Seiko Presage SRPD37 Review & Complete Guide
Is there a brand that is more synonymous with affordable quality than Seiko?
Seiko is widely appreciated and considered one of the brands that offer the best value for money when it comes to quality, finish, and durability in a timepiece. Perhaps most appreciated is its most affordable Seiko 5 sports collection, but the fact is that the brand has a wide selection of timepieces of all types and purposes. If you are looking for an elegant dress watch, you may have stumbled across the Seiko Presage collection.
Seiko Presage SRPD37 Review
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The Seiko Presage SRPD37 is built to be a classy timepiece that works for a wide array of occasions. It is elegant enough to be worn as a dress watch but also sporty enough for everyday wear. Its casual elegance makes this a great watch for people who, for example, wear somewhat formal clothing for their everyday wear. Let’s call it business-casual.
This Presage watch has something special about it which is the fact that it is also a so-called ”Cocktail time”. The story behind this name is that Seiko collaborated with a bartender to make Presage watches inspired by cocktails. Fast forward a few years, and Seiko has reborn this concept. Because of their unique and eye-catching dials, they have proven to be highly popular.
In this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko Presage SRPD37 ”Cocktail time”
Seiko Presage SRPD37 case
Starting off with the case, there are not an awful lot of surprises here. It is clean, elegant, and toned down. The case has a diameter of 40mm, a thickness of 12mm, and a lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm. With that said, it is somewhere in the middle between everyday sports watches and dress watches. This is one of the reasons it is so versatile also. At the same time, the case is somewhat slim which means it can slip under a cuff without issues.
The case is mostly polished, including the bezel, lugs, and side of the case. This of course contributes to making it less sporty. It Is, however, equipped with an oversized crown at 3 o’clock which gives it a bit of character, but also makes time-setting very easy (which is otherwise a common problem on some of the Seiko 5 watches).
The lugs are slightly rectangular and squared-off but also curve downwards. This makes them ”hug” the wrist and allows for a more snug fit.
Sitting on top of the case, we have Seiko’s proprietary Hardly crystal. No big surprises here.
The watch offers a water resistance of 50 meters/5 BAR/165 feet. This is not very impressive and really just enough for resisting water splashes, for example when washing your hands. But at the same time, water resistance is not a big deal in watches that are not meant to be worn for anything sport-related.
What you will notice if you turn the watch around is that it has a see-through case back. Considering the price point, we can’t expect Patek Philippe finishing on the movement, but for what is otherwise a completely plain movement in Seiko’s similarly-priced watches featuring a see-through case back, Seiko has actually equipped this one with a gold-colored rotor. This is a fun and interesting detail that obviously goes very well with the elegance of the Presage. The case back screws down, and the crystal is Hardlex, too.
Seiko Presage SRPD37 dial
The dial is definitely the star of the show of the SRPD37 and what makes the whole Presage cocktail time collection unique. If you look closely at the dial, you can see its green dial with a clear texture that results in immense depth. The pattern reminds of a sunburst finish, only that the brushings are substantially deeper and more pronounced, giving incredible depth and stunning reflections. The dial has a glossy finish that together with its pattern makes it something truly special, especially when direct light hits it.
If you haven’t seen the cocktail time dials in person, you will certainly fall in love with the incredible texture of these dials.
The markers and hands of this watch are also beautifully made. The dial has applied metal markers that are almost arrow-shaped, have a polished finish, and also beveling. The markers, just like the dial, also reflect the light beautifully and also go very well with the style and design of the watch. As mentioned, the hands have a similar look to them as the hour markers. The seconds hand, however, is painted color, to give it more of an elegant and classy look.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, we find a date window that is beautifully surrounded by a beveled metal frame. It’s good that Seiko opted for a black background instead of a white as it blends in better with the dial. In addition, the date function is a great thing considering the fact that most people will wear this as an everyday piece. And with that said, a date indicator can be quite handy.
Seiko has kept the dial clean and refined with only three lines of text including the applied Seiko logo. This is in our opinion a great thing since the rich texture of the dial makes it busy enough.
Seiko Presage SRPD37 movement
The Presage SRPD37 is powered by the in-house Seiko caliber 4R35. This movement has both manual winding and hacking seconds functions. It operates at 21600 BPH, offers a power reserve of 41 hours, and has 23 jewels.
This movement is equipped with three interesting (and effective) innovations that improve its performance and durability. These are Diashock, magic lever, and Spron.
What does this mean?
Diashock is, as the name suggests, a component inside the movement to increase its resistance against shocks. If the watch is subject to shocks, the Diashock will absorb it in order to minimize the damage to the movement.
The magic lever is an invention that Seiko came up with in 1959 that increases the efficiency of the winding of the movement. This means it is easier to wind and thus charged with energy quicker.
Lastly, we have the Spron, which are the mainsprings and hairspring alloys that Seiko invented. It is an ally that has exceptional resistance against corrosion, heat, and shocks.
All of these components go together to make a high-quality, long-lasting automatic caliber that requires little maintenance and that can continue to tick for years.
Seiko Presage SRPD37 strap
As an elegant dress watch should, it is presented on a leather strap. More specifically, this watch is presented on a brown leather strap with a deployment clasp which both looks great but also opens and closes easily. The case has a lug width of 20mm, so if you don’t like this leather strap, you can change it as you prefer to something else.
Specifications
- Frequency: 21,600 BPH
- Jewels: 23
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Lug-to-lug: 46mm
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Seiko in-house automatic caliber 4R35
- Strap: Tri-fold push button release clasp
- Water resistance: 50m/5 BAR/165 feet
- Lug width: 20mm
- Thickness: 12mm
Conclusion
With all of these things combined, it is easy to see why the Seiko Presage SRPD37 and the whole Seiko collection is so immensely popular. The watch has at its core a clean and elegant case that makes it suitable for everyday wear, in particular with more formal attire. Furthermore, it has a dial like no other that is extremely eye-catching and unique. It is truly something out of the ordinary.
And lastly, we cannot forget the most important part which is that this watch offers exceptional value for money. It is well-built, durable, and extremely well-finished for the price. In fact, there are actually few watches that with all of these factors in mind can compete with the SRPD37
The Seiko Presage SRPD37 is available to order on Amazon.
