Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Seiko’s Men’s Le Grand Sport Dual Chronograph Watch #SPC043

By Sigrid Salucop and Chanda Shahani

From the Seiko wall clocks in 1892, the very first pocket watch in 1895, to the first wristwatch made in Asia in 1913, the Japanese company founded by Kintaro Hattori has come a long way.


Today, there are myriad numbers of watches being sold by Seiko and one of them is Le Grand Sport Dual Chronograph Watch (SPC043) for men. The rounded body of this wristwatch makes it a classic watch for men who are into sports. It includes 3 chronograph subdials along with a tachymeter that allows its users to accurately calculate speeds without having to employ a stop watch.

Constructed with high quality stainless steel case, the Japanese product also features the classic Roman numeral hour symbols in silver tone. The watch’s minute indexes are also in silver tone making it a beautiful watch to have. Seiko’s Le Grand Sport Dual Chronograph Watch also has a handy date calendar, is water resistant even at 330 feet and has a stainless steel link. This wristwatch from Seiko is one that spells confidence, class, and enjoyment for different sports –fit for all sportsmen and sports enthusiasts.

Watches are the only kind of jewelry that a red-blooded male can realistically wear with flair and panache. But this watch is a man's man kinda jewelry piece! The dial color is somewhat darker than in the picture., but it sort of straddles an easy mixture between being sporty and elegantl. This is my 2nd Seiko watch. I love Seiko because it represents quality at an attractive price.

The dial color is little darker than shown in image. The chrome glitter in dial makes it great looking time piece

I already smashed this watch into a sharp edge and the face did not scratch, though I got a small scratch on the bezel, but it was not a problem. The watch is astonishingly beautiful except for one minor point: the hands and second and third inner faces are very reflective. You cant tell from the picture, but in real life, it hard to read the time sometimes, unless you move your hand a half inch in a different direction.

The tachymeter markings on the bezel are deeply engraved so they won't scratch off. The crystal is sapphire to prevent scratching. The band has a mix of brushed and polished segments that is nicely done. The buckle is hidden when the band is closed; it looks like continuous links all the way around. It looks and feels like a very high quality item. It's nicer than I expected when I ordered it!

MORE ON THE MANUFACTURER

The Japanese corporation’s founder Kintaro Hattori dreamt of making clocks and watches and I 1881, he founded Seiko. The company’s excellence in watch-making was passed from one generation to the other establishing a multitude of the world’s firsts along the way. Seiko’s culture of innovation brings many consumers back to 19th century Tokyo where Hattori started his first clock shop. The contributions that Seiko made in timekeeping are irreplaceable. With its development of the first quartz clock followed by the very first quartz wristwatch (Seiko Astron) in 1969 to the first Kinetic watch that marked a new age for quartz timekeeping. In an instant, the Japanese-owned company improved the accuracy of its technology and firmly established itself as the standard in sports timing. Seiko is the official timekeeper for the Olympics.

In the year 1984, with its development of its Kinetic technology, Seiko released its very first wristwatch that is powered by movement. The quartz mechanism has unparalleled accuracy. Later on, Seiko came out with the Kinetic Chronograph and auto relay where it automatically resets when you use it. With the development of auto relay, Seiko’s kinetic technology brought forward what the wristwatch manufacturer calls Kinetic Perpetual – a technology that combines a perpetual calendar with its patented kinetic auto relay.

Today, Seiko boasts the newest from its kinetic technology department –the Kinetic Direct Drive where you can see the power your movement generates to make your Seiko watch run accurately. This means that with a Seiko, you won’t need batteries anymore unless of course you choose a wristwatch from the same brand that does not have such a capability. Whatever type of Seiko watch you purchase, you are sure that you are also buying the science and the art of timekeeping thanks to the generations of dedication from Seiko.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Seiko SKX781 Orange Monster Watch

By Chanda Shahani

I bought this watch on eBay, tried it for a time, before reselling it on my eBay approved Auctiva store/website on http://www.ebenta.us/ I reckon that this watch is a modern-day throwback to the classic Seiko 6309-7040 "Frog Watch" from the 1970s. It has the same, rugged and masculine appeal as the solidity that will make it last a generation (or more). It's the kind of watch that you can't help sneak a look at and admiring - whether you're stuck in traffic, waiting in line at the bank or between floors in an elevator.

The Seiko SKX781 Orange Monster automatic watch (21 Jewels) powers itself with the movement of the wrist, so that you never need to change the battery. It has a housing made of high-grade steel with a black dial with three hand functions, and has an English/Spanish day/date window on the position three.

Further characteristics are a bolted crown and case, a scratch-proof Hardlex crystal, and One Way swivelling steady rest. The clock secures high-grade steel bracelet volume to a permanent. Designed for divers is tested this clock with water to 200 meters. It corresponds to ISO standards and is suitable for scuba diving. The dimensions of this watch is 42 mm, excluding the crown while the case thickness is 13 mm and the total length is 220 mm.

How the Monster Watch runs

All new automatic watches need time to get into a “groove,” and the Orange Monster Watch typifies this truism. This watch is surprisingly accurate for a 7S26 mechanism and is only about +8 to +12 seconds off at the start but after 3 months of use this averages to about +5 seconds per week. On the other hand, one gets such a watch not necessarily for its ultra acurate time, but because it's a Monster of a watch that can withstand prolonged abuse with minimal maintenance.

The reserve strength is pretty decent (42 hours), but the correction is not so good. If the watch runs a bit low on power (say you wear the watch every other day), expect it to run a little bit faster (that is to say, averaging about +5 seconds per week).

If this watch is light exposed for a little while, it will remain luminescent for seven or more hours. It is almost as good as tritium lume watches and so the Monster is really exceptional when it comes to visibility in dark conditions or under water.

Other minor complaints:

•The crystal is not made up of sapphire

•The weight can be considered off-putting for those who are not "manly men."

•While the bracelet is a good quality stainless steel it is nevertheless fairly easy to scratch

•On the other hand, if you wanted a watch that improved upon these complaints, you'd have to spend eight times as much!

Positive points:

•Very solid and will last a really long time

•This is the kind of watch you wear to proclaim your masculinity. It's the kind of watch you wear to the marina or out in the woods. It is not a "girly-man" (to quote Arnold Schwarzenneger) kind of watch that you wear to the bank or to ask your boss for a raise (lesser watches would fit the bill for this purpose).

•Refreshing Orange;

•Stands up well to night and underwater conditions. Great clarity and visibility.

•An excellent buy. You get your money's worth!

Overall, this watch is an excellent buy and will withstand years of use and abuse!