Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 Review & Complete Guide
Chronograph watches have become iconic in the watch world. The chronograph is a legend, first starting out as racing watches and evolving from there. For Omega, this eventually evolved into space watches, and for brands like Rolex, the heritage of racing continues to live on.
There are plenty of chronograph watches to choose from in today’s market of all types, designs, shapes, and price ranges.
Chronographs have become popular for many reasons, but one reason is that they are so versatile. They have a sporty nature to them, but at the same time are elegant and classy.
With that said, if you are looking for a versatile affordable chronograph, the Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 may just be the watch for you.
Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 Review
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As already mentioned, the Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 strikes a perfect balance between sportiness and class. This watch is exceptionally versatile, which makes it especially great for people who only need one, trusted watch that they can rely on for everyday wear. It works just as well for formal occasions as with casual jeans and a shirt.
At the same time, the design is simple and refined and therefore does not feel too busy or cluttered.
Furthermore, as you will find, this watch is also packed with interesting and advanced technology which makes it much more appealing. And we’ll go into detail about this further on in this article.
Without further ado, in this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119.
Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 case
The watch features a stainless steel case with a diameter of 41mm and a thickness of 11.4mm. The case has a rounded and clean design with slightly squared-off lugs which extend from the case. It has brushed lugs and polished bevels with polished sides. The beveled lugs enhance the impression of finish and quality, which is really nice to see on a watch in this price range.
The case has a flat case back which makes it sit comfortably and slim on the wrist. Positioned at 3 o’clock, it has a crown, and on the side, it has chronograph pushers. The crown feels solid and robust, and whilst the crowns have some play in them, it’s not a lot.
Being a chronograph, it is equipped with a black tachymeter scale around the dial. The bezel has a shiny finish
Sitting on top of the case, the watch has a sapphire crystal
The case offers a water resistance of 100m/330 feet which means it is suitable for showering and also swimming carefully, a tough it is not advised to be in contact with water too frequently.
Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 dial
The watch is equipped with a shiny black finish. Around the edge of the dial, it has painted seconds markers. It also features applied metal hour markers with a beveled finish. The hour markers have Lumibrite on them for improved legibility in the dark.
The watch, of course, has chronograph sub-dials, two large at 12 and 6 o’clock, and one smaller at 9 o’clock. If you look closely at the 12 and 6 o’clock sub-dials, you will be able to see that the background consists of ”see-through” glass. This is used for solar technology which powers this watch. We’ll go into detail about how this works further on.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, it has a date window with a metal frame around it. The date window has a black background which allows it to blend into the dial well.
The hands have a very interesting design with a leaf-style shape that is very thin. The good thing is that the hands are painted white as they create an excellent contrast against the black background, resulting in excellent legibility.
The dial presents an alarm function that reminds of pre-set events using a beep. You can set this alarm to ring at a specific time. The chronograph allows you to measure the time, and the stopwatch measures 1/5-sec up to 60-minutes.
Despite the large Arabic numerals on the dial, it really appears clean, simple, and refined, which is an impressive balance that Seiko has succeeded with.
Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 movement
The watch is equipped with the Seiko Solar Quartz Calibre V172.
This is a movement that has a lot going on, featuring an alarm function, chronograph, stopwatch, and standard time.
As if that wasn’t enough, it is also a Solar movement. What does this mean?
This simply means it uses Seiko’s solar technology of converting ambient and sunlight which is directed through the dial into solar panels, into energy for the battery. The benefit of this is that it removes the need for replacing the battery of your watch. This is great both for the environment but also for your convenience.
As mentioned, the solar powers are placed behind the sub-dial openings.
Whilst the most devoted watch nerds may be scared off by the fact that it features a quartz movement, it does have some practical benefits.
Firstly, quartz watches are far more accurate than mechanical watches. Furthermore, due to the complexity of all the functions, the movement would be complicated, and therefore much more expensive.
Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 bracelet
The Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 is fitted on a sporty stainless steel bracelet which is mostly satin-finished but has polished contrasting middle links. It has a three-fold push-button clasp. In terms of finish and quality, the bracelet is ok, but it is what we can expect from a watch in this price range. The bracelet has some rattle and does not feel 100% solid, but it’s important to have in mind that when it comes to affordable timepieces, the bracelet is usually the part that is compromised with the most.
The watch has a lug width of the industry-standard 20mm. This means that you can easily change to different straps, such as NATO straps to give it a different look and improve comfort.
Specifications
- Movement: Seiko Solar Quartz Calibre V172
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Case Thickness: 11.4mm
- Water Resistance: 100m/330 feet
- Glass: Sapphire crystal
- Functions: Date, Chronograph, Alarm
- Bracelet: Stainless steel
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Lug width: 20mm
Conclusion
All in all, the Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 is a sporty chronograph with an elegant touch.
It is exceptionally versatile which makes it perfect as an everyday watch that you can rely on. It has great accuracy thanks to the quartz movement and also has the added practical benefit of being a solar timepiece which removes the need for replacing the battery.
At this price, it offers exceptional value for money. This watch is built to last and has a great finish in relation to its price. As an added bonus, it is also packed with convenient functions such as alarm, chronograph, and date which are things that can come in handy during your everyday.
The Seiko Spirit Smart SBPY119 is available to order on Amazon.
