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Price : $475.00
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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
You can be a serious diver and still show a bit of style with this Kinetic Dive Watch. By the simple movement of your wrist, the rechargable battery charges itself. Once fully charged, it captures and stores energy up to six months. Kinetic ? the most advanced electronic watch technology. . Features include: one way rotating elapsed timing bezel, stainless steel case and bracelet, black dial. Designed for diving, this watch 200 meters water resistant.
Kinetic: A powerhouse in technological innovationLike mechanical and quartz, Kinetic is a platform. Over the past 20 years, SEIKO has created on this platform a suite of Kinetic movements, each bringing unique features to the consumer.It was at the 1986 Basel Fair that SEIKO unveiled its first Kinetic prototype. Introduced under the trial name of 'AGM', it was the first watch in the world to convert kinetic movement into electrical energy. It was the first step in a development that, 20 years later, has made Kinetic synonymous with environmental friendliness, high performance and long-lasting convenience to a generation of users worldwide. From the launch in 1988 of the first commercially available watch (then under the new name AGS) until today, over eight million Kinetic watches have been sold (as of 2007).In 1998, Kinetic Auto Relay was released, extending the 'at-rest' operating period of the watch to a remarkable 4 years. 1999 saw the launch of the Ultimate Kinetic Chronograph, a masterpiece which fused the very best of SEIKO's mechanical and electronic watch making skills, and in 2003 another Kinetic Chronograph was launched. At Baselworld 2005, the Kinetic Perpetual made its first appearance, combining Kinetic convenience and longevity with a perpetual calendar, correct to the year 2100. In 2007, SEIKO's emotional technology Kinetic Direct Drive is introduced.
The Seiko Story
From Humble beginnings, Kintaro Hattori’s Vision for Seiko has become reality. A consuming passion for excellence - imprinted in our Corporate DNA passed from generation to generation. Seiko, for 125 years committed to the art and science of time.
A culture of innovation connects a 19th century Tokyo clock shop with 20th century advances in timekeeping to an extraordinary 21st century "quiet revolution." Continually driven by dedication and passion, established a multitude of world’s first technologies… transforming the principles of timekeeping.
The first quartz wristwatch – changed the history of time.
The first Kinetic – marked a new era in quartz watch technology.
In 1969, Seiko Astron, the first quartz wristwatch - was introduced.
In an instant, Seiko exponentially improved the accuracy of wristwatches –And Seiko technology firmly established today’s standard in Olympic and sports timing.
1984, another celebrated first – Kinetic Technology – powered by body movement.
Kinetic – a quartz mechanism with unparalleled accuracy –the driving force behind more world’s firsts.
Kinetic Chronograph – the next generation of high performance timekeeping.
Kinetic Auto Relay – automatically resets to the correct time.
Kinetic Perpetual - combining the date perfect technology of perpetual calendar with the genius of Kinetic Auto Relay.
And now Kinetic Direct Drive – move, and the watch is powered automatically. Or hand wind it and see the power you are generating in real time.
In the realm of fine watches, time is measured by Seiko innovation – A heritage of dedication to the art and science of time.
Product Details
- Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
- ASIN: B000UQFCFM
- Item model number: SKA371
Product Features
- Kinetic movement; functions without a battery; powers Kinetically with the movement of your arm
- Strong Hardlex crystal protects dial from scratches
- Case diameter: 45 mm
- Stainless steel case; black dial; date function
- Water resistant up to 660 feet (200 M)
Seiko Men's SKA371 Kinetic Dive Silver-Tone Watch
Customer Reviews
Ever since my Seiko "Orange Monster" (SKX781) quit I had been looking for a dive watch to replace it that was both more accurate than an automatic (my Monster would usually be off by five minutes each week) and yet not require a battery change. Changing batteries is both a pain and not eco-friendly, and I just plain hate doing it. I looked for about a year at the Seiko "Black Knight" kinetic (SMY089) that Princeton exclusively offers as well as Citizen solar-powered (Eco-Drive) dive watches, liking neither options especially well. I wanted a big, solid diver with a little certain something extra - much like my Monster - and the Seiko SKA371 seems to be it.
First, the watch seems quite well made. It is much more finely finished than my Monster and light-years ahead of Citizen's watches as far as build quality goes. The bezel moves smoothly with solid clicks, and it does not inadvertently turn like my Monster's bezel used to. Second, this is a heavy watch! It is significantly heftier than my old Monster. I happen to like that, but other folks may not. The band, like the other Seiko bands I have worn, it high quality. It does not often pull hair and the clasp is solid and strong. The crown is easy to grasp and turn, yet it screws down to prevent accidental time changes and makes the watch more water resistant (200 meters). The hour and minute hands glow brightly at night and so do the indexes. The second hand is very pale and hard to read in total darkness, but that does not bother me. The substantial case-back is slightly curved to fit on the wrist better and is pretty thick - the mineral crystal is too. When one reads the time it seems that you are looking down into the watch; I would think such a thick crystal would be hard to crack. The kinetic movement feels neat moving back and forth and keeps good time (it is quartz-based after all).
There are only two things I am not thrilled with, and they are minor. One is that I do not care for the shape of the hour hand. The other is that I wish the bezel came up a little further than it does to help protect the crystal from scratches (although I do not have any yet).
Overall the Seiko SKA371 is a nice looking watch that I do not mind wearing to the office while at the same time being an extremely rugged timepiece that should work well in the field or ocean.
There is one thing about Princeton Watches though. While I like them, and they have watches other companies do not, they call to confirm your order. This was problematic for me because I am rarely home and it delayed my shipping (after complaining they still shipped my order UPS 3-Day Air while not charging me for it), and it seems to defeat the whole point of ordering Online. If they need to talk to you over the phone, why not just accept phone orders only? Again, I still think they are a good company, but people should keep their policies in mind when ordering from them.
After owning this product for a little over a year, beating it up day in and day out, and also having comparing it to countless other watches I've decided that my old review (4 stars) was still unfairly low, as this watch is an uniquely excellent product. As I noted in my old review, I am hard on watches. My job can involve running, heavy lifting, squeezing into tight places, climbing, ect, and this means my watch is subject to bumps, scrapes, excessive movement, and sometimes harsh chemical cleaners, ect. I can also be pretty active and spend time outside when I'm not working. Because of this, I'm hard on watches, and I have wrecked many an inexpensive wristwatch before its time. This watch has shrugged off pretty nearly everything I could hand it, and apart from being slightly grimy and having a small scratch on the crystal that I can just barely see at certain angles, it has been pretty much untouched. There are some less expensive watches that can handle my abuse (see the Casio G-Shock I reviewed), but here I have a watch that looks great with my best suit after a year of such abuse, and that is what makes this a remarkable product. My general impression now, is that Seiko generally gives you a lot of quality for the money. They build virtually everything that goes into their watches in-house (I think the only exception is possibly some of the lubricants), and this was my reasoning when I selected the brand. A closer look at the particulars of this watch would have confirmed my impression. It is an ISO certified Dive Watch, actually built for serious use. While I don't dive, and have no special interest in diving, that cert means that the watch was specifically built and tested to withstand a lot of the abuse I'd put it through (physical impact, obviously water pressure, impact to the crown, magnetic resistance, thermal shock, band strength, ect). Still, lots of companies make things they label as a "dive watch", this thing is impressively capable. Every aspect of it has proved to be of the highest quality. The crystal is very thick, and made from a special formula Seiko calls "Hardlax". Hardlax has a moh's hardness of 7, which means it is far harder than traditional "mineral" crystals, which are only a 5 on the moh's scale. It is considerably softer and less scratch resistant than a quality sapphire crystal (moh's 9), but is supposed to be tougher (less prone to cracking). The markings are very clear and easy to read (as you'd expect on anything that calls itself a dive watch), and Seiko's Lumbrite glow in the dark markings are the best I've ever seen. They are always easily visible in the dark. The band is also extremely strong. The clasp is very strong because it has both the "deployment" style lock, and a backup outer clasp that folds in the opposite direction. It is also attached to the watch itself with the most massive pins I've ever seen. The typical rotating bezel is flawless as well, it is easy to turn, but exhibits no play. Finally the quality of the movement appears to equal the quality of the case and band. This is an autoquartz watch (Seiko Kinetic) which I am a huge fan of. Modern (post 2000) watches should basically never need a battery change, as they are continuously recharged, and will still hold an 80% charge after 20 years. This movement makes such a watch very easy to maintain, there is no battery to change, but if you don't wear it for a few days, it does not run down like a mechanical watch. Plus quartz watches are way, way more accurate than mechanical watches. And this one has been uniquely accurate for me. I have only ever had to reset it for daylight savings time. Otherwise, it absolutely has not changed by so much as 20 seconds in 6 months. I have no explanation for this, as there's no indication the watch is thermocompensated (and those cost a fortune so far as I know), but it's yet another reason why this watch deserves a perfect rating from me. The kinetic mechanism does make a slight but noticeable sound when you move the watch (which was why I previously gave it 4 stars), but in light of how perfectly the watch seems to function, I no longer felt like I could deduct a star for that issue. What's left to quibble about then? Well, it would be nice if there was a perpetual date version of this watch, but then again, I don't see many dive watches with that feature at any price. Also, at this point I wish it was available in more than 1 style. If there was also an orange face, or a blue face/ "coke bottle" bezel version of this watch, I'd buy one in a second, even though it now appears the one I have may very well last me a lifetime. The only other reservation I have in recommending this watch is, that different people buy watches for different reasons. This is not going to delight an hourhologist who collects expensive Swiss pieces. The movement would cost a jeweler maybe $100. But for anyone looking for a great looking, absolutely bulletproof dress/dive watch at a reasonable price, with the convenience and accuracy of an autoquartz movement, this is pretty nearly the perfect watch. Seiko's MSRP is perfectly reasonable for something this well made, and Amazon knocks more than 40% off of that! No watch is perfect for everyone, but this watch is perfect for me, and probably for many other people as well.
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