Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 Review & Complete Guide

Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 Review & Complete Guide

The Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 is a watch that has a lot to offer and plenty going on. First off, it is a Prospex watch, which is a combination of the words ”professional specifications”. This means it is built according to the needs and wants of professionals. In this case, professional divers.

Furthermore, this is also a PADI timepiece. Seiko is ”an official watch partner of PADI. To celebrate and promote this partnership, Seiko has created special PADI diver’s watches with the PADI logo on the dial. and with the red and blue PADI colors on the case.”. Over the years, Seiko has released a number of different PADI collaboration timepieces, and this is one of them. They are all characterized by their use of the colors red and blue, which are signatures for PADI.

PADI stands for ”The Professional Association of Diving Instructors” and is the world’s leading scuba diver training organization. Both started out serving the diving industry in 1965. Seiko has a long and rich history together with PADI.

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And for a professional dive watch, this collaboration makes sense.

And lastly, the Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 is a solar watch. This means that it uses solar and ambient light to charge the movement, meaning you won’t have to replace the batteries.

This is a serious dive watch with great performance, but at the same time, it is available at an affordable price of just a few hundred dollars. With that said, this watch offers, unsurprisingly like many other Seiko watches, great value for money.

This particular reference, the SNE435 has the iconic blue and red color scheme, which many people opt for due to its unique and appealing look, but if you are not a fan of it, there are also different variations of this watch with different color schemes.

Without further ado, in this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 and what it has to offer.

Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 case

The watch is made with a 43.5mm stainless steel case with a thickness of 12mm. With that said, it is a rather large watch that, with its relatively thick design and robust design will have some presence on the wrist, and is mainly suitable for men with medium to large wrists.

For the price, however, the case is really well-finished. And this is one of the reasons why it punches well above its own weight and offers great value for money.  The top of the lugs is satin-brushed and the sides are polished. It also has ”beveled” edges for added elegance and a great impression of attention to detail. But really, it’s not beveled edges but more so a ”stepped” polished edge, but regardless, the result is the same.

Really, for a sports watch, this case is actually exceptionally finished.

 At 3 o’clock, it has a screw-down crown with a red ”stripe” on it which matches the red and blue theme. The crown sits protected between two crown guards which extend from the case. This keeps the crown protected but also adds to the sporty look and impression of this watch.

Being a dive watch, it is of course also equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel. The bezel has notched edges for improved grip, and it also has a matte blue aluminum disc/insert with large markers printed in silver. The bezel has a lime pip at 12 o’clock to help with legibility and reading elapsed time.

A dive watch also needs to have good water resistance, which this does. The watch has a water resistance of 200m/660 feet, which is enough for virtually any type of water activity including swimming and scuba diving.

On top of the case, it is equipped with a Hardlex mineral crystal, which is to be expected from a Seiko watch in this price range. The crystal also has a small magnifier (cyclops) above the date on the dial to help improve the legibility of the date.

The red and blue elements on the crown and bezel really match the color of the dial well and align with the PADI theme. Speaking of the dial…

Prospex ”PADI” SNE435 dial

The watch is presented with a stunning blue dial. At the center, the dial has a lovely rich blue dial with a striking sunburst effect which reflects the light beautifully.

Around the outer edge of the dial, it has a blue angled chapter ring on which the seconds markers are printed in silver. Each 15-minute marker is printed in red. In addition to this, the watch has a ”stepped” dial plate on which the hour markers are applied. The hour markers have a polished metal frame around them and are applied with Lumibrite. Frankly, the hour markers are huge and allow for exceptional legibility.

Just like the hour markers, the hands are huge. The minutes hand has a painted red frame whilst the hour hand is short, thick, and has a pointy tip. The seconds hand is painted white but has a red painted tip.

All of these things come together to create a really appealing dial with exceptional legibility and a beautiful color scheme in line with the PADI concept of this watch.

At 3 o’clock, it of course also has a date window, which we mentioned earlier. When diving beneath the water, this isn’t really necessary, but to be frank, most people will not wear this watch underwater, so the date function makes sense.

PADI SNE435 movement

One of the reasons why Seiko has managed to make this watch so affordable is thanks to its use of a quartz movement. But don’t mistake this as something negative, because this movement is great for a number of reasons. 

Obviously, a lot of people, in particular enthusiasts and watch nerds would prefer to have an automatic movement in this watch, but this would also naturally lead to a more expensive watch. In addition, a quartz movement is not that bad for this type of watch as it is durable, robust, and will be able to hold up very well in harsh conditions that this timepiece may be subject to. And lastly, quartz watches are far more accurate than mechanical watches, and when diving and you are relying on your watch, accuracy is of utmost importance.

Specifically, this watch is powered by the in-house Seiko solar caliber V157. The movement is constructed in such a way that it has a photovoltaic cell under the dial which catches the sunlight and ambient light and converts that into electric energy in order to recharge the battery and thus remove the need for battery replacement. This is obviously good both for your convenience and also for the environment.

Interestingly enough, the solar concept is executed in such a way that you don’t see it. It is beautifully and discreetly integrated into the watch and made possible through a dial design that lets sunlight through.

The movement also has a power reserve of 10 months when fully charged.

For the tool watch that the SNE435 actually is, a quartz movement isn’t really a bad idea.

Bracelet

The watch is presented on a robust and sporty stainless steel three-link bracelet with polished middle links and brushed side links. The bracelet goes very well together with the overall look of this watch and adds to its sporty appeal.

The bracelet has a triple-locking deployment clasp to keep it in place. As a dive watch, you won’t be surprised to hear that it also has a diver’s extension.

The bracelet looks good, but unsurprisingly for a watch in this price range, the bracelet isn’t the best in terms of build quality. It has some rattle and does not feel 100% solid, so there is definitely room for improvement, but at this price point, it is something that we can overlook.

Specifications

• Crystal: Hardlex
• Movement:  Seiko solar quartz caliber V157
• Power reserve: 10 months
• Diameter: 43.5mm
• Thickness: 12mm
• Water resistance: 200m/660 feet

Conclusion

All in all, it’s easy to see why the Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 ”PADI” is so immensely popular. With all that’s been said, it’s safe to say that this watch offers great value for money. It has a great finish, impressive build quality, and is built to last. It is also equipped with well-performing technology such as the solar quartz movement which is both practical and convenient. Thanks to its blue and red color scheme, it has a lovely appeal to it that makes it fresh and vibrant.

Therefore, if you are looking for an appealing and robust diver’s watch that can be worn on many different occasions outside of the ocean, you really won’t be disappointed with the Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435.

The Seiko Prospex Solar SNE435 “PADI” is available to order on Amazon.