Seiko SARB035 Review & Complete Guide

Seiko SARB035 Review & Complete Guide

If you are looking for a clean and classic timepiece that has a high-quality, finish, and decoration, yet at an affordable price, you may have noticed that the alternatives out there are very… limited.

The SARB035 offers all of these things and much more. This watch has received tons of praise from the public for the exceptional value it offers, and its quality and finish that punch well above the brand’s weight 

Seiko is widely appreciated all around the world for its high quality and durable affordable watches. But what happens if Seiko just takes one step forward to make a watch with a better finish, a better quality, and that offers an overall more premium impression? Well, then you have Grand Seiko. But what if you don’t want to reach thousands for its price tag and would prefer to keep it around 400 USD? Then Seiko answers that with the SARB035.

Seiko is known for making affordable, durable, and long-lasting timepieces for everyday wear. But the fact is that Seiko is so much more than that. Whilst Seiko’s particular expertise is in making affordable watches that offer great value for money, the brand successfully applies the same strategy for watches that are slightly higher priced.

Seiko SARB035 Review

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The Seiko SARB035 is made as an elegant and classy everyday watch. Whilst relatively affordably priced at around 400 USD, it has really jumped a lot from the brand’s most affordable automatic watches when it comes to building quality, details, and finishing.

In terms of design, the SARB035 is a very versatile piece. It is classy enough to work extremely well with a suit, but also sporty and robust enough for everyday wear.

Having said that, if you are prepared to just add a little bit more from the most affordable Seiko watches, I promise that you won’t get disappointed with what you actually get in return for that additional cost.

In this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko SARB035 to understand what makes it so popular.

Seiko SARB035 case

Since this watch is made as a classy and elegant versatile everyday timepiece, Seiko has made it in a perfect in-between side of 38mm (diameter).

This means the watch is small and discreet enough for formal occasions and to slip under a cuff but at the same time large enough to be perceived as sporty and durable for more casual occasions.

The lug-to-lug of the case measures 44.5mm and has a thickness of 11.5mm. With that said, the case is very modestly sized. In other words, just a perfectly versatile watch.

For the price, the case is actually superbly finished in my opinion. The top of the lugs are satin-brushed, and the sides are polished. The watch has a fixed stainless steel bezel with a polished finish. Seiko has done a really good job finishing of the case. It’s finished to the point where it looks very premium. In fact, much better than the price would suggest. The lugs have small yet very elegantly executed ”step down. The step gives the impression that the case has polished bevels, whilst in fact, it doesn’t. This is a really interesting and appealing detail about this case.

At the same time, Seiko has done a great job with combining brushed and polished elements in order to not make for a too sporty look, but at the same time, not too elegant either. When it comes to finishing, it is definitely more than we can expect for this price.

Positioned at 3 o’clock, the watch has a 6.3mm push-pull crown. The crown has an ”S” on its side. The ”downside” of this crown is the fact that it does not offer the same guarantee against water as a screw-down. At the same time, the SARB035 is not built as a dive watch, but more so an everyday classy piece. And with that said, water resistance is not the most important thing about this watch, although, of course, it can still be ”good to have”.

For the crystal, Seiko uses sapphire.

Seiko SARB035 dial 

The SARB035 is presented with a lovely white dial with a cream/beige/off-white tone to it. Of course depending on how the light hits it. This dial has a somewhat matte finish, but in some lights, depending on how the light hits it, it can give off a pearl-like, sheen, which truly enhances its elegance.

The off-white color is quite discreet and of course very elegant and clean. It definitely makes it more of a classy dress watch, but at the same time, its sporty design traits and features ensure that it remains casual enough to be a sporty everyday timepiece.

The watch has applied metal hour markers which have been polished. The hour markers are rectangular-shaped but are not just flat and boring. Quite the opposite actually. In fact, they have bevels and details to make them reflect the light beautifully. In addition, they also have lume applied, which can be found just at the end of each hour marker’s inside. It is discreet but ensures legibility even in the dark.

The watch is equipped with beautiful Dauphine hands which reflect the light beautifully. They really create a beautiful sheen and glow which is usually only found in much more premium watches. A huge bonus for the SARB035 here. In addition, the hands also have Lumibrite applied to them for legibility even in the dark.

Photo: Twobrokewatchsnobs

To make this watch more practical for everyday wear, it is equipped with a date function at 3 o’clock. The window has a nice metal frame around it. And what better function for an everyday timepiece than the date? Some people have complained that it harms the symmetry and cleanness of this watch, but there is no denying that it does in fact make it more practical. And this, after all, seems like Seiko’s goal all along.

The dial has a small and discreet angled chapter ring on which the split-seconds markers are printed in black. This is a nice but important touch.

To keep the watch clean and refined, Seiko has kept the dial text at a minimum, At 12 o’clock, we have the Applied Seiko logo in metal, and beneath the center of the hands, we have the text ”Automatic” and ”23 jewels”. That’s it.

It’s evident that refined elegance is what Seiko is trying to achieve with this dial, and they have a great job with just that. The dial is understated and minimalistic, but if you look closer at all of the intricate details, it’s really beautiful to look at.

Seiko SARB035 movement

The Seiko SARB035 is equipped with the Seiko in-house caliber 6R15 movement. This is an automatic mechanical movement that beats with a frequency of 21600 BPH. And as stated on the dial, it has 23 jewels.

This movement is an improvement from the brand’s most affordable automatic movements. The two most important improvements when it comes to the movement are the fact that the 6R15 has both hacking seconds and manual winding functions. These two functions are not found in the most affordable watches.

What you will notice when you then watch around is that you can actually see the movement beating inside through the see-through case back. The 6R15 is not the most beautiful movement, since frankly, it doesn’t come anywhere near the most beautifully decorated watches in terms of price, such as Patek, Breguet, etc. But still, the case back works as a reminder of the beautiful piece of mechanical craftsmanship beating inside. The rotor has been decorated with Côtes de Genève, so it’s still nice to look at.

The most important part, however, is that this movement is built as a robust and durable movement for everyday wear. And this is definitely something it lives up to.

This movement is built as a workhorse that will continue to tick for years and needing little to no maintenance. This is of course perfect for an everyday watch like the SARB035. When you put it on the wrist, you want it to simply work.

Photo: Strapcode

Seiko SARB035 Bracelet

Moving on to the bracelet of the SARB035, we find that it is presented on a satin-brushed three-link bracelet that looks sporty yet elegant at the same time. The bracelet is 20mm where it meets the case but then tapers down to 18mm at the clasp. This is really important as it makes the bracelet much less clumsy and improves comfort a lot. The folding clasp with push-buttons has two micro-adjustments, which isn’t a lot for making fast and easy adjustments to the size. In addition, the links do not use screws, but instead a pin and collar system which makes it much more difficult to size the bracelet.

However, when you have found the perfect size, it is quite comfortable. In addition, the bracelet is relatively well-finished. At the very least, it looks great and matches the design of the watch very well. It’s elegant but at the same time has a touch of sportiness to it.

If you don’t like the bracelet, or just want to give the watch a different look, you’ll be happy to hear that this watch looks great on other straps, too. A popular strap change is to wear this watch on a leather strap. It really makes the watch appear more elegant, but also improves comfort and makes it easy to find the perfect fit.

Specifications

• Diameter: 38mm
• Lug width: 20mm.
• Lug-to-lug: 44.5mm
• Movement: Seiko in-house caliber 6R15
• Jewels: 23
• Frequency: 23
• Thickness/height: 11.5mm
• Crystal: Sapphire
• Case back: See-through, Hardlex

Conclusion

To conclude this review, the Seiko SARB035 is an immensely popular watch from Seiko, and it is easy to see why. The watch offers exceptional value for money if you look at how well-finished, robust, and qualitative it really is. There are few watches in the same price range that are as well-made and well-finished. 

Seiko has struck a perfect balance between elegance and sportiness which makes this a perfectly versatile timepiece. It is sporty enough to be worn every day, but also elegant enough to work if you put on a suit. It’s easy to see why it is so immensely popular because, at this price point, we struggle to find any better substitute.

The Seiko SARB035 is available to order on Amazon.

Main Photo: Twobrokewatchsnobs