Seiko Presage SARX035 Review & Complete Guide

Seiko Presage SARX035 Review & Complete Guide

If you are looking for a stylish, timeless, versatile, and high-quality timepiece for everyday wear at an affordable price, the Seiko Presage SARX035  may be the watch for you.

Seiko is one of the top brands when it comes to affordable automatic watches. There are few brands out there that offer as great value for money as Seiko. Generally, Seiko watches punch well above their own weight and tend to be much more qualitative and well-finished than other alternatives in the same price range.

Seiko Presage SARX035 review

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The Seiko Presage SARX035 is a classy and timeless timepiece that has a clean and elegant design. At the same time, it has a robust and sporty look which makes it an exceptional choice for everyday wear. Few watches are completely versatile, which means they can be worn for formal occasions, as well as with more casual clothing. But the Seiko Presage SARX035 is one of those watches.

Many people are mesmerized by the beauty, high quality, and exceptional finish of Grand Seiko watches but are not prepared to pay thousands of dollars. Occasionally, the SARX035 has been referred to as a ”baby Grand Seiko”, and this is actually not a bad description. This watch offers an impressive finish and quality, not far from Grand Seiko, but at a substantially lower price thanks to using a non-Grand Seiko movement. Having said that, this watch offers incredible value for money.

Before we dig in, we want to point out the fact that the SARX035 is a watch that is made only for the Japanese Domestic Market watch. The good news is that you can find this watch on sites like Amazon, still, which makes it rather easily accessible anyways.

In this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko Presage SARX035.

Seiko Presage SARX035 case

The Seiko Presage SARX035 features a stainless steel case with a diameter of 40mm in diameter. It has a thickness of only 11mm thick which allows it to slip under a cuff. This combination of sporty design and elegant size and shape helps make it perfectly versatile. It’s not too big but at the same time not too small. The watch has a lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm.

As mentioned, the SARX035 is an incredibly well-finished watch that gives a great impression of being qualitative. The case shape is very distinct and unique, with ”curved” lugs and a combination of satin-brushed finished and polished elements. This creates a nice contrast 

The watch has a thin polished bezel, which sits raised on top of the case. A step down, we find the bezel which has a satin-brushed finish. The top of the lugs are also satin brushed, with the sides and inside being polished. The brushed parts have beautiful graining which is extremely well-made. This type of finish is uncommon to see for watches in this price range.

 Positioned at 3 o’clock, we find a large crown. Its size allows for easy operation. On the side of the crown, it has an ”S” engraved. It is a /pull crown, but despite this, the watch offers a water resistance of 100m/10ATM. This means you can go swimming with it without having to worry. However, it’s not suitable for diving, but since it’s an everyday timepiece, most people won’t even think about going diving with it.

Sitting on top of the case, we have a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. This is what we would expect, but better than the regular Hardlex crystal you find on many of Seiko’s watches.

Photo: Gnomon Watches

Seiko Presage SARX035 dial

The Seiko Presage SARX035 has a lovely black dial with a sunburst finish. The black dial keeps the watch toned down and classy which helps make it suitable even for more formal occasions. The sunburst finish of the dial, however, is stunning, as it reflects the light beautifully.

The dial has applied metal markers that have flanges. This enhances the finish of the watch and the feeling of quality. It also helps create a light show 

At 3 o’clock, the dial has a date window with a metal frame. The background is printed in black with the dates printed in white. This helps the date window seamlessly blend into the dial.

The hands are clean and elegant, made of metal, and polished.

What is interesting about this watch is that it completely lacks lume. But since it is an everyday classy timepiece, it’s not a huge issue for the most part.

Seiko Presage SARX035 movement

The watch is equipped with the Automatic Seiko in-house caliber 6R15. This movement has a hacking seconds function and manual-winding functions – two features that many of Seiko’s more affordable watches lack.

The movement has a 50-hour power reserve. The movement beats with a frequency of 21,000 vibrations per hour. The movement has an industrialized and tool-like look and is not very decorated and well-finished. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter too much when it is used in a sporty, tool watch such as a dive watch, as it matches the ethos of it, but since this is a refined and elegant watch, it would have been nice to have a more decorated movement. But at the same time, this would obviously mean a higher price tag.

It’s still nice to be reminded about the mechanical piece of craftsmanship beating inside of this watch when seeing it through the see-through case back.

Another downside of this movement is that it does not have a quick set function for the date.

Photo: Gnomon Watches

Seiko Presage SARX035 bracelet

The Seiko Presage SARX035 is presented on an elegant stainless steel bracelet. Most affordable entry-level Seiko watches have rattly and low-quality bracelets, including the bracelets of other brands in the entry-level price range for that matter. But not the SARX035. Instead, the five-piece bracelet has solid links and solid end links. It combines polished and brushed links. The bracelet feels really well made and well finished and gives Grand Seiko vibes.’

Specifications

• Movement: Seiko caliber 6R15
• Power reserve: 50 hours
• Frequency: 21,000 vibrations per hour.
• Lug-to-lug: 46mm
• Diameter: 40mm
• Thickness: 11mm
• Water resistance: 100m/10ATM

Conclusion

All in all, the Seiko Presage SARX035 is an exceptional watch that offers great value for money. It offers close to Grand Seiko finish and is extremely well-made for the price. Thanks to its clean and elegant design, it is a versatile watch that works both for formal and casual occasions.

With a price of about 800 USD, there are few watches that feel as well made as the Seiko Presage SARX035 in this price range. The bottom line is that it is undoubtedly a watch we recommend and that you won’t be disappointed with.

The Seiko Presage SARX035 is available to order on Amazon.