Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 Review & Complete Guide

Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 Review & Complete Guide

The Seiko Prospex Solar chronograph SSC663 has many alternative references, including  SSC663P1, and SSC663P, but you don’t really have to pay attention to this.

What you do have to pay attention to, however, is what this watch is all about and what makes it so popular. And that is exactly what we’ll go into detail in this article.

And this watch really has a lot to offer, with a lot going on, which can be seen by its long name. This is a solar watch as well as a Prospex. Oh, a chronograph too. And let’s not forget PADI. But what do all of these things actually mean?

Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 Review

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

The Seiko Prospex SSC663 is, as mentioned, a chronograph. Quite simple, right? Then, you have the Prospex labeling, which stands for Professional specifications. This simply means that the watch is built according to the wants and needs of professionals. More specifically, professional divers. In this case, it is the specifications of PADI, which is a professional diving organization with which Seiko has a long relationship.

And like all Seiko PADI watches, the watch uses the colors blue and red, which makes it bright, bold, and visually appealing. Perhaps the most interesting part about this watch is that it is a robust and sporty dive watch, but also a chronograph and solar timepiece.

In this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko Prospex Solar PADI SSC663 Chronograph. Wow, the name is quite a mouth full.

Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 case

The watch is presented with a large and robust stainless steel case with a diameter of 43.5mm and a thickness of 13.8mm. A professional dive watch should of course be large and sporty but as if that wasn’t enough, it has crown guards that protect the crown and chronograph pushers, which are things that make the watch appear even bigger.

The watch offers a water resistance of 200m / 660ft, which is the minimum to be classified as a dive watch. Having said that, it means you can take it swimming, snorkeling, diving, etc, and this watch won’t break a sweat.

To ensure its water resistance, the chronograph pushers screw down. The crown has a red detail on it and has notches, which looks great. It appears that Seiko has paid great attention to the colorful accents. The pushers and crown are quite large as well.

The top of the case is satin-brushed, but the sides of the case are polished, which enhances the feeling and impression of quality.

Being a dive watch, it has a unidirectional rotating bezel. The bezel is made of steel and has coin edges. It has a matte aluminum bezel insert that has a blue and red color (to go with the PADI theme). The first 15 minutes are painted red and the rest is painted dark blue. The bezel insert is wide which allows for good legibility. It has a 60-minute graduation scale and Arabic numerals for each 10-minute. The rest are made as markers and are printed in silver. The bezel has a luminous pip at 12 o’clock.

Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 dial

The dial of the SSC663 is full of details and interesting features. To start with, remember that this is a Solar watch which means the movement is powered by sunlight/ambient light. The watch leads light through the dial which is then generated into energy for the movement. With that said, this is executed so well that if you don’t know, there’s no way you could tell by simply looking at the watch.

The watch has a black dial with a very discreet wave pattern on it, which is of course suitable considering the nature of this watch.

Being a chronograph, it of course has sub-dials. These are positioned at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock and printed in white. Interesting to note is that the sub-dial positioned at 6 o’clock has the PADI logo and the text ”Solar” inside it. This does make it quite cluttered, but I guess Seiko gets their point and specifications across.

An interesting detail of this watch is that it has two chapter dials. The first is a thin raised part on which the hour markers are applied. Speaking of hour markers, they are large have a polished metal frame, and a generous amount of Lumibrite on them to ensure great legibility.

The other chapter ring is positioned at the outer edge of the dial, and on this one, the seconds markers are printed. As a nice touch, the markers for every 15 minutes are painted red.

Discreetly integrated between 4 and 5 o’clock, the watch has a date window. Generally, date windows can harm the symmetry of watches, but this is so discreet that you barely notice it is there.

The minute hand is large and has an arrow tip. It is also colored bright red which is a nice touch. Like all hands, it of course has applied Lumibrite on it.

The hour hand is made of polished steel and has a pointy tip.

At 12 o’clock, we have the Seiko logo and beneath it, the Prospex logo, followed by the text ”Diver’s 200m”. With all of this said, the dial is certainly busy.

Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 movement

The watch is a solar timepiece, which immediately reveals it is battery-powered. It is powered by the Seiko solar caliber V175.

As mentioned, solar technology catches the light and uses that to charge the battery of the movement. If remounted uncharged, it has a power reserve of approx 6 months. But the good thing about this technology is that it removes the need for changing batteries, which is obviously good both for your convenience and the environment.

Hardcore watch enthusiasts may be scared away by the fact that it is a quartz watch, but there’s no denying that Solar technology is rather impressive. Plus, the benefit of a quartz watch is accuracy and not having to worry about the watch stop just because you are not wearing it (if you have an automatic watch).

The accuracy is specified at ±15 seconds per month.

As an additional function, the movement has an overcharge prevention function to prevent it from being overcharged.

Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 strap

The watch is presented on a blue silicone strap. There are few strap/bracelet options that are as suitable for a dive watch as a silicone/rubber strap. It looks great, is suitable for water, and can be worn outside of a wet suit without any issues.

Specifications

• Crystal: Hardlex
• Water-resistance: 200m / 660ft diver’s
• Thickness: 13.8mm
• Diameter: 43.5mm
• Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month
• Power reserve: about 6 months

Conclusion

The Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 PADI Chronograph is a large watch with a sporty look and design as well as great performance.

It is clunky and big, and thus most suitable for men with medium and large wrists. Its colorful touches add some personality to it and help make it more interesting. It is a watch with dive performance but is also equipped with a chronograph. There’s a lot going on with this watch, but overall, it manages to execute a design that is clean and elegant at the same time. The solar power technology adds to the appeal of this watch although the watch nerds will shy away from it for that reason.

The watch is extremely durable and works excellent as an everyday watch, although perhaps too big and bold for formal occasions. Anyways, at this price point, you really get exceptional value for money considering everything that is packed inside it.

The Seiko Prospex Solar SSC663 is available to order on Amazon.