Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 Review & Complete Guide
Seiko is one of the most popular watch brands in the world. Especially when we talk about affordable automatic watches. Seiko is widely appreciated for its stylish and durable automatic watches that punch well above their own weight in terms of quality and finish.
For someone who is looking to dip their toes in the world of watches (in particular automatic watches), Seiko is often one of the most recommended brands.
Seiko has a huge collection of watches of all kinds of types. Automatic, quartz, dress, sports, and so on.
One of the most popular collections from Seiko, at least if you ask a watch enthusiast, is the Seiko 5 sports collection.
During 2019 and 2020, Seiko did a lot of changes to its lineup of sports watches. This meant discontinuing models, but also introducing a bunch of new as well. The biggest change was that the company discontinued the now-legendary SKX dive watch.
But Seiko also released a new and interesting model, the reference SRPE. With this watch, Seiko essentially took its new diving watch and replaced the unidirectionally rotating bezel with a steel bezel.
The result? A sporty diver-inspired timepiece that is more versatile and classic than the dive watch. With that said, for someone who is looking for a classic, versatile timepiece that works for all kinds of occasions, the SRPE line may just be for you.
Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 Review
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Seiko released several new watches in the SRPE collection, where the differences involved visual differences such as dial color, bracelet option, and case color. One of the watches in this collection is the Seiko 5 SRPE53K1, and that is the watch we are going to focus on in this article.
The concept of Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 is to make a sporty and durable everyday timepiece. It is refined and clean in its design, but still has plenty of sporty elements. This watch also has a sporty and robust build quality – not only appearance.
I find it very unique and interesting from Seiko to base the SRPE53K1 design on a dive watch, and then rework it. It becomes special… A watch with personality.
In this article, we are going to review and look closer at the Seiko 5 SRPE53K1.
Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 case
The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 has a full stainless steel case with a diameter of 40mm. The case has a lug-to-lug measurement of 44.6mm. The thickness measures 11.5mm. With that said, it is a relatively big watch, as a sports watch should be, but it is not huge. The SRPE53K1 will be perfect for large to medium-sized men’s wrists.
One of the reasons Seiko’s watches are known to punch above their own weight is due to the finishing of the cases that the brand has. In this price range, we can’t by any means expect Patek Philippe finishing, but in relation to its price, the case is very well finished. On the top of the lugs, we have a satin-brushed finish, but on the sides, the case is polished, creating a nice contrast.
In traditional Seiko 5 fashion, the crown is positioned at 4 o’clock. The crown is protected by crown guards which extend from the case. A nice detail about the crown guard is that it is polished at the top and slightly ”curved”. The benefit of having the crown positioned at 4 o’clock is that it improves comfort as it doesn’t dig into your wrist.
The bezel of the watch is smooth and polished. This is instead of a unidirectional rotating bezel of the standard diver.
Its combination of polished and brushed elements really enhances the impression of quality.
The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 uses Seiko’s Hardlex crystal. A lot of people would prefer to see a sapphire crystal on this watch, and I agree it would be nice to have. But at the same time, the Hardlex crystal does the job quite well and has proven to be more scratch-resistant than regular mineral glass. But a sapphire would really add an additional touch of premium finish to it.
If you look at the case back, you will see that it has a see-through case back. This is a feature that is always appreciated by watch enthusiasts as it works as a reminder of the mechanical piece of craftsmanship inside. More on the movement further on…
The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 offers a water resistance of 100m/330 feet/10 ATM/10BAR. This means the watch is suitable for swimming and snorkeling but not diving. This is a rather ok water-resistance considering this watch is made as an everyday timepiece. It will work fine for any everyday activity you may throw at it that involves water (after all, deep diving cannot be considered an everyday activity, can it?). In addition, if you are going diving, you would probably want to wear a diver’s watch with a bezel, anyways.
A ”downside” is that the crown on this watch is a push-pull and not a screw-down. This means it doesn’t provide as much of a guarantee against water as a screw-down crown. But as long as you don’t operate it underwater, it should be fine.
Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 movement
The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 is equipped with the automatic mechanical 4R36 caliber. This is an in-house Seiko caliber that is powered by a rotor and which has both hacking seconds and manual winding functions, both of which are not found in Seiko’s more affordable automatic watches.
The 4R36 has proven to be robust and reliable, which of course is crucial for a sporty everyday watch like the SRPE53K1. The movement beats at21,600 BPH and has 24 jewels. To make it more durable, Seiko has developed the Diashock technology which protects the movement from shocks.
According to specifications, the watch has an accuracy of +45 / -35 seconds per day. But in reality, it has proven to offer much better accuracy which is great news.
Speaking of the movement, as mentioned, the watch has a see-through case back which allows you to see the movement inside. Note, however, that the movement is not decorated and doesn’t have any fancy finish. This could be seen as a downside, but actually, it’s really not. The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 is a sporty tool watch, and because of this, a tool-like industrialized-looking movement goes very well with the concept and ethos of this timepiece.
The purpose of this watch is functionality and reliability, and the movement does this very well. It’s a proven workhorse that will continue to tick for years to come.
Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 dial
Moving on to the dial, which in my opinion really is the highlight of this watch. Obviously, it’s rather hard to miss.
The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 is presented with a striking blue dial with a blue sunburst effect. This means that the dial reflects the light, particularly the sunlight beautifully. Around the outer edge of the dial, it has a blue-colored chapter ring on which the second markers are printed in silver.
The watch has large applied markers with polished metal frames around them and generous amounts of Lumibrite applied to them, to allow for strong luminescence and good legibility even in the dark. The same goes for the hands. The watch has a cathedral-style hour hand and an arrow-tipped minutes hand. The seconds hand is simple and made of metal, but has a luminous dot on the opposite side so that you can read even the seconds in the dark.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, we have the signature day and date window with a white background and the date and day printed in black. It is easy to read the day and date window at a glance. Date/day windows always split options as they naturally impact the symmetry of a watch, but this is such a classic design element in the Seiko 5 watches that we don’t really think much about it anymore. More correctly, we expect it.
Overall, the dial is very clean. The only dial printing/text it has is an applied Seiko logo at 12 o’clock, and right beneath it the new Seiko 5 logo. And lastly, beneath the center of the hands, the text ”Automatic”, but that is it.
But really, the blue sunburst dial must be experienced in real life and in the right lighting in order to be fully appreciated.
Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 bracelet
Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 has a stainless steel three-piece bracelet which is rather similar in design to the iconic Rolex Oyster bracelet. This bracelet looks sporty and goes very well together with the design of the watch. It is completely satin-finished except for the sides of the links. The bracelet uses a three-fold clasp to keep it secure on the wrist.
Generally, the bracelet of affordable watches tends to feel rather rattly and hollow, but this bracelet actually gives a qualitative impression and feels great on the wrist.
Specifications
- Movement: Seiko Automatic caliber 4R36
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Diameter: 40mm
- Thickness: 11.5mm
- Lug-to-lug: 44.6mm
- Water-resistance: 10bar/100m
- Thickness: 11.5mm
- Jewels: 24
- Frequency: 21600 BPH
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Accuracy: +45 / -35 seconds
Conclusion
To conclude this article, the Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 is an extremely versatile timepiece that works for both formal and casual occasions. The watch has a sporty presence to it as it is based on Seiko’s dive watch collection, but the rotating bezel has been replaced for a cleaner polished bezel.
The watch is equipped with a sturdy and reliable automatic movement which has been proven to be a workhorse that will continue to tick for years and years to come.
With the SRPE53K1, Seiko strikes a perfect balance between sport and elegance. It is sporty enough to look great for casual occasions, but also classy enough to work with a suit or jacket thanks to its relatively slim case and mesmerizing blue dial.
With this watch at this price point, you are really getting exceptional value for money. Both in terms of design but also in terms of finish, reliability, and quality.
The Seiko 5 SRPE53K1 is available to order on Amazon.
Main Photo: Two Broke Watch Snobs
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