Seiko Presage Cocktail SSA392J1 Review & Complete Guide
When it comes to affordable dress watches, the Seiko Presage Cocktail collection is one of the most popular out there.
The Seiko presage collection is described by Seiko in the following way ”Presage combines a Japanese aesthetic sense with traditional craftsmanship and Seiko’s watchmaking skills in an original collection that offers Japanese beauty, quality, and long-lasting performance.”
The Cocktail time collection, in turn, consists of elegant timepieces which are all, as the name suggests, inspired by cocktails. All of the Cocktail time watches have a few design traits in common, and then have variants in terms of color and decoration. These timepieces all have slim, shining markers which are inspired by the stem of a cocktail glass. Furthermore, they are all equipped with box-shaped Hardlex crystals which give a classic, vintage-inspired look with great elegance.
The result is that the Seiko Presage Cocktail timepieces are a collection of timepieces with great elegance, attention to detail, and beauty. These watches work as great dress watches and on formal occasions.
In this article, we are going to focus on one specific timepiece, the Seiko Presage Cocktail SSA392J1. This watch is also known as ”old-fashioned” since it is from this cocktail that it seeks inspiration.
Without further ado, let’s dig in and have a look at what the SSA392J1 has to offer.
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Case
The watch is presented with a yellow-gold finished case with a diameter of 40.5mm and a thickness of 12mm. The lug width is 20mm. For a dress watch and elegant daily watch, the size is reasonable and appropriate. It is not tiny, meaning it also works perfectly for everyday wear, but at the same time, it is not too big that it becomes awkward on the wrist on formal occasions.
To go with its elegant theme, the case is completely polished, both on the top and on the sides. Since the case is yellow gold, it’s not for everyone, since some people dislike gold watches, but for a dress watch, and together with its brown details, it blends in nicely without being obnoxious.
The case has a classic round shape with relatively short, rectangular lugs and the bezel is thin and polished. This leaves a lot of room for the dial, which doesn’t come as a surprise since this is, after all, the highlight and main focus of all Cocktail time watches. The case is simply meant to complement the dial, not be the star of the show.
At 3 o’clock, the case has a relatively large push/pull crown which blends in rather nicely with the overall design of the watch.
The SSA392J1 offers a water resistance of 50m/165 feet which means it can handle water splashes, but this isn’t the type of watch you’d go swimming with anyways. On top, Seiko uses, as mentioned, a box-shaped Hardlex crystal. This gives the watch more of a classic, vintage-inspired look and is quite an important detail for the Cocktail watches from Seiko.
Dial
The dial is always the highlight of all Seiko Presage cocktail time watches due to the amazing attention to detail, finishing, and decorations. They are simple and classic in their design to retain their elegant appeal, but Seiko ensures that the wearer never gets bored by incorporating mesmerizing dials which are strikingly beautiful.
Seiko starts off with a mesmerizing brown fume dial which has a lighter shade in the center and then transitions to darker, almost black at the very edges of the dial. This shift in color makes it so much more interesting and vibrant.
The dial also has a power reserve indicator which displays how much energy is left in the movement in 10-hour increments which can be convenient for knowing if and when the watch is about to stop.
As mentioned, the dial has applied polished hour markers which are inspired by the stem of a cocktail glass. These are of course yellow gold too and pair with the brown dial perfectly. The beveling and level of detail to these hour markers give the dial depth and also make them reflect the light beautifully.
The hands also have a beveled design and blend in nicely with the markers.
At 6 o’clock, it has a sub-dial date indicator which can be practical in order to know the date.
The dial is just balanced, and well-designed with enough details to keep it intriguing, but not too many details to make it appear cluttered. Seiko has really found a great balance here.
As a dress watch should, the SSA392J1 is presented on a classic and elegant brown leather strap that pairs with the watch perfectly.
Movement
The watch is powered by the in-house Automatic Seiko caliber 4R57 which has a power reserve of 41 hours. This movement is a tried and true workhorse that has proven to be able to continue to tick for years without any maintenance. It is a solid movement with hacking and manual-winding functions that will simply never let you down.
The movement has 29 jewels and a built-in power reserve which is displayed on the dial.
If you turn the watch around, you’ll be able to see the automatic movement inside through the see-through case back. This is a nice detail in a dress watch that watch enthusiasts, in particular, will appreciate. It’s a great reminder of the beautiful craftsmanship that is beating inside.
Specifications
- Movement: In-house automatic caliber 4R57
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Diameter: 40.5mm
- Thickness: 12 mm
- Lug width: 20mm
- Case back: see-through
- Crystal: Scratch Resistant Hardlex
- Crown: push-pull
- Water resistance: 50 meters / 165 feet
Conclusion
All in all, the Seiko Presage Cocktail SSA392J1 is one of the most elegant and classy affordable automatic dress watches on the market. It has a classic, old-fashioned style, which obviously aligns with its inspiration from the cocktail perfectly.
Seiko has really thought about every single aspect of this watch when designing it, and in particular, the dial which is executed perfectly with lots of intriguing details that catch the eye and ensure that you’ll never get bored of it.
If you look closer at the dial, you’ll realize just how much attention to detail Seiko has put into this. And if you also factor in the price, there are not a lot of timepieces that can compete.
This is a timepiece that stands out but in a good way. As a dress watch, it is meant to stand out, but not steal the show. It simply complements your style in a beautiful and elegant way.
This watch is a limited edition with a power reserve and is limited to only 8,000 pieces worldwide.
The Seiko Presage Cocktail SSA392J1 is available to order on Amazon.
