Seiko Chronograph SSB025 Review & Complete Guide
Are you looking for a sporty yet elegant chronograph for everyday wear at an affordable price? This Seiko Chronograph SSB025 is definitely worth considering.
Seiko is known for making affordable yet high-quality timepieces that punch well above their own weight in terms of finish and build quality, and this chronograph is no exception.
Seiko has a huge collection of watches for all tastes and preferences. From dress watches to sports watches and everything in between. What they do have in common, however, is the fact that they offer exceptional value. There is a difference between cheap and affordable, and Seiko is definitely not the first.
Without further ado, let’s look at the Seiko Chronograph SSB025 in detail.
Seiko Chronograph SSB025 Review
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The SSB025 is a sporty chronograph that carries the characteristic design elements of a chronograph. With its white dial, it stands out in a world full of black-dialed watches. In terms of design, it has struck a perfect balance between simplicity and sportiness which helps make this watch perfect for everyday wear and just about any occasion. This is a very versatile timepiece.
To understand what this watch is about, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko Chronograph SSB025.
Seiko Chronograph SSB025 case
The watch is presented with a stainless steel case with a diameter of 40mm excluding the crown and 11mm in thickness. With that said, its dimensions are rather classic for a sports watch. Not too small and not too big. In terms of size, it will likely suit best individuals with large to medium-sized wrists.
The watch has a thin stainless steel bezel with a satin-brushed finish and as a contrast, the sides are polished. Painted on the bezel, we have a tachymeter scale for measuring average speed using the chronograph. Since this feature is so pronounced, it will hardly go unnoticed by anyone that this is a chronograph.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, the watch has the crown which sits protected between two crown guards. On each side of the crown guards, the watch has pushers for the chronograph function. The pushers have a flat top for easy operation.
The watch has a water resistance of 100m/330 feet which means it is suitable for showing, bathing, and swimming, but not deep diving. The crown is not a screw-down that does not provide the same guarantee against water as a screw-down which is why it is still good to be careful when it comes to water.
The case has a lug width of 20mm.
The case gives the impression of being robust, durable, and sporty, which is exactly what this timepiece is. At the same time, its 11mm thickness allows it to slide under a cuff without any issues.
Seiko Chronograph SSB025 dial
The watch is presented with an appealing white dial, and in a world where most dials are black, it is very refreshing with something different.
The white dial is semi-matte with applied hour markers featuring generous amounts of Lumibrite on them. The metal frames around the hour markers are black which provides good contrast against the white background for better legibility. Around the outer edge of the dial, the dial has a large angled chapter ring which takes up quite a bit of property on the dial. Printed in black on the chapter ring are the seconds and split seconds.
Being a chronograph, this watch also has sub-dials. These are positioned at the traditional 3, 6, and 9 positions. The sub-dials have a circular metal plate with a circular finish that matches nicely with the steel case, but also provides an interesting contrast against the white dial. It has a 24-hour sub-dial to show if it is morning or night. In addition, it has another sub-dial that shows minutes down to 1/5 second and a maximum duration of 60 minutes.
It’s also nice to see that the hour and seconds hands have been painted black also for optimal legibility. Both are sword-shaped and have Lumibrite applied to them.
Discreetly integrated into the dial between 4 and 5, the watch also has a date window. It’s nice that Seiko has opted for a white background with black printing as it makes the date window blend in very well. At first, you may not even notice it. The date function is of course a practical and welcomed feature that can come in handy in an everyday timepiece.
The Seiko logo is made of metal and applied at 12 o’clock. Below that, we have two lines of text which are ”chronograph” and 100m”, Not a lot of text, which is a good thing as the dial is quite busy, although well-executed, with the sub-dials which can already be found on the dial.
Perhaps the thing that stands out the most about this watch is its baby blue accents. They are very discreet so they don’t stand out too much, but they still add an interesting touch to the otherwise monochrome dial. These accents can be found on the chronograph hand, which is painted blue, and equally so each 15-minute marker printed on the chapter ring.
Sitting on top of the case is a Hardlex crystal.
Partly because of the light movement, this watch is quite light at only 122gram. At times, you may even forget it is on your wrist, which of course is a good thing in terms of comfort.
Seiko Chronograph SSB025 movement
The SSB025 is a quartz watch, meaning it is powered by a battery. Some watch enthusiasts may be scared away by the fact that it is quartz, but it does have some benefits over mechanical watches. These are primarily accuracy and practicality. Firstly, quartz watches are far more accurate than mechanical watches. And furthermore, quartz watches are also much more affordable to service and maintain.
The movement that powers the Seiko SSB025 is the in-house Seiko caliber 6T63. This movement can operate for about 3 years without needing to replace the battery.
Seiko Chronograph SSB025 bracelet
The watch is fitted with a satin-finished three-link Oyster bracelet. The bracelet looks sporty and goes very well together with the overall design of the watch.
Like most other affordable timepieces, the bracelet is the part that is compromised with the most. It does have some rattle and does not feel 100% solid, but it does the job.
If you don’t like the bracelet or simply want to change to something else, this watch also looks great on a strap. And with its industry-standard 20mm lug width, there are plenty of straps on the market to choose from.
Specifications
- Movement: Seiko in-house caliber 6T63
- Crystal: Hardlex crystal
- Diameter: 41mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Weight: 122mm
- Water resistance: 100M/330 feet
- Power-reserve: approx 3 years
- Weight: 122gram
Conclusion
The Seiko Chronograph SSB025 is a sporty chronograph that is perfect for everyday wear. It has a refreshing and appealing white dial with accents, and for the price, it has a well-finished case and solid build quality.
Some people may be scared off by the fact that it is a quartz watch, but it does have some practical benefits over mechanical movements, especially if you are going to wear this as an everyday timepiece and want a trusted timekeeper.
If this exact reference is not for you, but you enjoy the chronograph design, the good news is that Seiko has a number of different variations of this model with different strap options and dial colors.
All in all, the SSB025 really offers great value for the money and works great as an everyday reliable timepiece. Its design also makes it very versatile.
The Seiko Chronograph SSB025 is available to order on Amazon.
