and nowadays small crowns are thankfully all but an historical blip in watch design, but again this size fits within the 5’s range potentially outdated ethos, but it’s sturdy with a solid action. Something I think many in the community are familiar with and won’t mind. I’ve used worse crowns on watches with a far higher price tags.

The Seiko SNK381 combines field watch aesthetics with a day date complication for an easy, no nonsense, everyday wear. The slender hands that are so beguiling and inoffensive they almost disappear on the dial, with the brutalist font of the applied numerals taking over. Oddly these remind me of the Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time………no? Just me then.

Lume on the Seiko SNK381 as expected is amazing and should be (the bold font providing prime real estate) if this is to fit within the daily wear that the Seiko 5 range clearly targets.

The movement is the basic automatic 7S26 which resides in most of Seiko’s lower price offerings including the SKX range. It’s not hand winding or hacking and quite rudimental in today’s terms, with accuracy I wouldn’t set other watches by. The display case-back however, still makes me marvel at even this most basic of mechanical movements.

The only major criticism I have of the Seiko SNK381 is it’s bracelet. Why so many watches still fall foul of bad bracelets is beyond me, it seems to happen to most brands. But the best thing to do if you buy this watch is very quickly, without thinking about it too much,  remove said fold over linked bracelet and bin it. Put a lovely 18mm wide leather strap on, to accentuate that gorgeous case shape and rejoice.

The Seiko SNK381 can currently be had for around £100 pounds in the UK (so expect similar pricing elsewhere). Obviously for that price you can’t expect much more than the basics ticked off with no amount of extra bells or whistles. Just a solid watch finished well, that’s reliable and will serve you well. Think of it as base model car with no electric windows or body coloured bumpers and you get the idea. But I’m fine with that. Its presence on wrist with those bold numerals, solid case design and lovely dial make it a fun and unique wear.