Seiko 5 SRPE69 Review & Complete Guide
The Seiko 5 sports collection is one of the most popular collections of watches when it comes to sporty automatic watches.
Seiko is often the brand that the most to novice watch collectors who are looking to build their collection due to the exceptional value for money they offer.
The collection of watches is, however, huge, and with so much to choose from, what should you choose?
Clearly, a good starting point is deciding which type of watch you want. Do you want a dress watch, a dive watch, or a pilot’s watch perhaps? If you’re reading this article, you probably don’t want any of that. Instead, you are curious about the Seiko 5 SRPE69 which is a sporty and bold everyday timepiece.
Seiko 5 SRPE69 Review
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At first glance, the Seiko 5 SRPE69 is a very bold timepiece with a very sporty look. Much of this can be contributed to its all-black look. And no, we are not talking about semi-all-black watches, because are plenty of those. Instead, this truly is an all-black timepiece on which everything has been made black – except the Seiko logo and printing on the day and date wheel (the latter for obvious reasons).
If you are looking for a sporty, bold, robust, and durable timepiece with an automatic movement that is built to high quality, and has a unique look the Seiko 5 SRPE69 may just be the watch for you.
Because indeed, all-black watches are not for everyone, but there’s no denying that they look seriously cool. This watch can also be considered a novelty as it was released by Seiko on the 26th of June 2020. This all-black version was released together with 8 other iterations of this watch design.
In this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko 5 SRPE69.
Seiko 5 SRPE69 case
The watch has a stainless steel case with a diameter of 40mm. As you can tell, the case has in turn been PVD coated in black. It has a lug-to-lug measurement of 44.6mm and a thickness of 11.5 mm.
If you have seen the new Seiko 5 diver which was presented in 2019, you’ll see a clear resemblance to this watch. They are similar in proportions, but the biggest difference is that the rotating bezel has been removed, which takes it from being a dive-style watch to a casual everyday wear timepiece. Furthermore, it is also smaller in diameter with its 40mm. Since it doesn’t have a rotating bezel, it doesn’t sit as tall on the wrist either.
It’s nice to see that when it comes to the case design (and dial design), Seiko has decided to stay true to the roots of the Seiko 5 sports watch and include many of its signature design features such as a 4 o’clock positioned crown, dial layout, day and date window at 3 o’clock, etc.
The 4 o’clock crown sits protected between crown guards which extend from the case. The front of the case is mostly satin-finished and has polished sides. The bezel also has a polished edge.
The watch offers a water resistance of 100m/330 feet, and an important reason why this is not more is that it has a push-pull crown rather than a screw-down crown. A water resistance of 100M is perfectly fine for an everyday timepiece. It can be worn when swimming or snorkeling, but just not deep diving, but remember this watch is not built as a diver’s watch, and most people who buy this likely won’t even go swimming with it.
Seiko 5 SRPE69 dial
The watch has an all-black dial which makes for a very sporty and bold look.
The black dial has a matte texture which adds to the appeal of the watch and makes it look less elegant (which obviously goes very well with the design of this watch).
The dial has applied markers with a polished metal frame around them which have been PVD coated. Perhaps the most interesting touch of this watch is that the Lumibrite has also been colored black.
The hands are similar to the standard Seiko 5 diver, with an arrow-tipped minute hand and a pointy hour hand. These too, have black Lumibrite and their metal frames have been PVD coated.
Having said that, the ”issue” with all-black watches is that they compromise legibility. The white luminous mass is usually used to create clear contrast against a dark dial, but when not even the Lumibrite is white, the legibility is compromised. The good news is of course that it makes for a very cool look.
The dial has a chapter ring around the outer edge of the dial on which the seconds markers are printed in a dark silver color.
The overall dial design is clean and simple – and likely also timeless. There’s something very about the clean dial layout that is very pleasing about the design.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, we have, of course, the Seiko 5 signature day and date window. The background has been colored black and in order to be able to read it, the days and dates are printed in white.
Seiko 5 SRPE69 strap
The watch is presented on a black NATO strap with a PVD-treated buckle and holders. The strap obviously goes very well with the design of the watch and also makes it look more casual. This emphasizes the fact that this timepiece is meant as a casual daily timepiece.
There’s not much to say about the NATO strap as you are all familiar with them. It’s, of course, comfortable to wear and with the many holes, you can easily find your perfect fit. For this particular watch, I think it’s good that Seiko decided on a NATO strap instead of a PVD bracelet because this would very well have proven to be ”too much”.
Seiko 5 SRPE69 movement
The watch is powered by the in-house automatic Seiko caliber 4R36. This is a workhorse movement in which all focus has been invested into making it long-lasting and robust. The movement has a power reserve of 41 hours and has, according to specifications an accuracy of +45 seconds to -35 seconds, but owners have reported a much better accuracy than that. The movement uses 24 jewels.
Turning the watch around will reveal the see-through case back (behind the NATO strap of course). If you wish to change to something else than a NATO, the drilled holes in the case make it super easy to remove and change straps.
What you will see is that the movement is not decorated. This would of course have been nice, but it’s important to have in mind the idea and concept of this movement, and with that in mind, it is actually a perfect fit for a durable daily watch like the SRPE69.
Specifications
- Movement: Seiko caliber 4R36
- Weight: 75g
- Jewels: 24
- Lug-to-lug size: 44.6mm
- Diameter: 40mm
- Thickness: 11.5 mm
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Water resistance: 100M/330 feet/10ATM
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Accuracy: +45 seconds to -35 seconds
Conclusion
All in all, the Seiko 5 SRPE69 is a great daily timepiece that you can rely on. Its all-black look makes it a watch that isn’t for everyone, but it does make for a very bold, sporty, and unique look. But if this all-black timepiece isn’t for you, don’t worry. As mentioned, Seiko has 8 other iterations of this watch design with different dial colors (and non-PVD coated of course).
For the price, it’s safe to say that it offers great value for money. The case is robustly built, the dial is well-finished, and it’s very evident that Seiko has paid great attention to the details of this timepiece.
It is equipped with a robust and durable automatic timepiece that will continue to tick for years, and that is exactly what we are looking for in a timepiece like this. For those of you who are looking for something different and unique, the Seiko 5 SRPE69 is definitely a watch worth considering. And since it can take a beating, it is also exceptionally good if you’re on the hunt for a beater watch.
The Seiko 5 SRPE69 is available to order on Amazon.
Main Photo: Watchnation
