Seiko Presage SSA346 Review & Complete Guide
There are plenty of elegant dress watches on the market. But few brands do it quite like Seiko. If you want a reasonably priced dress watch with impressive attention to detail and unmistakable elegance, the Cocktail Time collection is the perfect answer.
The SSA346 specifically, is the watch we are going to look closer at in this article. And whilst its price tag of about 450-600 USD is affordable in comparison to the likes of Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Sohne, we leave it up to you to decide if it can be considered affordable. Perhaps not if you consider the price of most of Seiko’s other watches.
The thing with dress watches is that they can many times be boring and plain. But at the same time, a dress watch should still maintain its elegance and not stand out too much. It’s safe to say that Seiko has succeeded very well with the SSA346. They have found the perfect balance between elegance and discretion, whilst also managing to incorporate amazing details that ensure you’ll never get bored.
And if you look at the beautiful finish and impressive attention to detail that this watch has, perhaps we could call it affordable after all. Or at the very least amazing value for money.
Seiko Presage Cocktail time SSA346 Review
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The Seiko Presage Cocktail Time collection is a collection of elegant timepieces from Seiko that are inspired by cocktails. The dial of the Presage SSA346 specifically is inspired by a cocktail, the Side Car.
All of the Cocktail time watches have a few common design traits which give them a distinct appearance:
- Box-shaped Hardlex crystal
- Curved hands
- Slim, shining markers inspired by the stem of a glass
As a result of these design features, they are made to work perfectly on formal occasions. The cocktail time timepieces, and the SSA346 in particular, radiate class, style, and sophistication. In addition, it also looks much more expensive than it is.
The Presage collection is Seiko’s mid-tier mechanical watch line which consists of a large number of timepieces, but the Cocktail Time designation, in turn, adds a different touch of elegance to them.
Without further ado, let’s look closer at what this watch has to offer.
Seiko Presage Cocktail time SSA346 case
The Seiko Presage SSA346 is presented with a refined and elegant case with a diameter of 40.5mm and a thickness of 14.4mm. The case is elegantly designed with a thin polished bezel, polished sides, and relatively small, rectangular-shaped lugs which extend from the case. It is made of stainless steel but has a rose gold finish. The rose gold finish makes it particularly suitable if you enjoy gold watches, but also for adding an additional layer of class.
At 3 o’clock, it has the signature Presage crown which s slightly oversized and adds personality to the watch.
On top of the case, it has a beautiful box-shaped (domed) Hardlex crystal which adds appeal to the watch and gives it a classic and slightly vintage-inspired look.
The case has a reasonable size that will fit many wrists, but it’s not tiny which helps make it more versatile. It does have somewhat of a thickness which makes it more sturdy. It isn’t at slim as many other dress watches, and as a result, it will not slide under the cuff as ultra-thin classic dress watches will. But this is due to its automatic movement inside, which we’ll go more into detail about further on.
The water resistance is 50m which means it can handle water splashes but is not suitable for swimming or diving. But you probably wouldn’t think of doing so anyway with this type of watch.
Dial
There’s no denying that the dial certainly is the highlight of this watch. This goes for all Cocktail time watches. It is presented with a beautiful guilloché-esque pattern. This beautiful pattern and all of its other details greatly enhance the watch’s appearance and ensure you will never get bored. Thanks to the depth that this pattern provides, it makes the dial reflect the light beautifully and change appearance depending on how the light hits it.
Positioned at 6 o’clock, it has a date-indicator sub-dial which blends in nicely, and of course, is a practical thing to have.
Like all Cocktail time watches, it has applied polished and beveled hour markers which are inspired by the stem of a cocktail glass. The markers have beautiful beveling which reflects the light beautifully and makes the watch extremely vibrant. They also add depth to the dial.
In addition to the date function, it also has a power reserve indicator. The power reserve is presented via an additional power reserve hand towards the outer edge of the dial. This is also practical to have in order to ensure it never runs out of energy, but it is also an additional function that makes it more interesting and technically advanced.
SSA346 Movement
The watch is powered by the in-house automatic Seiko caliber 4R57. This is a rather impressive and high-performing movement with lots of technologies that improve its performance. This includes the so-called ”Trimatic” technology, meaning it incorporates Diashock, Magic Lever, and the SPRON alloy. The movement has 29 jewels and incorporates manual winding and hacking seconds functions.
For the price, this is a really great movement that has proven to be a robust workhorse and a reliable companion.
If you turn the watch around, you’ll also notice its see-through case back which is a very appropriate design feature in a dress watch like this. This is also a detail that watch geeks will appreciate as it works as a reminder of the complicated piece of mechanical craftsmanship that is inside.
Conclusion
All in all, at this price point, there are few other brands that compete with the quality, elegance, and level of detail that Seiko offers with its Presage Cocktail Time SSA346.
Whilst this is a review, there’s really not a lot to complain about when it comes to this watch. Perhaps it could have been a little slimmer to slide under a cuff more easily, but then Seiko would have had to opt for a different movement, which would also affect its price. Something that people have mentioned, is that they would like to see a smaller size, for example, 36mm. Whilst 40mm is a classic size, it won’t work well for those with small wrists.
This watch is a dress watch and will work perfectly for any formal occasion, in particular as a stylish and refined everyday watch, for example at the office, if you work in such an environment that you wear formal attire.
All in all, this watch just offers amazing value for money.
Specifications
- Movement: in-house automatic 4R57 with manual winding and hacking seconds
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Crystal: box-shaped Hardlex
- Case: Stainless steel with rose gold finish
- Strap: Leather
- Clasp: Three-fold clasp with push-button release
- Water resistance: 5 BAR/50M
- Thickness: 14.4mm
- Diameter: 40.5 mm
- Weight: 84.0 g
- Jewels: 29
- Functions: Date, power reserve display
The Seiko Presage Cocktail Time SSA346 is available to order on Amazon