Seiko 5 SNZH55 Review & Complete Guide
The sports 5 collection is Seiko’s entry-level collection of affordable automatic watches. In our opinion, the Seiko 5 collection is one of the best choices if you are looking for an affordable automatic watch. The good news is that this collection includes a wide array of timepieces for any occasion, both formal and casual.
Perhaps most appreciated within this collection are Seiko’s sports/dive watches. These offer great performance from a technical standpoint and are also robust, durable, and reliable.
But with such a wide array of watches to choose from, which Seiko 5 diver should you choose?
To help you make up your mind, we are, in this article, reviewing one of them – the Seiko 5 SNZH55.
Seiko 5 SNZH55 review
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The Seiko 5 SNZH55 has a classic and iconic design which is probably similar to what you would think of when you think of a dive watch. This type of dive watch design has proven to never really go out of style and to be timeless.
What is especially interesting about the SNZH55 is that it is often nicknamed ”Fifty Fathoms” or the more common ” Fifty-Five Fathoms”. This is of course a reference to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms due to its similarity in design. And indeed, if you put a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms next to this watch, the similarities are indeed very obvious. In a way, this watch could, therefore, be called a homage watch to the Fifty Fathoms.
This nod to the Fifty Fathoms is historically important since Blancpain presented the first unidirectional bezel and its iconic Fifty Fathoms in 1954. It can, therefore, be called the first-ever ”real” dive watch. Having said that, it is easy to see why the SNZH55 is so immensely popular, as it presents everything a dive watch stands for in terms of design but offers it at a very reasonable price of less than 200 USD.
Seiko 5 SNZH55 case
The Seiko 5 SNZH55 has a bulky and robust stainless steel case with a diameter of 44mm including the crown and 40mm without it. It has a thickness of 14mm and a lug width of 22mm. The top of the case is satin finished in order to achieve that sporty look, and as a contrast, it has polished sides.
The case is designed in a way that it curves out substantially from the end of the lugs along with the bezel of the watch, which of course gives it that additional width. A part of that can be attributed to the large bezel.
Speaking of bezel, this watch of course has a unidirectional rotating bezel, as a dive watch should. At the same time, this is a bit contradictory as this watch is not a full-on dive watch considering its water resistance, but more on that later. But whilst we are on the topic, worth keeping in mind is that this watch is mainly meant to be a watch with a design that stays true to dive watch designs, but it is not built as a dive watch for professionals in terms of specifications. The bezel has knurled edges for improved grip and easier operation.
Just like the Fifty-Fathoms, the bezel insert is what makes this watch stand out. The bezel has a black, wide insert made of painted Hardlex. In most dive watches, the bezel insert is made of aluminum, but with this bezel insert, Seiko achieves a lovely glossy finish similar to that of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. The bezel insert really makes for a unique and appealing look, and also reflects the light beautifully. The catch, however, is that the bezel insert will get scratched over time. The Hardlex bezel also gives the watch a lovely rich depth that is impossible to achieve with aluminum and very difficult to achieve with ceramic.
The watch has a water resistance of 100m/330 feet. Considering that its design reveals a dive watch personality, this depth rating is not that impressive, seeing a dive watch needs at least 200 meters of water resistance. But it seems that with this watch, Seiko has listened to the market and understood that dive watches have become one of the most iconic and recognized watch designs in the world, and today, the vast majority of wearers are not professionals which need dive watches as tools, like in the early days. Today, the vast majority of people who wear dive watches because they enjoy their designs. They are worn at the office, or even with a suit, but rarely for deep diving.
And having said all of this, the vast majority of people do not need a water resistance of greater than 100m anyways. This is enough for swimming and snorkeling, but just not deep diving.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, the watch has a crown. This is not a screw-down crown, which is a crucial element of a dive watch, but rather a push-pull crown. This is an aspect of the watch that has an effect on water resistance as it does not provide as much safety against water compared to a screw-down.
Seiko 5 SNZH55 dial
Again, the dial design and layout are quite similar to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
It has a black dial with a slightly shiny finish. It has rectangular applied hour markers in polished metal which have a white painted line on them in the middle. The Lumibrite is instead of being placed on the markers placed on the inside of the markers. At 3 o’clock, the watch has a day and date window, in traditional Seiko 5 fashion. The day and date window have a metal frame around them which shows that Seiko pays attention to the details.
The watch has large metal swords hands which have a polished finish and a generous amount of Lumibrite applied. The hour hand is slightly broader and slightly shorter than the minute hand.
The dial has quite a bit of text on the dial which can make it look slightly cluttered, but there are definitely worse examples of watches with even more lines of text.
The watch has an applied Seiko logo at 12 o’clock and right beneath it, an applied Seiko 5 logo. Beneath the center of the hands, we have the text ”Automatic”, ”23 jewels”, and ”100M” all beneath each other in that order.
Seiko 5 SNZH55 bracelet
The watch is presented on a sporty and robust stainless-steel three-link bracelet. Most of the bracelet is satin finished, but a part of each middle link has been polished to create a nice contrast.
The bracelet is equipped with a fold-over clasp and has a width of 22mm.
Seiko 5 SNZH55 movement
Turning the watch around will reveal the watch’s movement which can be seen through the see-through case back. The movement ticking inside is the Automatic and now legendary Seiko caliber 7S36. This movement beats at 21600BPH and has 23 jewels. The movement has a 41-hour power reserve.
This movement has proven to be a reliable workhorse that will continue to tick for many years without needing a service and has been in production for several decades (first released in 1996). The downside of this movement is that it does not have a manual winding or hacking seconds function, which can be found in Seiko’s more premium watches.
As you will see when looking at the movement is that it is not decorated. This can be seen as a downside, but it’s important to have in mind the purpose and thought behind this watch, which is 100% focused on functionality. Plus, a sturdy movement with an industrialized look goes well with a tool watch such as a divers watch.
Specifications
- Movement: Seiko caliber 7S36
- Jewels: 23
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Water Resistance: 100M/330 feet/10BAR
- Diameter: 40mm/ 44mm (including crown)
- Thickness: 14mm
- Frequency: 21600BPH
- Lug width: 22mm
- Diameter: 40mm
- Power reserve: 41 hours.
Conclusion
To conclude this review, the Seiko 5 SNZH55 is a watch that offers exceptional value for money. It is well built, has a timeless design, and is equipped with a robust and sturdy automatic movement. In terms of finish and build quality, the watch punches well above its own weight, and considering its price of less than 200 USD, it’s definitely a worthy buy.
The watch does not have the most impressive water resistance, but it’s worth keeping in mind that Seiko has made this watch for people who enjoy the design of dive watches. After all, despite all odds, dive watches have proven to be extremely versatile.
And its reference to the Blancpain Fifty-Fathoms is definitely a bonus considering its legendary design and historical importance.
The Seiko 5 SNZH55 is available to order on Amazon.
